open local data: challenges and opportunities
TRANSCRIPT
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WMRO Open Data Event, Birmingham, July 15, 2010
Open Local Data Challenges & opportunities
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It’s been a good year for open government datadata.gov.uk, Ordnance Survey, MPs expenses...
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It’s been a good year for open government datadata.gov.uk, Ordnance Survey, MPs expenses...
![Page 4: Open local data: challenges and opportunities](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022081414/554d4808b4c905b0708b5057/html5/thumbnails/4.jpg)
It’s been a good year for open government datadata.gov.uk, Ordnance Survey, MPs expenses...
![Page 5: Open local data: challenges and opportunities](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022081414/554d4808b4c905b0708b5057/html5/thumbnails/5.jpg)
But what about local data?
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But what about local data?
• Frankly it’s a mess
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But what about local data?
• Frankly it’s a mess
• Sporadically published by central government
![Page 8: Open local data: challenges and opportunities](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022081414/554d4808b4c905b0708b5057/html5/thumbnails/8.jpg)
But what about local data?
• Frankly it’s a mess
• Sporadically published by central government
• Inaccessible & impenetrable council websites
![Page 9: Open local data: challenges and opportunities](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022081414/554d4808b4c905b0708b5057/html5/thumbnails/9.jpg)
But what about local data?
• Frankly it’s a mess
• Sporadically published by central government
• Inaccessible & impenetrable council websites
• Opaque local public bodies and quangos (goodbye RDAs, hello LEPs)
![Page 10: Open local data: challenges and opportunities](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022081414/554d4808b4c905b0708b5057/html5/thumbnails/10.jpg)
But what about local data?
• Frankly it’s a mess
• Sporadically published by central government
• Inaccessible & impenetrable council websites
• Opaque local public bodies and quangos (goodbye RDAs, hello LEPs)
• At best unclear & at worst unusable legal situation
![Page 11: Open local data: challenges and opportunities](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022081414/554d4808b4c905b0708b5057/html5/thumbnails/11.jpg)
But what about local data?
• Frankly it’s a mess
• Sporadically published by central government
• Inaccessible & impenetrable council websites
• Opaque local public bodies and quangos (goodbye RDAs, hello LEPs)
• At best unclear & at worst unusable legal situation
• Start with the basics. Who are the councillors, where do they represent and what committees do they sit on?
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But what about local data?
• Frankly it’s a mess
• Sporadically published by central government
• Inaccessible & impenetrable council websites
• Opaque local public bodies and quangos (goodbye RDAs, hello LEPs)
• At best unclear & at worst unusable legal situation
• Start with the basics. Who are the councillors, where do they represent and what committees do they sit on?
• How easy it that information to find & reuse?
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Simple questions, hard to answer
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Simple questions, hard to answer
• How does the budget of my council compare with similar ones?
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Simple questions, hard to answer
• How does the budget of my council compare with similar ones?
• What’s the background of the chief executive of my council?
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Simple questions, hard to answer
• How does the budget of my council compare with similar ones?
• What’s the background of the chief executive of my council?
• Is my route to work going to affected by roadworks next week?
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Simple questions, hard to answer
• How does the budget of my council compare with similar ones?
• What’s the background of the chief executive of my council?
• Is my route to work going to affected by roadworks next week?
• What are the connections between the companies awarded contracts and the councillors & senior management?
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Simple questions, hard to answer
• How does the budget of my council compare with similar ones?
• What’s the background of the chief executive of my council?
• Is my route to work going to affected by roadworks next week?
• What are the connections between the companies awarded contracts and the councillors & senior management?
• How will cuts in services be decided and what can I do to influence the decisions?
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TransparencyA brief example.
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TransparencyA brief example.
• A story in Private Eye
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TransparencyA brief example.
• A story in Private Eye
![Page 24: Open local data: challenges and opportunities](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022081414/554d4808b4c905b0708b5057/html5/thumbnails/24.jpg)
TransparencyA brief example.
