Open Government Data and Why You Should Care

Since 2007, the non-profit Participatory Politics Foundation (http://www.participatorypolitics.org/) has worked with Civic Hall’s founders and other groups to liberate open data about what’s happening in government. Legislative data can seem arcane, but making timely info more widely accessible is a necessary foundation for effective advocacy.

David Moore (NYC Councilmatic (https://nyc.councilmatic.org/)) will run through the generally very positive state of open data in New York City, with opportunities for increased local progress in participatory democracy. The workshop will also focus on how open government data has enabled a generation of affordable new advocacy tools and public accountability research. Lastly, we’ll take a look at one of the biggest-scale opportunities that still exists in info for a more responsive U.S. representative democracy: open data standards for constituent communications with government entities - how “everything can be a 311 issue”.

Rowdy feedback and idealistic questions will be welcome.