About Social Media Today
We know that local government needs to have better access to data and needs to use it better. But perhaps key to making this happen is to look to ourselves first and begin to share data and make it accessible within the sector, with partners and most importantly to the public.
I’ve met recently with Richard Stirling and Beth Morrisson from the Cabinet Office once in a kind of informal chat over coffee with a colleague Steve Brandwood from the Local Government Information House (one of the best but least lauded things the IDeA does). To talk in general about how local government can contribute (and gain from) the Power of Information movement. We talked a bit about the potential for the conversational web and how citizens can inform and engage with (direct?) policy and service improvement dialogue. But since I’d brought a data junkie with me, it wasn’t surprising that a lot of what we discussed was the concept and power of linked data across government. I saw them again this week in a meeting of colleagues from across the LGA group to talk about Linked Data.
Since local government has long been at the mercy of central government requests for data, we’ve developed a slightly jaundiced approach to the notion of another big Central Gov data project which is going to make all of our lives better, improve services, solve wicked issues…blah, blah, blah. But Richard and Beth were at pains to stress that this one isn’t about central government telling local government to hand over a bunch of data, this is about an ongoing dialogue (and one where central government probably needs as much convincing as local government).
But in fact, we do know that information drawn together sensibly across agencies and how we make better use of it at the core of more informed decision making and more efficiently delivered, targeted and tailored services. It’s at the core of informing and helping those who can self-serve and identifying and supporting those who can’t. It’s about taking information and making it really useful. (Link to Richard’s Cabinet Office blog where he opens the dialogue on this).
So what’s the problem? Well, the first is making the leap of imagination that putting all your data out there (ok, not all – not personal, individual, identifiable stuff) is going to reap any kind of reward to citizens or the public sector as a whole. Better to establish a few data protocols through the agonising process of endless meetings and then maybe, just maybe agree a limited data exchange between partners. (ahem)
But other councils have done this and gained the benefit of third party developers using their data to develop things that are useful to citizens and local businesses. Washington, DC ran their Apps for Democracy contest last year and claim that applications based on municipal data delivered a $2,300,000 value to the city at a cost of $50,000. And even if you doubt the full value, even if it were say a tenth of that – that would still be a nearly five-fold return on investment. DC city government are running it again this year in a refined process that includes citizen (non-technical) input.
There are clearly some big efficiencies to be gained just by making data accessible, even if just between partners for the purpose of achieving LAA priorities and Total Place budgeting decisions. Establishing Linked Data protocols and preparing data in this manner, even if you don’t make it public, will make it easier.
Publishing the data has tremendous value in terms of transparency and engagement, too. This is a vital step in engaging citizens and providing real accountability.
But interestingly, and perhaps, correctly – the Cabinet Office hopes that we can find some sets of data to publish with real citizen/consumer appeal.
It’s well worth checking out Sir Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web and champion of the UK Linked Data project. talk on the potential of Linked Data.
Swings and roundabouts
And this was my idea…and purely selfishly motivated by my need to find new and interesting places to burn off my toddler’s wild excess energy.
It’s not that easy to find out where playgrounds are, especially when you’re not in your usual stomping grounds. And even if I do go on my local councils’ websites if we want to play close to home (I live right on the border of two London boroughs). I may not be able to find quick information about what kind of play equipment they have on offer. And what about indoor play, at the weekend, in the winter, when it’s all rainy and the kid is tearing up my house?
What would be really cool is a website I could go to (especially with maybe a mobile version) where I could get that information and find out how to get to the playground, perhaps (and this is where that 3rd party information is so crucial) include information about pay-to-play indoor spaces – and maybe some reviews by other parents, and so on and so on.
But councils don’t need to do this, all councils need to do is publish the data they already have on playground location and equipment and perhaps other play service data to the public – and let someone else do the work of putting a fancy front end on.
(It would also be nice if councils could get the customer insight from parent reviews back, too).
Maybe there are better examples of how linked data could be used (and there are…and we’d be happy to hear your ideas) but this is the one I want right now.
I can almost see the next playground from here