• A story in Private Eye
• An investigation by the District Auditor
![Page 25: Open local data: challenges and opportunities](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022081414/554d4808b4c905b0708b5057/html5/thumbnails/25.jpg)
TransparencyA brief example.
• A story in Private Eye
• An investigation by the District Auditor
• A report buried in the nether recesses of the website...
![Page 26: Open local data: challenges and opportunities](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022081414/554d4808b4c905b0708b5057/html5/thumbnails/26.jpg)
TransparencyA brief example.
• A story in Private Eye
• An investigation by the District Auditor
• A report buried in the nether recesses of the website...
![Page 27: Open local data: challenges and opportunities](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022081414/554d4808b4c905b0708b5057/html5/thumbnails/27.jpg)
TransparencyA brief example.
• A story in Private Eye
• An investigation by the District Auditor
• A report buried in the nether recesses of the website...
• ...with no relevant heading
![Page 28: Open local data: challenges and opportunities](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022081414/554d4808b4c905b0708b5057/html5/thumbnails/28.jpg)
TransparencyA brief example.
• A story in Private Eye
• An investigation by the District Auditor
• A report buried in the nether recesses of the website...
• ...with no relevant heading
![Page 29: Open local data: challenges and opportunities](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022081414/554d4808b4c905b0708b5057/html5/thumbnails/29.jpg)
TransparencyA brief example.
• A story in Private Eye
• An investigation by the District Auditor
• A report buried in the nether recesses of the website...
• ...with no relevant heading
• Accessible only as a PDF of a scan of a document
![Page 30: Open local data: challenges and opportunities](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022081414/554d4808b4c905b0708b5057/html5/thumbnails/30.jpg)
TransparencyA brief example.
• A story in Private Eye
• An investigation by the District Auditor
• A report buried in the nether recesses of the website...
• ...with no relevant heading
• Accessible only as a PDF of a scan of a document
![Page 31: Open local data: challenges and opportunities](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022081414/554d4808b4c905b0708b5057/html5/thumbnails/31.jpg)
TransparencyA brief example.
• A story in Private Eye
• An investigation by the District Auditor
• A report buried in the nether recesses of the website...
• ...with no relevant heading
• Accessible only as a PDF of a scan of a document
• Is it any wonder suspicions are raised?
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Engagement
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Engagement
• Local Authorities now have a duty to engage. This means• Reducing barriers to understanding
and involvement
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Engagement
• Local Authorities now have a duty to engage. This means• Reducing barriers to understanding
and involvement
• Accessible for all
![Page 35: Open local data: challenges and opportunities](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022081414/554d4808b4c905b0708b5057/html5/thumbnails/35.jpg)
Engagement
• Local Authorities now have a duty to engage. This means• Reducing barriers to understanding
and involvement
• Accessible for all
• Available to use when, where & how we want to
![Page 36: Open local data: challenges and opportunities](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022081414/554d4808b4c905b0708b5057/html5/thumbnails/36.jpg)
Engagement
• Local Authorities now have a duty to engage. This means• Reducing barriers to understanding
and involvement
• Accessible for all
• Available to use when, where & how we want to
• Publishing as data means easy to be repurposed – for mobile, for mashups, for offline use (e.g. Postcode Paper)
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Equality
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Equality
• At the moment, all this information is available... at a cost
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Equality
• At the moment, all this information is available... at a cost
£££
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Equality
• At the moment, all this information is available... at a cost
• Huge asymmetry of information (and thus power)
£££
![Page 41: Open local data: challenges and opportunities](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022081414/554d4808b4c905b0708b5057/html5/thumbnails/41.jpg)
Equality
• At the moment, all this information is available... at a cost
• Huge asymmetry of information (and thus power)
• Raises the barriers to involvement, and, critically, to challenge
£££
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EfficiencyNow: cumbersome, wasteful, opaque, error prone
Typical local data flows
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EfficiencyNow: cumbersome, wasteful, opaque, error prone
Typical local data flows
Council
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EfficiencyNow: cumbersome, wasteful, opaque, error prone
Typical local data flows
Council
Govt Dept A
Govt Dept B
Govt Dept C
web
upload
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EfficiencyNow: cumbersome, wasteful, opaque, error prone
Typical local data flows
Council
Govt Dept A
Govt Dept B
Govt Dept C
web
upload
public (maybe)
![Page 46: Open local data: challenges and opportunities](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022081414/554d4808b4c905b0708b5057/html5/thumbnails/46.jpg)
Enter OpenlyLocal...
