Data collection and dissemination: how much fun is that? If you are participating in Philadelphia's Open Data Race, you might actually squeeze a good time out of otherwise flat statistics. Voting in the Open Data Race is open to the public until Oct. 27, and currently, you can make your opinion known on which of 24 data sets you would like to see made public.
"We hope to generate excitement around open data," says Deborah Boyer, project manager at Philadelphia-based
Azavea. Nominations contributed by non-profit organizations were reviewed by
OpenDataPhilly partners, namely Azavea,
NPower Pennsylvania,
The William Penn Foundation, and
Technically Philly.
It's probably too early to judge, but right now the
Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia's request for stats on reported bike thefts is atop the rankings with 55 votes, followed by Demographic Info for Individuals Accessing Shelter Services submitted by
Back on My Feet with 50 votes. Other organizations represented in the voting ranks include the
Committee of 70,
The Urban Tree Connection and
The Sustainable Business Network.
Boyer says, "Public participation has been a key feature of OpenDataPhilly and is also crucial to the Open Data Race. We encourage people to submit data sets for inclusion in OpenDataPhilly or nominate data they would like to see made available."
Boyer points to difficulties municipalities might have in identifying which data is most needed. "Through Open Data Race, non-profit organizations have the opportunity to let the city and OpenDataPhilly partners know what information they need to fulfill their missions."
Winners, to be announced on Friday, Oct. 28, will receive cash prizes. First place gets $2,000, second place gets $1,000, and third receives $500. At that point, the fun really begins, when OpenDataPhilly works with the city to unlock the requested sets and then hosts hack-a-thons to create applications that use the data.
Source: Deborah Boyer, Azavea/OpenDataPhilly
Writer: Sue Spolan