Plenary talk from the Future of News and Civic Media conference at MIT, 6/17/10.

1. #dataintoaction
Data into Action!
Nick Grossman, OpenPlans | @nickgrossman
Future of News and Civic Media @ MIT - 6/17/10
openplans.org

2. Today
1. A little about us
2. What data needs in order to be actionable
3. What Data Sites can learn from Action Sites
4. Bridging the Civic Divide
5. An announcement!

3. 1 2 3 4 5
About OpenPlans
OpenPlans informs and engages communities through
journalism and open source software.
Open Source Open Government Journalism covering
GIS software applications & strategy urban policy
Since 1999

4. Our Clients & Partners

12. The OpenGeo Suite

14. 1 2 3 4 5
What data needs in
order to be actionable

15. HYPOTHESIS:
Data on it’s own
isn’t enough

16. DATA ACTION

17. Magic!
DATA ACTION

18. Governments?
DATA ACTION

21. QR Codes = Platform for Action
+
DC Circulator Bus

22. Civic Hackers?
DATA ACTION

26. Journalists?
DATA ACTION

29. Nonprofits & Interest Groups?
DATA ACTION

32. Layers of meaning & actionability
Acting
Interpreting PARTICIPATION
& COLLABORATION
TRANSPARENCY
Serving
Producing

33. Layers of meaning & actionability
Acting
Interpreting PARTICIPATION
& COLLABORATION
TRANSPARENCY
Serving
Producing

34. 1 2 3 4 5
What Data Sites can
learn from Action Sites

35. HYPOTHESIS:
We will see a convergence of
automated “data sites” and
social “action sites”

45. NEW PROJECT:
Transportation Feedback Portals
+
6 Pilot Projects in 2010-2011
Transparency - Participation - Data - Community Building

46. 1 2 3 4 5
Bridging the
Civic Divide

47. It’s hard to learn a city

48. It’s hard to learn a city
Hi, I’m new here.
BOSTON

49. Hierarchy of data
needs & civic actions
Advocating
Volunteering
Connecting
Voting
Taxes
Daycare School
Shopping & Eating Babysitting
Heat & Power
Garbage Transportation
BOSTON

50. HYPOTHESIS:
Piggybacking higher-level
civic tasks on personal tasks
will enable engagement

51. Hierarchy of data
needs & civic activities
Advocating
Volunteering
Connecting
Voting
Taxes
Daycare School
Shopping & Eating Babysitting
Heat & Power
Garbage Transportation
BOSTON

52. Things I didn’t talk about just now:
(but would love to later)
• How cities can share code, apps & policies
• Contracting for open source
• Infrastructure for real-time transit info
• Cities that “work like the web”

53. 1 2 3 4 5
An announcement

54. OpenBlock
A.K.A. “EveryBlock Open Source”
openblockproject.org

55. Thanks!
OpenPlans: http://openplans.org
Nick Grossman: nick@openplans.org
@nickgrossman
#dataintoaction
delicious.com/tag/dataintoaction