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Enter OpenlyLocal...
• Inspiration was a Manchester project, MCC Work For You. Doing something concrete to solve a problem.
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Enter OpenlyLocal...
• Inspiration was a Manchester project, MCC Work For You. Doing something concrete to solve a problem.
• Screen-scrapes council websites, to turn web pages into structured data. Now over 150 councils done, with basic information on all 434
![Page 49: Open local data: challenges and opportunities](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022081414/554d4808b4c905b0708b5057/html5/thumbnails/49.jpg)
Enter OpenlyLocal...
• Inspiration was a Manchester project, MCC Work For You. Doing something concrete to solve a problem.
• Screen-scrapes council websites, to turn web pages into structured data. Now over 150 councils done, with basic information on all 434
• Pulls info from about local councils, plus ONS, OS, NPIA, CLG...
![Page 50: Open local data: challenges and opportunities](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022081414/554d4808b4c905b0708b5057/html5/thumbnails/50.jpg)
Enter OpenlyLocal...
• Inspiration was a Manchester project, MCC Work For You. Doing something concrete to solve a problem.
• Screen-scrapes council websites, to turn web pages into structured data. Now over 150 councils done, with basic information on all 434
• Pulls info from about local councils, plus ONS, OS, NPIA, CLG...
• Increasingly working with local authorities to help them publish their information as open data
![Page 51: Open local data: challenges and opportunities](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022081414/554d4808b4c905b0708b5057/html5/thumbnails/51.jpg)
Enter OpenlyLocal...
• Inspiration was a Manchester project, MCC Work For You. Doing something concrete to solve a problem.
• Screen-scrapes council websites, to turn web pages into structured data. Now over 150 councils done, with basic information on all 434
• Pulls info from about local councils, plus ONS, OS, NPIA, CLG...
• Increasingly working with local authorities to help them publish their information as open data
• All open data – free for reuse, including commercial reuse
![Page 52: Open local data: challenges and opportunities](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022081414/554d4808b4c905b0708b5057/html5/thumbnails/52.jpg)
Enter OpenlyLocal...
• Inspiration was a Manchester project, MCC Work For You. Doing something concrete to solve a problem.
• Screen-scrapes council websites, to turn web pages into structured data. Now over 150 councils done, with basic information on all 434
• Pulls info from about local councils, plus ONS, OS, NPIA, CLG...
• Increasingly working with local authorities to help them publish their information as open data
• All open data – free for reuse, including commercial reuse
• 100% accessible. Data first; bells & whistles later
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RDF
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RDFJSON
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RDFJSONXML
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OpenlyLocal: where next?
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OpenlyLocal: where next?
• More data.
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OpenlyLocal: where next?
• More data. • Election data
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OpenlyLocal: where next?
• More data. • Election data✓
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OpenlyLocal: where next?
• More data. • Election data• Spending data
✓
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OpenlyLocal: where next?
• More data. • Election data• Spending data
✓✓
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OpenlyLocal: where next?
• More data. • Election data• Spending data• Where I live...
✓✓
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OpenlyLocal: where next?
• More data. • Election data• Spending data• Where I live...
✓✓✓
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OpenlyLocal: where next?
• More data. • Election data• Spending data• Where I live...• Cabinet members
✓✓✓
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OpenlyLocal: where next?
• More data. • Election data• Spending data• Where I live...• Cabinet members• Mayors
✓✓✓
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OpenlyLocal: where next?
