Open Data coming to Cary
Yes, it’s time for another Technology Blog post.
(This is the moment when I know my mom is rolling her eyes – I can feel it.) But, there is a “method to my madness,” because, as Nicholas Negroponte says:
Collage by Will Lion
So, with this post I hope to give you an idea, even if it’s a glimpse, into what Open Data IS, and why it is so important for Cary. First, what is it?
What is Open Data?
Open Data is the act of making information that is collected during the course of normal Town operations (that doesn’t identify individuals or breach commercial sensitivity) available in a standardized way. The data that we are talking about here includes geographic information (greenways, roads, parks), public event schedules, and basic crime statistics. This is already public information, the act of making it OPEN and easily accessible in a standardized format allows users, developers, the Town itself, and the technology community to leverage and use this data in new and innovative ways. That can mean applications that increase citizen engagement, provide vital information to our citizens, and improve their quality of life. It can also mean ways to leverage the data to help us become a “smarter town”, by looking at ways to improve our processes and become more efficient. Without consistent streams of this data, few people will invest the time it takes to unlock the immense value hidden in the information that is collected every day by the Town.
What does that really mean to me?
It means that by making this information more easily accessible, cool people (and companies) can create awesome apps.
Let me give you an example. Check out RGreenway. (You can download the app for free from iTunes.
RGreenway is an iPhone app that came out of the CityCamp Raleigh event last year. (I was honored to participate in CityCamp with all of the fantastic citizen hackers out there.) Read More…
