Using Open Data to Map Vancouver’s Trees
This week, in preparation for the International Open Data Hackathon on Saturday, the Vancouver Parks Board shared one neighborhood of its tree inventory database (that I’ve uploaded to Buzzdata) so…
open data
Canada’s Foreign Aid Agency signs on to IATI: Aid Data get more transparent
Last night, while speaking at the High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in Busan Korea, Minister of International Cooperation Bev Oda announced that Canada would be signing on to the…
International Open Data Hackathon, Dec 3rd. It’s coming together.
So a number of things have started to really come together for this Saturday Dec 3rd. I’ve noticed a number of new cities being tweeted about (hello Kuala Lumpur &…
The New Government of Canada Open Data License: The OGL by another name
Last week the Minister Clement issued a press release announcing some of the progress the government has made on its Open Government Initiatives. Three things caught my eye. First, it…
If you are in Vancouver Vote Open Data, Vote Vision
If you are a Vancouver resident tomorrow is election day. I’m hoping if you are a resident and a reader of this blog, you’ll consider voting for Vision Vancouver. As…
International Open Data Hackathon Updates and Apps
With the International Open Data Hackathon getting closer, I'm getting excited. There's been a real expansion on the wiki of the number of cities where people are sometimes humbly, sometimes…
Open Data Day – a project I’d like to be doing
As some readers and International Open Data Hackathon participants know, I'm really keen on developers reusing each others code. All too often, in hackathons, we like to build something from…
Weaving Foreign Ministries into the Digital Era: Three ideas
Last week I was in Ottawa giving a talk at the Department of Foreign Affairs talking about how technology, new media and open innovation will impact the department's it work…
Using Open Data to drive good policy outcomes – Vancouver’s Rental Database
One of the best signs for open data is when governments are starting to grasp its potential to achieve policy objectives. Rather than just being about compliance, it is seen…
And Now… Another Message on Open Innovation for Realtors
Over the past few months I've given a number of talks on open data and open innovation to groups of realtors around the country. During these talks I have cautioned…
As Canada Searches for its Open Government Partnership Commitments: A Proposal
Just before its launch in New York on September 20th, the Canadian Government agreed to be a signatory of the Open Government Partnership (OGP). Composed of over 40 countries the…
The State of Open Data 2011
What is the state of the open data movement? Yesterday, during my opening keynote at the Open Government Data Camp (held this year in Warsaw, Poland) I sought to follow…
International Open Data Hackathon 2011: Better Tools, More Data, Bigger Fun
Last year, with only a month of notice, a small group passionate people announced we'd like to do an international open data hackathon and invited the world to participate. We…
The Science of Community Management: DjangoCon Keynote
At OSCON this year, Jono Bacon, argued that we are entering a era of renaissance in open source community management - that increasingly we don't just have to share stories…
The Geopolitics of the Open Government Partnership: the beginning of Open vs. Closed
There hasn't been a ton of press about the Open Government Partnership (OGP). This is hardly surprising. The press likes to talk about corruption and bad government, people getting together…
Canada Joins the Open Government Partnership
I'm in New York today for the launch of the Open Government Partnership and it looks as the Canada is now a signatory (or at least has signed a letter…
Interview with Charles Leadbeater – Monday September 19th
I'm excited to share that I'll be interviewing British public policy and open innovation expert Charles Leadbeater on September 19th as part of a SIG's webinar series. For readers not…
The Economics of Open Data – Mini-Case, Transit Data & Translink
Translink, the company that runs public transit in the region where I live (Vancouver/Lower Mainland) is getting ready to launch a real time bus tracking app that will use GPS…
Smarter Ways to Have School Boards Update Parents
Earlier this month the Vancouver School Board (VSB) released an iPhone app that - helpfully - will use push notifications to inform parents about school holidays, parent interviews, and scheduling…
Statistics Canada Data to become OpenData – Background, Winners and Next Steps
As some of you learned last night, Embassy Magazine broke the story that all of Statistics Canada’s online data will not only be made free, but released under the Government…