• More data. • Election data• Spending data• Where I live...• Cabinet members• Mayors• Police authorities
✓✓✓
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OpenlyLocal: where next?
• More data. • Election data• Spending data• Where I live...• Cabinet members• Mayors• Police authorities
• More councils.
✓✓✓
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OpenlyLocal: where next?
• More data. • Election data• Spending data• Where I live...• Cabinet members• Mayors• Police authorities
• More councils.
• More connections.
✓✓✓
![Page 73: Open local data: challenges and opportunities](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022081414/554d4808b4c905b0708b5057/html5/thumbnails/73.jpg)
OpenlyLocal: where next?
• More data. • Election data• Spending data• Where I live...• Cabinet members• Mayors• Police authorities
• More councils.
• More connections.
• More ways for councils to give us data.
✓✓✓
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OpenlyLocal: where next?
• More data. • Election data• Spending data• Where I live...• Cabinet members• Mayors• Police authorities
• More councils.
• More connections.
• More ways for councils to give us data.
• More tie-ups with hyperlocal news/community sites.
✓✓✓
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The OpenElectionData project
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The OpenElectionData project
• Tackling the open local data problem, one set at a time & learning lessons on the way
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The OpenElectionData project
• Tackling the open local data problem, one set at a time & learning lessons on the way
• Succeed, or fail forward
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The OpenElectionData project
• Tackling the open local data problem, one set at a time & learning lessons on the way
• Succeed, or fail forward
• No public database of local election results, only a commercial one (subsidized by the Electoral Commission)
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The OpenElectionData project
• Tackling the open local data problem, one set at a time & learning lessons on the way
• Succeed, or fail forward
• No public database of local election results, only a commercial one (subsidized by the Electoral Commission)
• Allows even those with no prior knowledge of linked data/RDF/semantic web (choose fave buzzword here) to take part
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The OpenElectionData project
• Tackling the open local data problem, one set at a time & learning lessons on the way
• Succeed, or fail forward
• No public database of local election results, only a commercial one (subsidized by the Electoral Commission)
• Allows even those with no prior knowledge of linked data/RDF/semantic web (choose fave buzzword here) to take part
• Just need HTML competence
![Page 81: Open local data: challenges and opportunities](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022081414/554d4808b4c905b0708b5057/html5/thumbnails/81.jpg)
The OpenElectionData project
• Tackling the open local data problem, one set at a time & learning lessons on the way
• Succeed, or fail forward
• No public database of local election results, only a commercial one (subsidized by the Electoral Commission)
• Allows even those with no prior knowledge of linked data/RDF/semantic web (choose fave buzzword here) to take part
• Just need HTML competence
• Over 20 councils took part, and invaluable lessons learned (see report)
![Page 82: Open local data: challenges and opportunities](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022081414/554d4808b4c905b0708b5057/html5/thumbnails/82.jpg)
<tr rel='openelection:candidacy'> <!-- Here we are saying the candidate has given names of Keith William and a familyName Cockroft --> <th scope="row" rel="openelection:candidate"><span property="foaf:givenName">Keith William</span> <span property="foaf:familyName">Cockroft</span></th> <td rel="openelection:party" resource="http://openelectiondata.org/id/parties/6"><span property="rdfs:label">Labour</span></td> <!-- The candidacy got 330 votes --> <td property="openelection:candidateVoteCount" datatype="xsd:integer">330</td> <td>16.6%</td> <td property="openelection:elected" datatype="xsd:boolean" content="false">No</td> </tr> <tr rel='openelection:candidacy'> <th scope="row" rel="openelection:candidate"> <span typeof="openelection:Candidate" property="foaf:name">Brenda Lilian Constable</span> <span rel="openelection:address"> <span property="v:street-address">37 Morley Road</span>, <span property="v:locality">Burntwood</span>, <span property="v:region">Staffordshire</span> <span property="v:postal-code">WS7 2DE</span> </span> </th>
The future for local data? Local government for local people
Publish once, consume many times
Council open dataGovt Dept A
Govt Dept B
Govt Dept C
publicpublic
interest/media/
community/commercial
sites
may
be
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Open data opportunities
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Open data opportunities
✤ Massive efficiency savings (somewhat important when the cuts are so severe) – reducing duplication, management layers, automating regular routine tasks
![Page 85: Open local data: challenges and opportunities](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022081414/554d4808b4c905b0708b5057/html5/thumbnails/85.jpg)
Open data opportunities
✤ Massive efficiency savings (somewhat important when the cuts are so severe) – reducing duplication, management layers, automating regular routine tasks
