bringing cities, libraries and citizens together through open data hackathons
TRANSCRIPT
04/15/2023
Bringing Cities, Libraries and Citizens Together through Open Data Hackathons
Alex Carruthers
Digital Public Spaces Librarian
@acecarruthers
2
Open Data is Really Exciting
3
Really!
Open Government Partnership (OGP) (2012)
4
So Much Potential!
Image retrieved from www.opengovpartnership.org
5
Realizing the Potential of Open Data
Developing and Administering Open Policy
Licensing
Planning and Collecting Data
Centralized, Machine-Readable Data Publishing
Public Outreach
Government
• Request • Analyze• Combine• Visualize/Map• Develop Apps
Citizens
6
Realizing the Potential of Open Data
Developing and Administering Open Policy
Licensing
Planning and Collecting Data
Centralized, Machine-Readable Data Publishing
Public Outreach
Government
• Request • Analyze• Combine• Visualize/Map• Develop Apps
Citizens
Data Literacy Programming & Resources
Publishing Library Data
Bringing Everyone Together
7
How We’ll Proceed
1. Edmonton?
2. International Open Data Day
3. Case StudiesOpen Data Day Hackathons 2014/2015
4. EPL/ City of Edmonton Partnership Successes! (And Challenges)
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Edmonton?
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Edmonton
Alberta
CanadaMetropolitan Population:
1,000,000+
Winner of the Canadian Open Data Award 2015
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Citizen Dashboard
Retrieved from https://dashboard.edmonton.ca/green
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Open City Policy
• Manage information and data assets as a strategic resource• Ensure information and data are open by default and private
where appropriate• Expand opportunities to foster a collaborative environment
and engage Edmontonians to ensure municipal activities reflect community values, priorities and standards
• Embrace technology and new business models to deliver services to Edmontonians
• Remove barriers to access and open up new possibilities for collaboration between Edmontonians and the City
• Work with other public and private sector organizations for the advancement of Open City principles.
Retrieved from the Open City Initiative (2014)
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13
International Open Data Day
opendataday.org
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Hackathons
Images retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Logo_of_Swiss_Open_Cultural_Data_Hackathon_2015.svghttp://povertyhack.posnercenter.org/, https://ncsclub.sunyit.edu/?page_id=197, http://twtrland.com/profile/hackathons, http://www.wolfram.com/hackathons/http://www.wired.com/2012/02/ff_hackathons/
Open Data Hackathon How-to Guide - OpenDataBC
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Case Study:
International Open Data Day 2014 and 2015
at Edmonton Public Library
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Meeting City Goals 2014
Developing and Administering Open Policy
Licensing
Planning and Collecting Data
Centralized, Machine-Readable Data Publishing
Public Outreach
Government
• Request • Analyze• Combine• Visualize/Map• Develop Apps
Citizens
17
ODD2014 Schedule
9:30 Opening remarks9:45 “Speed data-ing”
10:30 Project pitches11:00 Hacking begins12:00 Pizza4:30 Project debrief
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Speed Data-ing
“Open Dataing is about getting everyone engaged. Helping public servants see what citizens are interested in and how they can see technology working for them, it’s also about getting participants to learn about what is available, what’s possible, and what are some of the real constraints faced by city staff”
– David Eaves, Open Data Advocate
http://eaves.ca/2013/03/11/open-data-day-2013-in-vancouver/
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20
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Hackathon Debrief
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25http://blog.mastermaq.ca/2014/09/23/open-data-in-edmonton-is-exciting-again/
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Meeting City Goals 2015
Developing and Administering Open Policy
Licensing
Planning and Collecting Data
Centralized, Machine-Readable Data Publishing
Public Outreach
Government
• Request • Analyze• Combine• Visualize/Map• Develop Apps
Citizens
27
Why Should the City Partner with the Library?
• the library is the steward and owner of large amounts of data
• the library has the same beliefs and concerns about Open Data
• the library provides another channel for public engagement
• leverages the libraries expertise and the libraries relationships with other organizations, groups, and networks.
28http://www.makesomethingedmonton.ca/hub/77-open-data-day-hackathon-2015/
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Hack Code of Conduct
The Quick Version
Our hackathon is dedicated to providing a harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, previous hack day attendance or computing experience (or lack of any of the aforementioned). We do not tolerate harassment of hackathon participants in any form. Sexual language and imagery is not appropriate at any hackathon venue, including hacks, talks, workshops, parties, social media and other online media. Hackathon participants violating these rules may be sanctioned or expelled from the hackathon without a refund (if applicable) at the discretion of the hackathon organizers. http://hackcodeofconduct.org
Feedback from Intro to Hackathons: Hacking for Non-Hackers
...could meaningfully participate in a hackathon without coding skills?
...could prepare an idea to present at a hackathon?
...understand what a hackathon is and why someone might want to participate?
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
6
4
6
4
8
7
3
1
0
0
0
0
Very confident Somewhat Not very Not at all
How confident are you that you…
24 participants12 surveys
...understand what open data is?
...know where to find open data resources?
...could get started analyzing open data?
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
5
5
3
7
7
7
0
0
2
0
0
0
Very Somewhat Not very Not at all
How confident are you that you…
Feedback from Levelling the Playing Field: Using Open Data to Understand Edmonton Better
20 participants12 surveys
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ODD2015 Introductory Remarks
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Speed Data-ing
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Hacking
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linkyeg.ca
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EdmontonReads
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Media Response
http://edmonton.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=556374
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EPL/ City of Edmonton Partnership Successes! (and Challenges!)
