unpacking open data: power, politics and the importance of infrastructure
TRANSCRIPT
Unpacking open data: power, politics and the influence of
infrastructures
Harvard Berkman Centre for Internet and Society November 25th 2014
Tim Davies | [email protected] | @timdavies
Overview1) Framing and method
2) A brief history
3) Unpacking the standard model
4) Questioning the standard model
5) Shaping information infrastructures
6) Re-imagining an open data agenda
Framing & method
• H1: Open data is not delivering widespread inclusive civic engagement;
• H2: Open data is not delivering scaleable innovation;
• H3: Open data is not substantially shifting the balance of power between citizen and state;
Null hypothesis" (examples)
www.opendatabarometer.org
www.opendataresearch.org/reports/
standard.open-contracting.org
http://ssrn.com/abstract=2492520[ ]
Carl Malamud (2007), https://public.resource.org/8_principles.html
“The group is offering a set of fundamental principles for open government data. By embracing the eight principles, governments of
the world can become more effective, transparent, and relevant to our lives.”
Civic technology
Public Sector Information Industry
Political crisis
Unpacking the standard model
Open Data Barometer - 2013 Overall Ranking
Proactively published | Machine Readable | Legally re-usable
Machine Readable | Proactively published | Legally re-usable
JSON
Ope
n da
tase
ts
Inte
rmed
iarie
s &
App
s
Impa
ct
Theory of change
Politics Co-production Markets
http://www.opendataimpacts.net/report
Photo credit: Transparent Chennai
Picture credit: Some rights reserved by Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery
Questioning the standard model
Aggregate openness score for each data category
Number of datasets in sample meeting standard model definition
Openness score based on weighted response to 10 variables per dataset, covering existence, accessibility, machine-readability, bulk downloads, free of charge, license, sustainability, timeliness, discoverability, and linked-data versions of datasets.
1050$
1660$
1790$
1865$
2390$
2530$
2655$
2660$
2685$
2860$
2985$
3330$
3650$
3740$
3$
3$
8$
4$
5$
10$
6$
6$
4$
3$
7$
4$
5$
3$
0$ 10$ 20$ 30$ 40$ 50$ 60$ 70$
0$ 500$ 1000$ 1500$ 2000$ 2500$ 3000$ 3500$ 4000$
Land$
Company$
Transport$
Legisla=on$
Spend$
Map$
Crime$
Elec=ons$
Health$
Environment$
Budget$
Educa=on$
Trade$
Census$
Score$
IsOpen?$
n = 77"!2013 Open Data Barometer !Maximum possible dataset score = 7700
Countries
Dataset score
40
Table 4. Primariness of published spending
Entity of the federation committed settled paid budgetary unit function sub-function
nature of spending
source of funds
type of tender
no. of the process �"+"Ɯ &�/6 good/service
provided
City Hall of Rio de Janeiro ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛City Hall of Sao Luis ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛City Hall of Joao Pessoa ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛�ƛ& "�,#�1%"��,*-1/,))"/�"+"/�)�ȔFederal Executive ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛City Hall of Teresina ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛Federal Senate ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ City Hall of Palmas ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛City Hall of Maceio ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛City Hall of Curitiba ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ City Hall of Salvador ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛City Hall of Sao Paulo ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛City Hall of Boa Vista ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ City Hall of Recife ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛City Hall of Belem ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛City Hall of Florianopolis ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ City Hall of Macapa ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ City Hall of Fortaleza ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛City Hall of Porto Alegre ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛City Hall of Cuiaba ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛Government of the Federal District ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛City Hall of Vitoria ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ City Hall of Goiania ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ City Hall of Porto Velho ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ City Hall of Belo Horizonte ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ City Hall of Natal ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛City Hall of Aracaju ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ City Hall of Campo Grande ˛ ˛ City Hall of Rio Branco ˛ ˛ City Hall of Manaus ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛
Source and Prepared by: Gpopai/Usp, 2014.
USA (2009) | Denmark (2009) | UK (2010) | "Kenya (2011) | India (2012) | Philippines (2014)
Policy component CountriesLaunching a portal UK, USA, Kenya, India,
Philippines, DenmarkSpecifying license UK, USA, Denmark,
Philippines
Zero-charge for data UK, USA, Denmark
Departmental action plans (1) or officials responsible for open data in each agency (2)
1: UK, USA 2: USA, India
Specification of meta-data standards USA, Philippines, India, UK
Emphasis on visualisations and info-graphics Philippines, India
Specific datasets or categories of data to be released UK, USA
Adopting the ‘five stars of linked open data’ UK, Philippines, India
Emphasis on ‘high-value’ datasets USA, UK, Philippines, India, Denmark
Re-thinking government information infrastructures: rationalising databases and adopting data standards
Explicit in Danish and Indian policies, implied in USA, UK and Philippines
Common elements across country policies
Shaping information infrastructures
• H1: Open data is not delivering widespread inclusive civic engagement;
• H2: Open data is not delivering scaleable innovation;
• H3: Open data is not substantially shifting the balance of power between citizen and state;
Null hypothesis" (revisited)
Re-imagining open data
Decontextualised data Data in context
Epiphenomenal data Active Data
Decontextualised data Data in context
Inclusive information "infrastructureRaw data now
Epiphenomenal data Active Data
Decontextualised data Data in context
Inclusive information "infrastructureRaw data now
Epiphenomenal data Active Data
Decontextualised data Data in context
Unpacking open data: power, politics and the influence of
infrastructures
Tim Davies | [email protected] | @timdavies
Tweet via: #berkman
Unpacking open data: power, politics and the influence of
infrastructures
Tim Davies | [email protected] | @timdavies
Live-stream participants: "you can tweet questions or comments on the #berkman tag
Image CreditsHossen27: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Below_Auckland_Harbour_Bridge_Hossen27.jpg !Bidgee: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rural_landscape_of_Wantabadgery_near_Mundarlo_from_the_air.jpg !Martin Richards: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Houses_of_parliament_London.jpg !Lin Kristensen: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Timeless_Books.jpg !Epic Fireworks: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Maersk_container_with_Fireworks.jpg !David Orban: http://donneesouvertes.info/2012/04/30/comment-lopen-data-est-devenu-un-objet-politique/ !Strebe: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gall%E2%80%93Peters_projection_SW.jpg !Sergiu Bacioiu: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ripple_effect_on_water.jpg !National Museum of American History: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Cardboard_ballot_box_-_Smithsonian.jpg !Christian Frausto Bernal: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MercadodeSanJuandeDios.jpg !Brewdog: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:San_Francisco_Oakland_Bay_Bridge_New_east_span.jpg !Luke Johnson: http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/sep/12/mps-expenses-under-fire
Offcuts
Policy emphasis & shifts over time"
!India, USA, UK - from
democratic to economic
!Denmark - efficiency
& innovation !
Kenya - innovation, tech !
Philippines - accountability