✤ Reduction in bureaucracy (and associated frustration of frontline staff and citizens)
![Page 86: Open local data: challenges and opportunities](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022081414/554d4808b4c905b0708b5057/html5/thumbnails/86.jpg)
Open data opportunities
✤ Massive efficiency savings (somewhat important when the cuts are so severe) – reducing duplication, management layers, automating regular routine tasks
✤ Reduction in bureaucracy (and associated frustration of frontline staff and citizens)
✤ Improved online services for citizens at zero cost (provided by websites/apps that work with any council)
![Page 87: Open local data: challenges and opportunities](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022081414/554d4808b4c905b0708b5057/html5/thumbnails/87.jpg)
Open data opportunities
✤ Massive efficiency savings (somewhat important when the cuts are so severe) – reducing duplication, management layers, automating regular routine tasks
✤ Reduction in bureaucracy (and associated frustration of frontline staff and citizens)
✤ Improved online services for citizens at zero cost (provided by websites/apps that work with any council)
✤ Increased transparency
![Page 88: Open local data: challenges and opportunities](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022081414/554d4808b4c905b0708b5057/html5/thumbnails/88.jpg)
Open data opportunities
✤ Massive efficiency savings (somewhat important when the cuts are so severe) – reducing duplication, management layers, automating regular routine tasks
✤ Reduction in bureaucracy (and associated frustration of frontline staff and citizens)
✤ Improved online services for citizens at zero cost (provided by websites/apps that work with any council)
✤ Increased transparency
✤ More freedom from central government targets, auditing
![Page 89: Open local data: challenges and opportunities](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022081414/554d4808b4c905b0708b5057/html5/thumbnails/89.jpg)
Challenges
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Challenges
✤ Lack of ‘corporate’ awareness/understanding of open data issues
![Page 91: Open local data: challenges and opportunities](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022081414/554d4808b4c905b0708b5057/html5/thumbnails/91.jpg)
Challenges
✤ Lack of ‘corporate’ awareness/understanding of open data issues
✤ There is a lack of even basic web skills at some councils
![Page 92: Open local data: challenges and opportunities](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022081414/554d4808b4c905b0708b5057/html5/thumbnails/92.jpg)
Challenges
✤ Lack of ‘corporate’ awareness/understanding of open data issues
✤ There is a lack of even basic web skills at some councils
✤ Many councils lack web publishing resources, never mind the resources to implement open, linked data publishing
![Page 93: Open local data: challenges and opportunities](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022081414/554d4808b4c905b0708b5057/html5/thumbnails/93.jpg)
Challenges
✤ Lack of ‘corporate’ awareness/understanding of open data issues
✤ There is a lack of even basic web skills at some councils
✤ Many councils lack web publishing resources, never mind the resources to implement open, linked data publishing
✤ The understanding of even the basics of linked data and the steps to publishing public data in this way is very, very limited, even outside of the public sector
![Page 94: Open local data: challenges and opportunities](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022081414/554d4808b4c905b0708b5057/html5/thumbnails/94.jpg)
Challenges
✤ Lack of ‘corporate’ awareness/understanding of open data issues
✤ There is a lack of even basic web skills at some councils
✤ Many councils lack web publishing resources, never mind the resources to implement open, linked data publishing
✤ The understanding of even the basics of linked data and the steps to publishing public data in this way is very, very limited, even outside of the public sector
✤ Getting councils to publish data in open, linked formats requires dedication, and a range of resources and a mix of skills
![Page 95: Open local data: challenges and opportunities](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022081414/554d4808b4c905b0708b5057/html5/thumbnails/95.jpg)
Challenges
✤ Lack of ‘corporate’ awareness/understanding of open data issues
✤ There is a lack of even basic web skills at some councils
✤ Many councils lack web publishing resources, never mind the resources to implement open, linked data publishing
✤ The understanding of even the basics of linked data and the steps to publishing public data in this way is very, very limited, even outside of the public sector
✤ Getting councils to publish data in open, linked formats requires dedication, and a range of resources and a mix of skills
✤ Outsourced web publishing contracts often make it difficult and expensive to publish open, linked data
![Page 96: Open local data: challenges and opportunities](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022081414/554d4808b4c905b0708b5057/html5/thumbnails/96.jpg)
More Challenges
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More Challenges
• IDs – councils don’t generally use them; central government uses many... inconsistently
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More Challenges
• IDs – councils don’t generally use them; central government uses many... inconsistently
• Data tied up in PDFs (will we ever get this back?)
