How many agencies are in the federal government? Seems like a straightforward question, right? Well, it depends on whom you ask. Hudson Hollister, Founder and Executive Director of the Data Transparency Coalition, recalled his days working as a congressional staffer for Rep. Darrell Issa and searching for an answer to that very question. “One dayRead… Read more »
I grew up on a farm in Chunchula, Alabama. It was a small operation – a few goats, turkeys, and chickens; as well as a small orchard and a few crops. The most data we collected on productivity was how many eggs I could carry back to the house in my basket on a givenRead… Read more »
This blog post is an excerpt from GovLoop’s recent guide, the Open Data Playbook for Government. Download the full guide here. What separates good data from bad data? Well, a couple of things: How the data is displayed, its accuracy, and useful context about the data are all key. Whether we know it or not,Read… Read more »
Sometimes it’s not the destination, but the journey that truly counts. That’s the philosophy some of the government’s best and brightest are adopting with open data programs. Open data is not just a single solution, but a path to solving the plethora of problems government faces now and will face in the future. Open dataRead… Read more »
Citizens across the country are increasingly seeing more of their governments utilize open data to develop interactive GIS platforms as the needs to citizens evolve. These platforms, built by Esri, have been successful in helping local governments enhance public engagement with open data to create better public service. Popular platforms such as Open Data MinneapolisRead… Read more »
Here’s what I imagine your checklist looks like for financial transparency: Outline the city’s priorities? Check. Create a narrative, visualization tool for open data? Check. (Or read how-to here.) Generate citizen buy-in? Check. Hire the appropriate amount of staff? …Maybe. In last week’s online training, “How Kansas City Engaged Citizens with Open Data,” live audienceRead… Read more »
It’s one thing for Congress to pass what has been dubbed the nation’s first open data law. It’s another thing for agencies to have the necessary resources to implement that law, along with the backing from senior leadership to fully embrace it. “How you implement legislation, how you follow through, is every bit as important,Read… Read more »
Tracking federal spending is not for the faint of heart. For starters, the system doesn’t cater to curious citizens or concerned feds, who want to track spending from appropriations in Congress to contract and grant awards. Part of the problem is different agencies use different systems to compile data, and there isn’t a consistent wayRead… Read more »
On June 6, 2015 thousands of people from 106 communities took part in the National Day of Civic Hacking. Organized by Code for America, the annual event helps people come together and collaborate to make their communities stronger. The locally organized events welcome more than just those who crunch code. Around the country, organizers engaged people of all backgrounds, including tech experts, government employees, students, entrepreneurs,Read… Read more »
Incase you missed last week’s online training, Full Disclosure: How Governments Can Best Display Financial Transparency to the Public, here’s a quick tip sheet based on the City of Chattanooga’s Open Budget App and how government finances is giving meaning to the trend of open data. But first, what is financial transparency? According to Socrata’sRead… Read more »