I attended a presentation at the Google Fiber Space about a week ago that touched on the concept of "open data". This is something we've been talking about quite a bit lately within the Unified Government.
Governments (whether local, state or national) generate, collect, store and analyze tons of data. Many tons of data.
This includes data on things like property values, zoning areas, business licenses, property taxes, sales taxes, budget income and expenditures, building code violations, bus routes and ridership, trash collection routes, streets plowed, crimes committed, fires fought and much, much, much more.
Some of that information (data) is written on paper and filed in drawers and cabinets in offices throughout all our buildings. Other data are stored on computer, but in a huge variety of locations and formats (word processing document, spreadsheet, database, PDF, etc.).
A good deal of that information (data) is "public". This means that any citizen can request to see a report on the data at any time.
Socrata is a company that creates and markets products for "opening" government and business data. In a recent email, they offered the following definition and explanation:
"Open Data is making available any and all data and information that could be acquired through a 'Freedom of Information' request.
"Forward-thinking governments have discovered that opening public data helps them to set smarter program goals, more accurately gauge performance, and improve citizen engagement.
"Whether through self-service apps for citizens, faster reporting, or more efficient data management, open data gives public-sector organizations the ability to automate processes that once consumed thousands of staff hours and millions of tax dollars."
The
Sunlight Foundation is another organization dedicated to the concept of "open data". Their web site says:
"Most government information disclosure laws and systems currently in place, including right-to-know, freedom of information and public records laws, are vehicles for reactive disclosure.
Reactive disclosure means that a question has to be asked before an answer is given and that public information must be requested before it is disclosed. Proactive disclosure is the opposite.
Proactive disclosure is the release of public information before an individual requests it. In the 21st century that means proactively putting new information online, where people are looking for it." (emphasis added)
Aaahhh...putting data online. I'm a big computer nerd and a card carrying "data guy". I'm a *huge* proponent of open data as a step toward transparency and toward solving community challenges, but I worry that "opening" the government's mountain of data and proactively putting it online is going to be tougher (and more expensive) than it sounds.
For example, how do we store all our data in a way that will still be accessible and readable in a few years or a few decades? (How many of you thought you were storing family memories for a lifetime when you recorded them on Betamax video cassettes?)
Or, how expensive will it be to build the electronic computer networks that make data available online and on demand 24 / 7 / 365? When there is a real, physical infrastructure of streets, sidewalks and sewers that is decades old and falling apart, how many tax dollars should any government be spending to "proactively" put data online?
I don't have any answers, but I've certainly been giving this a lot of thought lately.
Besides the cost, even our best electronic infrastructure can be quite temperamental. All of the cool technology in the world is useless if there is a power outage or if a hardware or software bug breaks the connection between people and data.
For example, here's the message I got on my phone this morning when I pulled up the Transit app that is highlighted below.
D'oh! Everything cleared up quickly and I got my data after just a moment's delay, but it illustrates that it's not all rainbows and unicorns in "open data land" and we have a continuing challenge ahead of us to provide useful and reliable data to all of our stakeholders at the lowest possible cost.
Even though it's not yet centralized or in a common format, a lot of the data we collect in the Unified Government is already "open" and available to citizens. Our staff are working on a webpage that collects all the links to our various online databases and resources. In the meantime, here is a listing of some of the more commonly accessed data sites within the UG.
DotMaps
http://www.wycokck.org/dotmaps
According to the opening page of the web site:
"DotMaps is an interactive Web map service covering Wyandotte County, Kansas (which includes the cities of Kansas City, Kansas, Bonner Springs, Edwardsville, and City of Lake Quivira).
"DotMaps is your information guide to geographic features like real estate parcels, streets, landmarks, rivers, streams, etc."
 |
Here's a screenshot of DotMaps showing the various
real estate "parcels" around City Hall.
Parcels is just one of many overlays that can be displayed on a map. |
LANDS WEB ~ Real Estate Search
http://www.wycokck.org/landsweb
According to the opening page of this web site:
"This new Web-Access site will provide Wyandotte County Real Estate Tax Roll and Appraisal Information on the following inquiries:
- Parcel, Address (All Users) & Ownership (Subscribers Only)
- Taxes & Special Assessments
- Property Descriptions and Values
- Levies & Tax Districts
- Residential Property Characteristics"
 |
The opening screen of LANDS WEB
has explanations of what data is available
and how to access the database. |
 |
Here's a sample report on one "parcel" of land.
This happens to be City Hall, but every other parcel
in Wyandotte County is included in the database. |
Neighborhood Resource Center
http://mauwi.wycokck.org/citizenaccess
This web site gives citizens access to a ton of data collected and stored by the Neighborhood Resource Center (NRC). This includes:
- General Information (property information)
- Code Enforcement (search for a code case)
- Planning (search for a petition, plat submittal or plan review)
- Building Permits (search for a building permit)
- License (search for a business or rental license)
 |
Here's the opening screen of the
Neighborhood Resource Center (NRC) data portal.
Although there is a Login box on the right,
you don't currently need to log in to get information. |
SpotCrime
http://spotcrime.com/
This database isn't maintained by the Unified Government, but pulls data from local Police Departments (all jurisdictions).
According to Wikipedia, "SpotCrime.com is a Baltimore-based company founded in October 2007 and privately owned by ReportSee, Inc. It provides nationwide crime information about arrests, arsons, assaults, burglaries, robberies, shootings, thefts and vandalisms, on a Google map."
The reports are interesting, but are generally a week or two behind the current date. There are also apps for iOS and Android portable devices.
 |
This map displays several days of police report data
around City Hall. |
Transit (app)
http://thetransitapp.com
Here's a "third party" app that pulls freely available "open data" about transit schedules (busses, trains, etc.), then organizes and presents it in a useful way for transit riders. Transit currently works in 63 U.S. cities (including busses in the Kansas City metro area).
Until next time, have a great week!
~ Brian
bmckiernan@wycokck.org
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