How I learned about the power of sharing data
at Urban Digital’s “Open Data Day”
Last Saturday (February 23, 2013) I attended an amazing event at the Annex location of the Centre for Social Innovation – CSI in Toronto. It was called Open Data Day. Sponsored by Urban Digital the event took place in the main space of the CSI’s Bathurst Street location and offered attendees an agenda full of speakers and activities dedicated to sharing data and making data accessible to all the stake holders in their respective communities.
Following registration and introductions the day began with a networking exercise that really helped to break the ice and put everyone in the mood to learn more about sharing data. The speakers lined up for the morning session included Sheraz Khan from the Department of Geography and Planning at the University of Toronto, BethWilson from Social Planning Toronto, Jamie Robinson of the United Way, and Jayme Turney & Bill Cohen from the Toronto Public Space Initiative. One after the other the speakers wowed us with the projects they’re working on and the dedication they bring to their calling. I love listening to people speak about subjects that bring out their passion.
The morning session was followed by a light lunch and the opportunity to sit and chat with other attendees at the event. Following lunch it was on to the afternoon session. The afternoon portion of the event was divided into workshops and, concurrently, lightning speakers who each talked about their individual projects for five minutes and then answered questions from the audience for an additional two minutes.
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As in the morning session, dedication and passion abounded. In the afternoon I had the opportunity to take part in a workshop moderated by Rich Pietro of Citizen Bridge. Continuing with the concept of sharing data, Rich broke us into small teams and gave us the task of coming up with, logistics aside, a concept for an app that could interact with the City of Toronto’s data set and be of benefit to the community. Our team focused on sharing data with the City’s cycling safety data set. Our “we wish this existed” app, which we called CyleReportToronto.com, was one that would allow cyclists to report, with their smart phones, any difficulties they encounter while cycling throughout the city. The information would be entered in a flow chart on the app allowing the City to have the report in both raw data (who, what, when, where of an incident) along with an anecdotal (why, how it happened + photo) report of the event. The brainstorming exercise was a lot of fun and showed the amazing power of the collaborative process and the benefits of sharing data.
By the end of the day we had met some really nice people and gathered some excellent information. All in all I’d say it was a day very well spent. If you ever get the opportunity to attend an event at the Centre for Social Innovation you should jump at the chance. It’s a great organization housed in a stimulating environment and populated by an inspiring group of individuals. I came away with a much greater understanding of the importance of sharing data and I can’t wait for their next event.
Cheers, Patrick