![Page 99: Open local data: challenges and opportunities](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022081414/554d4808b4c905b0708b5057/html5/thumbnails/99.jpg)
More Challenges
• IDs – councils don’t generally use them; central government uses many... inconsistently
• Data tied up in PDFs (will we ever get this back?)
• Legacy systems. That nobody now understands
![Page 100: Open local data: challenges and opportunities](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022081414/554d4808b4c905b0708b5057/html5/thumbnails/100.jpg)
More Challenges
• IDs – councils don’t generally use them; central government uses many... inconsistently
• Data tied up in PDFs (will we ever get this back?)
• Legacy systems. That nobody now understands
• Private companies/JVs. No FoI. No access to data
![Page 101: Open local data: challenges and opportunities](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022081414/554d4808b4c905b0708b5057/html5/thumbnails/101.jpg)
More Challenges
• IDs – councils don’t generally use them; central government uses many... inconsistently
• Data tied up in PDFs (will we ever get this back?)
• Legacy systems. That nobody now understands
• Private companies/JVs. No FoI. No access to data
• Outsourcing (councils have outsourced the skills & knowledge and now are often dumb consumers)
![Page 102: Open local data: challenges and opportunities](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022081414/554d4808b4c905b0708b5057/html5/thumbnails/102.jpg)
More Challenges
• IDs – councils don’t generally use them; central government uses many... inconsistently
• Data tied up in PDFs (will we ever get this back?)
• Legacy systems. That nobody now understands
• Private companies/JVs. No FoI. No access to data
• Outsourcing (councils have outsourced the skills & knowledge and now are often dumb consumers)
• Silos, especially of budgets. How do you get money from one budget to another (even if the whole benefits)
![Page 103: Open local data: challenges and opportunities](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022081414/554d4808b4c905b0708b5057/html5/thumbnails/103.jpg)
Yet More Challenges
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Yet More Challenges
✤ The size of the cuts mean they will be blunt, eliminating useful services, sparing wasteful ones. Who & what will be left & what will it mean for local public services?
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Yet More Challenges
✤ The size of the cuts mean they will be blunt, eliminating useful services, sparing wasteful ones. Who & what will be left & what will it mean for local public services?
✤ Few resources to invest in doing this, and even less understanding of where to invest it. Danger of using usual procedures, suppliers (procurement, Capita, Serco etc)
![Page 106: Open local data: challenges and opportunities](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022081414/554d4808b4c905b0708b5057/html5/thumbnails/106.jpg)
Yet More Challenges
✤ The size of the cuts mean they will be blunt, eliminating useful services, sparing wasteful ones. Who & what will be left & what will it mean for local public services?
