What Questions do You Want the Tool to Answer?

[Jennifer Bell]

When using a website to file an access to information request, you
obviously want an answer to the question that you're asking. But as a
tool, the website is also capable of generating other indirect,
statistical information regarding the Access to Information process.
What are the sorts of questions that you would like to have the tool
answer?

Some interesting questions we've identified are:

- what are the requests that I have outstanding?
- what areas or departments generate the most access to information
requests?
- how long does it take for access to information requests to be
processed (on average)?
- which departments take the longest to respond to access to
information requests?
- which departments have the most outstanding requests?

On a macro level, this type of tool will help the government (and
citizens) judge whether the Access to Information program is the right
approach for certain topics; that is, whether it would be less effort
for the government to automatically publish frequently requested
information.

[scotts...@gmail.com]

I would think it would be equally important to be able to track fee
estimate requests from departments as well.

Further, I would like to see stats on how many requests resulted in
requests being sent to information and privacy commissioners for
review. On that topic, tracking reviews would also be helpful. Often
reviews of requests by information and privacy commissioner offices
take a significant length of time, and report much later than
originally promised.

Lastly, I think it would be useful to separate out the general
information from personal information requests.

Scott

[Jennifer Bell]

Great suggestions!

Fee estimates -- Good idea.
Tracking reviews by privacy commissioners -- Ok. Potentially, this
could be done by scanning an email response for keywords.
General Information vs. Personal Information Requests -- I'm not
familiar with those terms. Do you mean, requests for someone's
personal information in the government?

Jennifer

[scotts...@gmail.com]

Yes, when you make a FOIP or ATIP request it's either for personal
information held by the government or general information. I just
think it would be important to indicate the tool is to be used for
general government requests, and not for personal requests.

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