FAQ
From SF Data Wiki
Why Open Source?
Open source is inherently transparent. Everyone has access to the code and is free to modify it. As Dana Blankenhorn states, "...open source offers true democracy... Everyone has a voice. Everyone can see the code, edit the code, fix the code."
There is also a community to open source; the community improves and the community creates. It seems only appropriate, then, that data from a government (which is wholly owned by the community) is strictly community based.
What Problem Are you Trying to Solve?
Most government organizations don't readily share data/information with their constituents. And while liberating data is just one aspect of transparency, it is a powerful pillar. It has the power to not only hold government accountable and improve service delivery, but also to empower and engage residents. The goal of our community is to develop an open source platform to help improve public access to raw government data in machine readable formats. Raw data, freely available to the public, allows for open-ended analysis by the community at large. The CivicDB community believes that government is more transparent and open when data is liberated.
Who Really Wants Government Data?
We feel that even the most trivial data can be of potential value. Here in the City of San Francisco for example, our environment agency released an XML feed for recycling information upon which a developer created an iPhone application which provides location-based recycling information. More importantly, it is the duty of democratic governments to freely share information which ultimately lies in the public domain. As Obama states in his transparency memo, "...In the face of doubt, openness prevails."
Can I make apps using this data and charge for them?
As govt data is accessible to anyone, enterprising persons/organizations that add value to the data through an application or analysis has every right to monetize their efforts.
What data will be available?
We feel that all raw data should be accessible through machine readable formats. While this may not be achievable in the short-term, organizations should prioritize by soliciting input from the community.
I want to do this for my city. How do I get started?
You can join the City & County of San Francisco in sponsoring this community. To do so please send a request on the mailing list .
What data formats are you considering?
We want to offer popular non-proprietary formats such as: CSV, XML, KML, RESTful web services.
I still have more questions. What should I do?
Contact us on our mailing list