✤ Few resources to invest in doing this, and even less understanding of where to invest it. Danger of using usual procedures, suppliers (procurement, Capita, Serco etc)
✤ Little incentive for those organisations and people threatened by open data – for them it is a Darwinian fight for survival
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An example dataset: local spending data (deadline jan 2011)
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An example dataset: local spending data (deadline jan 2011)✤ Technical challenge: how to extract the data from the accounts system
without including non-suppliers (e.g. foster parents, children)✤ How many councils are working on this (hopefully all of them)
✤ How many have blogged, posted the steps/issues/solutions – zero?
✤ What are the key fields that MUST be included, and do these need to be listed somewhere?
![Page 109: Open local data: challenges and opportunities](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022081414/554d4808b4c905b0708b5057/html5/thumbnails/109.jpg)
An example dataset: local spending data (deadline jan 2011)✤ Technical challenge: how to extract the data from the accounts system
without including non-suppliers (e.g. foster parents, children)✤ How many councils are working on this (hopefully all of them)
✤ How many have blogged, posted the steps/issues/solutions – zero?
✤ What are the key fields that MUST be included, and do these need to be listed somewhere?
✤ Organizational challenge✤ What is this going show about our spending/processes/contracts?
✤ How will we compare with other similar bodies?
✤ What will be the consequences (FoI requests, changed relationship with suppliers, unpopular services)
![Page 110: Open local data: challenges and opportunities](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022081414/554d4808b4c905b0708b5057/html5/thumbnails/110.jpg)
An example dataset: local spending data (deadline jan 2011)✤ Technical challenge: how to extract the data from the accounts system
without including non-suppliers (e.g. foster parents, children)✤ How many councils are working on this (hopefully all of them)
✤ How many have blogged, posted the steps/issues/solutions – zero?
✤ What are the key fields that MUST be included, and do these need to be listed somewhere?
✤ Organizational challenge✤ What is this going show about our spending/processes/contracts?
✤ How will we compare with other similar bodies?
✤ What will be the consequences (FoI requests, changed relationship with suppliers, unpopular services)
✤ Systemic challenge✤ How will this affect the relationship with the citizens?
✤ What are the implications for our structure, processes, power...?
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Power in the public sector was...
✤ Access to people
✤ Access to information
✤ Understanding structure/how things worked
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Power in the public sector was...
✤ Access to people
✤ Access to information
✤ Understanding structure/how things worked
undermined by social networking
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Power in the public sector was...
✤ Access to people
✤ Access to information
✤ Understanding structure/how things worked
undermined by social networking
democratized by open data
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Power in the public sector was...
✤ Access to people
✤ Access to information
✤ Understanding structure/how things worked
undermined by social networking
democratized by open data
crowdsourced? bypassed?
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All this is a proxy for the real battle: relevance
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All this is a proxy for the real battle: relevance
✤ How relevant is your local government to you?
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All this is a proxy for the real battle: relevance
✤ How relevant is your local government to you?
✤ How well do the ‘proper channels’ work for you?
![Page 118: Open local data: challenges and opportunities](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022081414/554d4808b4c905b0708b5057/html5/thumbnails/118.jpg)
All this is a proxy for the real battle: relevance
✤ How relevant is your local government to you?
✤ How well do the ‘proper channels’ work for you?
✤ What is your ability to achieve things outside the existing structures?
![Page 119: Open local data: challenges and opportunities](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022081414/554d4808b4c905b0708b5057/html5/thumbnails/119.jpg)
All this is a proxy for the real battle: relevance
✤ How relevant is your local government to you?
✤ How well do the ‘proper channels’ work for you?
✤ What is your ability to achieve things outside the existing structures?
✤ What difference does your council make to your life?
![Page 120: Open local data: challenges and opportunities](https://reader036.vdocuments.net/reader036/viewer/2022081414/554d4808b4c905b0708b5057/html5/thumbnails/120.jpg)
Open data is local government’s chance to stay relevant to their
citizens/economy(but it’ll have its work cut out)
Local Climate Change Challenges and Opportunities: Understanding NYS Municipal Official Perspectives
2015 FOSS4G Track: FOSS4G Adoption in Local Government – Opportunities and Challenges by Dave Murray