Determine Priority Release Schedule
Last updated
Last updated
Once you have your list of datasets, determine the schedule for releasing datasets based on a prioritization process that incorporates public feedback. Focusing on the customer service experience of residents ensures that you are releasing what the public cares about. Rather than releasing data that you think the public would be interested in, why not ask them!
Philadelphia has built public engagement into its , which is a detailed list of every dataset that exists wihin city government. Beside each dataset is a section in which the public can add comments. The data services team takes input to each department, which helps them to make informed prioritization decisions on which datasets to release first.
As you work with departmental contacts, keep in mind their roles and relationship with the data. For example, department heads and commissioners have the ability to connect with staff at multiple levels and make decisions, but may not be as familiar with the details of the data as those who work with it every day. Department staff who are very familiar with the data may have a different interpretation of data that contains sensitive information than department heads, deputies, or commissioners with decision making power. Call upon the expertise of all staff by creating a governance committee, or even a less formal group, with multiple levels of department staff to review the data.
####Example: Philadelphia
Phila / Office of Innovation and Technology / Open Data / Data Inventory /
| Title | Contents | Comments | Details | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Fire Incident Reports | Any time there is a fire, information is gathered relating to the event and the people involved, including the incident number, when the incident occurred, if any died in the fire, extent of the fire, location of the property, if any injuries occurred. | 10 | | | Emergency 911 Calls | This data set contains informaiton related to the calls received by the Fire Communications 911 unit. These entries are timestamped with when the call was received, when a unit was dispatched, when the unit arrived on the scene, and has additional information regarding what happened while the incident was being mitigated. | 5 | | | Budget | Budget reported monthly, quarterly, and annually | 4 | | | Jury Duty Paper Work | Employees that have been called for jury duty, when they were out and additional details | 3 | | | FCC Phone Database | The FCC Phone Database contains information on all incoming calls for a given day. This information is broken down into specific time frames as well as type of call which could be 911EMS, 911 FIRE, or NON-911 calls. Cumulative totals for time frames and type of calls are also recorded. | 3 | | | FCC Dispatcher Database | This database contains the total number of dispatches for a given day. Data contained within each record is broken down by time frames, and type of incidents (fire, medical, etc.) | 3 | | | Daily number of calls received | The number of 911 calls received on a given day. | 3 | | Sum 168
Phila / Office of Innovation and Technology / Open Data / Data Inventory /
| Title | Contents | Comments | Details | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Recurring Schedules | Schedules of all recurring activities (programs + permits). Based on start and end date and recurring weekly schedules, i.e. day and times. | 1 | | | Sports & Athletics | Annual Program Sheet Updated annually with all programs for the year. Last version Fall 2013. | 1 | | | Staff | Information about PPR staff. Dataset is a derivative of payroll infomation with additional information like Full Name and assigned location (although location information is incomplete). | 1 | | | Weekly Attendance | Weekly attendance information for progams being ran by Parks & Rec staff. Attendance is measured by # registered participants (if applicable), # of unique participants who attended that week and number of spectators (if available). | 1 | | | Indoor and Outdoor Pool Schedule | Seasonal schedule maps out every hour that a pool is open. (e.g. Lincoln Nov-March). | 1 | | Sum 5
####Engaging Stakeholders
Once you have the datasets and feedback forms open to the public, a key question is, how do you drive stakeholders to the page? Tap into existing networks of data professionals within city government, an advisory group, or governance structure.
Stakeholders may include:
Advocates
Businesses
Candidates for political office
Chamber of Commerce
Coalitions
Contractors
Economic and community development departments
Educators
Educational organizations
Elected officials
Foundations
Government agencies (local, state, federal)
Higher education institutions
Journalists
Legal groups
Nonprofits
Policymakers
Political watchdogs
Public health organizations
Public transit consumers
Real estate investors
Research organizations
Residents and homebuyers (new, potential and current)
Service providers
Social services providers
Software Developers (current and potential)