Survey Details
Open Data Day 201429 Participants15 Completed Survey51% participation rate
Open Data Day 201537 Participants23 Completed Survey62% participation rate
17 or younger
18 - 30 31 - 45 45+0%
20%
40%
60%
7%
33% 33% 27%
Which age group do you fall into?
2014 2015
Beginner Intermediate Advanced0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
How would you de-scribe your pro-
gramming skills?
2014
2015
Yes No0%
10%20%30%40%50%60%70%
Have you ever attended a hackathon
before?2014
2015
Yes No0%
10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%
Have you ever attended an event at EPL before?
2014
2015
Participant Demographics
95%
Do you have a li-brary card? (2015)
YesNo
Defin
itely
will
Probab
ly w
ill
Unsure
Probab
ly w
ill n
ot
Defin
itely
will
not
Not Applic
able
0%5%
10%15%20%25%30%35%40%45%
Will you continue to develop the project you started at the hacka-
thon?
2014
2015
Yes No0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
120%
If we hosted another hacka-thon would you try to attend?
2014
2015
Overall, what did you like the best about the hackathon?
2014
2015
Working with new people
Networking
Learning new things
Access to expertise
2
1
1
0
4
4
1
3
2
2
5
3
What participants liked most about the hackathon by skill level
Beginner (5) Intermediate (11)Advanced (5)
Other things participants liked:• Sense of excitement• That open data got media attention• Well organized
How could the hackathon be improved?
A lot of people made suggestions that reflect concern that there isn’t enough time to accomplish something: • more structure to the event • share what people are working on in advance • provide more information on open data and hackathons in advance• encourage smaller projects• fewer speeches
(Beginner 3, Intermediate 7, and Advanced 1)
Other suggestions:• More participants with coding skills (2)• Funding for projects• More participants• Bigger venue
Host m
ore
hack
atho
ns
Provid
e lib
rary
ope
n da
ta
Prom
ote
open
dat
a pr
ojec
ts
Prom
ote
open
dat
a on
soc
ial m
edia
Prom
ote
EPL op
en d
ata
cont
ent
Offer i
n-pe
rson
cod
ing
cour
ses
Other
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
How can EPL best support the open data community in the future?
20142015
Other (2015):• Weekday lunch
hour sessions related to coding and open data!
• Host events more often than annually
• Promote list of apps that can be used to analyze open data such as scraping tools (e.g. import.io, tableau)
Series1
4
3
3
4
3
3
1
9
9
9
7
5
4
2
5
5
3
1
3
1
0
(2015)
Beginner Intermediate Advanced
Provide library open data
Host more hackathons
Promote open data projects on epl.ca
Offer code camps and other in-person coding courses
Promote open data on social media
Promote open data resources in EPL's collection
Other
6
5
4
6
2
3
2
4
2
3
3
2
2
1
2
3
3
1
3
2
1
(2014)
Beginner Intermediate Advanced
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Other:• “More visualizations” (I)• “Need to have ongoing public dialogue and problem solving” (I)• “Host various program to promote the use of open data among the citizenship” (A)• “Competition should be organized among students and interested groups” (A)
Release more data
Advertise new datasets
Make data easier to use
Offer grants for open data projects
Share examples of open data projects
Teach people how to use open data
Promote open data to city staff
1
2
0
0
0
0
1
5
1
2
2
1
2
1
2
0
1
0
1
0
0
How can the City of Edmontonbest support the open data community in the future?
Beginner (4) Intermediate (11) Advanced (4)
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City Participant Feedback
City data sets showcased
Having everybody together in one place to share ideas and work on different ideas.
It was fun helping different groups to develop ideas, explain city data or processes, technical help with using tools, and general discussion about open data.
Seeing all the various organizations and players come together to work to create solutions
What did you like most about the hackathon?
Note: Responses were anonymized. Word bubbles do not indicate a direct quote.
50
City Participant Feedback
Maybe have a follow up session, so that people could keep working on the concepts?
Having some means of seeing results of using open data would go a long way in making the connection between the provider and consumer of the data.
Post hackathon meetup on topics for biz area.
How could EPL and the City make participating in Open Data Day more relevant and useful for your work?
Note: Responses were anonymized. Word bubbles do not indicate a direct quote.
51
How the City Sees the Library
“Cohosting the hackathon with the library opened my eyes to the foundational role of libraries in communities. I saw the dedication and creativity of library staff who aimed to - above all - reach people, bring them together, and create a sense of community and belonging.
While I knew the Stanley Milner Library in downtown Edmonton, in particular, was a hub of activity, I did not personally grasp the diversity of people and activities that drew Edmontonians there before the hackathon. There really is something for everyone, and the venue was a perfect choice for the event because it's a place where people of different ages and backgrounds feel comfortable spending the day.
This was demonstrated through the diversity of hackathon participants that stayed the full day and the positive energy in the room.”
–Janelle Robb, former Administrative Assistant, IT Department, City of Edmonton
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How the City Sees the Library
“For some of the Project members, there was a limited view on the kinds of services provided by the Library (some thought that the library’s core service was to provide books and other materials). Seeing how the library shares the same principles of transparency, open data and utilizing the community to look at the data was an eye opener.”
– Marc St. Martin, Program Manager, Corporate and Departmental Initiatives, Corporate Services, City
of Edmonton
53
Realizing the Potential of Open Data
Developing and Administering Open Policy
Licensing
Planning and Collecting Data
Centralized, Machine-Readable Data Publishing
Public Outreach
Government
• Request • Analyze• Combine• Visualize/Map• Develop Apps
Citizens
Data Literacy Programming & Resources
Publishing Library Data
Bringing Everyone Together
