Hi,
Last night's skype discussion was very helpful for me to get some of my
thoughts clear for the upcoming Open Data workshops. Below is a summary
of what I now think are the important things to discuss. (This is a
blend of things we've previously discussed integrated with ideas from
the skype call)
*_A) General questions I would like answered at the Open Data workshops:_*
*1. What data will be made available?*
- Have they decided on any data sets?
- What kinds of datasets are on the table?
- What kinds of data are they not willing to provide?
*2. When will the data be made available?*
- What is the timeline for the first dataset to be released?
- What guarantees of this timeline do we have?
- Who do we complain to if the deadlines are not met?
*3. Who will be responsible for managing the data?*
- Is there one department responsible for managing the data (or multiple)
- Who do we complain to if there are problems with the data?
*4. Where will I be able to find the data?*
- I would like to be able to find all open government data starting from
1 web page
- The webpage can be static and just contain links to the actual
download pages for each source
- I do not have the need of a complex deliver mechanism, please
prioritise releasing the data soon
*5. What guarantees do we have that any data will actually be released?*
- There was a similar initiative in 2012 (See Open Government
Initiatives
<
http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/un-dpadm/unpan050413.pdf>
presentation)
- It is not clear if any data was actually released as a result of the
2012 initiative
- Why will this initiative be any different?
I would like to avoid arguments on technologies, and focus on what they
will deliver, and when it will be delivered.
*_B) Suggested position to take on asking for a specific dataset_*
- Exactly what data set do you want
- Which government department holds this data
- What would you do with the data
- How would the country benefit from it being open
*Example: *
I am interested in obtaining data relating to land and housing. The
specific data sets I am interested in are:
1. Sale of property - summary, deeds, site plans (Registrar General
Department)
2. Any data used by Valuation Department for valuing property prices
3. Planning application summary & details (Each district council)
These three datasets can be used for a number of things:
- Determine the past, current and near future property values
- Find average prices in an area (e.g. price of 150 toise land in Moka)
- Find market opportunities (areas where prices are rising or falling
compared to the overall market)
- Provide transparency in property transactions
- Provide transparency in the planning application process
This kind of data is freely available in other countries such as the UK
and Australia. Multiple successful businesses have been built around
aggregating, refining and publishing the data, and it has helped the
property sector become more transparent. In Mauritius these data sets
are currently either difficult to obtain, or secret.
Cheers,
Dan.
On 05/29/2015 12:34 AM, S Moonesamy wrote:
> Hello,
>
> There was a discussion about Open Data this evening. The following is
> my personal opinion. There are two objectives for the meeting we are
> participating in are
>
> (a) Readiness assessment
>
> (b) Getting the datasets as Open Data
>
> I would like to provide input in terms of the readiness assessment as
> that is what the report will be about. Item (b) is what I would
> really like to have as the information as that is more relevant to me
> than a report.
>
> The first meeting is for people who are interested in knowing what
> Open Data is about.
>
> The second meeting is about a "forum for discussions on the datasets
> that may be provided or are in demand". It is not a good idea to wait
> for that meeting and then ask about whether the information is
> available as Open Data. It is up to the people interested in the
> datasets to go and find the information and to make the request if the
> datasets are currently not available.
>
> Dan mentioned during the call that Open Government Data is about
> transparency and accountability. There is an example at
> https://openspending.org/uk-barnet-budget As Dan mentioned, access to
> information is the way to ensure that Open Data is publicly
> available. People in Mauritius are not interested in working on the
> topics.
>
> There were some interesting questions from Shelly. How do we get
> access to a dataset with up-to-date information? We also discussed
> about have a place to find Open Government Data. We agreed that
> having a simple web page with links to the data is good enough. We
> are not asking for an Open Data Portal as that would require a
> government project. It is better if each government agency is the
> contact point for its datasets.
>
> Regards,
> S. Moonesamy
>
>
--
Daniel Laeng
Software Developer
+230 5775 1037
Received on Fri May 29 2015 - 11:23:07 PST