The document discusses open data in Alameda County. It defines open data as making public data available to the public in accessible, machine-readable formats. The benefits of open data include innovation, more efficient government services, improved data sharing between agencies, and greater transparency. It recommends Alameda County create a central open data portal, guidelines for publishing datasets, and engage with civic hackers and developers to build apps that use open data. The county is working with outside groups to launch a site called InfoAlamedaCounty.org to publish and visualize open data.
Open Data Briefing for Alameda County Data Sharing Committee
1. OpenData: What, Why & How?
In Alameda County
Steve Spiker (GISP)
Director of Research + Technology
Urban Strategies Council
2. overview
•Opendata?
•Why it matters for Alameda County
•Benefits and Gains
•What it looks like
•Internal Benefits/Improvements
•How?
•Hackathons & Community Use
•InfoAlameda
3. Urban Strategies Council…
A social impact organization.
Uses research, policy, collaboration, innovation and
advocacy to achieve equity and social justice.
www.urbanstrategies.org
4. Our OpenData Initiative
Supporting East Bay government agencies.
Support from Code for America & CivicCommons.org
Requested support from Nate Miley
Focused on internal gov benefits and wider community
5. What is Open___?
•OpenGovernment
•OpenSource
•OpenStandards
•OpenData…
http://opendatahandbook.org
6. What is OpenData
“increase public access to high
value, machine readable datasets
generated by government”
•Makes all PUBLIC data available to the PUBLIC
•Next step in eGov
“Opendata is rocket fuel for innovation”
Former US CTO Vivek Kundra
7. What is OpenData
10 Principles: •Complete
•Primacy
•Timely
•Ease of Physical & Electronic Access
•Machine readable
•Non-discriminatory
•Open standards
•Licensed openly
•Permanent
•Free
8. What is OpenData not?
Never:
•Confidential information
•Personal information like health records
•Violates local, state or federal laws
9. Why Alameda?
•Internal data sharing process
•Strong, growing tech community
•https://data.sfgov.org/
•Code for Oakland
11. Opendata Benefits
•One Stop portal for all gov data!
•Reduced requests for custom data
•Real engagement opportunity
•Supports transparent, open government
12. Opendata Benefits
Interoperability!
Agency A installs new case mgmt system- with an
OpenData API (connection, feed)
Agency B installs new recording system- simply pulls
Agency A data through OPEN feed
encourages the use of standards, OPEN standards!
13. Opendata Benefits
Interoperability- 5 years later!
Agency A wants to update a second system
Because prior system used an OPEN standard- no
legacy tools or coding needed- just connect!
14. What OpenData looks like
County A County B
•Open, free parcel data •No public/costly parcel data
•Open, free foreclosure data •Costly foreclosure data
•Open, free business permit data •No public business permit data
•Open, free social service data •Closed social service data
Where would you…
•Consider investing in affordable housing development?
•Consider locating a new business?
•Consider funding community initiatives?
•Expect more robust grants from?
15. How Opendata looks
Yelp
+ Restaurant Health Inspections?
Crimespotting
+ Sheriff's crime reports?
16. Opendata in Alameda
•One place to get the right supervisorial boundaries
•One place to share and access
foreclosure, property, tax data
•Open county 211 data- one copy of all social service
agencies- to drive multiple websites and apps
•Massively improve access to information for new
businesses, building and development projects
17. Framework
Mobile
Apps Engagement
Compliance Tools
Report or
Website
Civic Tech
Solutions
Analyst, Man
Open
ager, Progra Data Site
mmer
API or
extraction
routine
InfoAlameda
Dept A Dept B
Database Database
INTERNAL!
18. Implementation
•Guidelines & standards for which datasets to publish
•Technical requirements for publishing data
•Guidelines for departments to follow in developing open data plans
•Selecting/developing generic licenses for data
•Consider rules for putting data sets into new IT contracts
•Solicit comments from public before implementation
19. Implementation
1. Keep it simple
2. Engage early and engage often
3. Address common fears & misunderstandings
20. Who Can Use Opendata
Code for Oakland- hackathons!
Photo Credit: Flickr user hackNY
22. InfoAlamedaCounty.org
•Web based mapping platform
•Data visualization
•Full export of all data!
•Platform for publishing research, data, maps
•Built in partnership with ACPHD
•Free- open to anyone
•viewer.infoalamedacounty.org
Urban Strategies Council works locally and regionally to provide research, data and policy analysis, strategic planning, program development, capacity building and advocacy in service of low-income communities of color.Our organization is a member of the Alliance for Boys and Men of Color, an alliance of advocates, organizations and individuals working together across the state to improve the life chances for California’s boys and young men of color.
Urban Strategies Council works locally and regionally to provide research, data and policy analysis, strategic planning, program development, capacity building and advocacy in service of low-income communities of color.Our organization is a member of the Alliance for Boys and Men of Color, an alliance of advocates, organizations and individuals working together across the state to improve the life chances for California’s boys and young men of color.