Alan: Code for America – Web Development/ Open Data

How do we get data?
Get more usable data?
Improve data visualization?

Robert:          Information extraction from textual data.  Interested in
hearing about what the needs are in relation to pulling information
from data

How to find in the textual data and how it will help you find what you
are looking for?
Ex. Terrorist activities – linguistic aspect of the language
structure, key words, key phrases, relating he/she pronouns to groups,
how to you find the key players and associate them across different
groups.

Gary:   Looking at the big picture, strategy – Want to see what can be
done, what potential there is for standards for data, what tools
people are using for data?  Can we pull data from Twitter, how?
Metrics on the City’s use of Twitter?

        Discussion:  What about Snow Emergencies?  Response using social
networks, crowd-sourcing.  Latest info on transit routes, road blocks,
etc.  There is limited interaction of twitter between city
departments.

Look at Twitter data – identify what you are trying to look for?

Jenny:  What format do external organization to the city need to use to
share data, how to make it accessible, searchable?  Who is trying to
post data and who is trying to access it?

First, need to evaluate:

What are their needs (orgs & users)?
What data do you have?
What do they want to do with that?
Is there a match?  Are you collecting the right data?  Are you meeting
the needs for the data?

Example:  Mapping arts events in community – something like this to
aggregate youth organization/program/opportunity/event data
www.Icihere.com

Should orgs. submit all data to one place?  (online form/ outreach)
Can I pull data from multiple sources (requires standards)?
I-cal (calendar application) or Google feed --- is it published in
some way? feeds for events

EnTen – technology managers for non-profits all over the country
(collects data of nonprofit)

Flash Volunteer ---- people post volunteer opportunities (if you have
an account, you can sign up to post or collect opportunities) ---

Single Source (on-line form) --- to collect information. Requires:
•     heavy outreach component ---- (what do people who are consuming
data, want to get out of it)
•     Must communicate the VALUE of app to organization--- (does the app I
build get people in their door) –
o       This would encourage them to make regular informational updates to
the program.
•     Ex. United Way – collector of data – (can I mine that data)

Import and Export data in an excel format.  Loaded as excel, converted
into a database, export in CSV and you can get it out in whatever form
you need.