Exploring Open Data

Open Data

GovernmentMontana State Library webinar – February 8, 2017

Exploring Open Data MSL Webinar February 8, 2017 2

After today, we hope you will…• Understand what open data is, what’s available, and what it’s good

for• Explore the possibilities of open data for your library and your

community• Prepare your library to play an appropriate role in your community:

informing and empowering citizens, managing data resources, or assisting local government.


Before we begin…


Montana ConstitutionArticle II, Declaration of Rights• Section 9 Right to know. No person shall be deprived of the right to

examine documents or to observe the deliberations of all public bodies or agencies of state government and its subdivisions, except in cases in which the demand of individual privacy clearly exceeds the merits of public disclosure.


Montana Code Annotated 2015MCA 2-6-1003 (1) Except as provided in subsections (2) and (3), every

person has a right to examine and obtain a copy of any public information of this state. (2) A public officer may withhold from public

scrutiny information relating to individual or public safety or the security of public facilities, including public schools, jails, correctional facilities, private correctional facilities, and prisons, if release of the information

jeopardizes the safety of facility personnel, the public, students in a public school, or inmates of a facility. A public officer may not withhold from public scrutiny any more information than is required to protect

individual or public safety or the security of public facilities.


What’s the problem?

https://goo.gl/IRRgzJ

Government Information


So what is “open”?• Complete, Primary, Timely, Accessible, Machine

processable, Non- discriminatory, Non-proprietary, and License-free• Online and free, permanent, trusted, documented,

safe to open, and designed with public input

Open licenses, open access and open formats!


Formats and access

http://5stardata.info/en/


What’s it good for?• Make better decisions• Transparency in government• Opportunities for people to create tools for industry and public good• Identify efficiencies and inefficiencies• Avoid duplication of information• Share data for economic development• Open data policy benefits everyone


An ideal world…

https://www.flickr.com/photos/46274765@N07/8600245980/sizes/l/in/photostream


What does open look like?

https://youtu.be/IsQt3Vva81c




Think for a moment…• What are some local issues in your community that

might be addressed using data?• What datasets might help citizens be better

informed in your own community?


What data?

https://www.data.gov/




Government spending, for example

https://www.usaspending.gov/




Open Long Beach

http://www.longbeach.gov/OpenLB/




City of Palo Alto

http://data.cityofpaloalto.org/home



Open in Montana• US Open Data Montana report card:

https://census.usopendata.org/datasets.html?state=Montana

• Transparency in Local Government Montana Data Portal: http://sfsd.mt.gov/LGSB/localgovernmentreports

• Montana Data Portal: https://data.datamontana.us/


http://sfsd.mt.gov/LGSB/localgovernmentreports

https://data.datamontana.us/


Montana FWP Open GIS Data

http://data.mtfwp.opendata.arcgis.com/




City of Bozeman Open Data Portal

http://public.bozeman.opendata.arcgis.com/




What can your library do?• Collect• Provide access• Inform• Advocate

http://www.lib21.org/il-progetto/


Public Policy for Public Data• A checklist and resource guide for open data policy from the Sunlight

Foundation

http://whatworkscities.sunlightfoundation.com/#section-h2-05



Think for a moment…• What government information or datasets does

your local government hold? • Has the library taken inventory? • How can your library use data to help the

community? • Do you, or have you considered working with local

government and other partners to open up data in your community?


OD processes and tools• Linked Open Data platforms • Open Source tools to explore,

publish, and share public datasets • Policy guidelines, implementation

guidance, and case studies• OD Community

http://rivistageomedia.it/201510138900/dati-geografici-evidenza/una-nuova-open-data-charter-oggi-serve-ancora


The best data around• Complete and timely• Librarians:• know about it• know how to access it• know how to use it

Montana Public Library Statistics Center: http://libraries.msl.mt.gov/library_development/statistics.aspx

http://libraries.msl.mt.gov/library_development/statistics.aspx



Think for a moment…• Do you use the Montana Statistics Center?• How do you use your library data ?• What other kinds of data might it be good for your

library to collect or consider?


Thanks! Questions?• Jim Kammerer [email protected]• Lauren McMullen [email protected]

http://www.mrscienceshow.com/2010/06/bring-us-your-burning-science-questions.html

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


References• https://www.data.gov/ Data.gov• https://www.usaspending.gov/ USA Spending.gov• https://youtu.be/IsQt3Vva81c What Works Cities• http://datalb.longbeach.gov/ City of Long Beach data• http://data.cityofpaloalto.org/home City of Palo Alto Data Portal• https://census.usopendata.org/datasets.html?state=Montana US Open Data Montana Report Card• http://sfsd.mt.gov/LGSB/localgovernmentreports Local Government Reports from Montana• https://data.datamontana.us/ Montana Data Portal• http://public.bozeman.opendata.arcgis.com/ City of Bozeman Open Data Portal • http://data.mtfwp.opendata.arcgis.com/ Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Open GIS Data• http://libraries.msl.mt.gov/library_development/statistics.aspx Montana Public Library Statistics Center• http://whatworkscities.sunlightfoundation.com/#section-h2-05 Public Policy for Public Data





http://datalb.longbeach.gov/

http://datalb.longbeach.gov/




http://sfsd.mt.gov/LGSB/localgovernmentreports










Education

Exploring Open Data