BasicGov / BLOG

A benchmark study developed by Socrata (in collaboration with Sunlight Foundation, Personal Democracy Forum, GovLoop, Code for America and David Eaves) highlights the current state of open data initiatives and how to improve open data moving forward. The overall goals for the study were to:

• Benchmark current state of open data distribution
• Understand perspectives of 3 groups: citizens, government and developers
• Offer government insights into citizen and developer views to help move open data adoption forward

Interesting Findings from Open Government Data Report

Both Citizens and Government employees expressed greater than 60% “agree” for these statements:

• Government data is the property of taxpayers and should be free to all citizens
• In the 21^st century, if government data is supposed to be public, it should be available online
• Entrepreneurs will create new products and services based on the data
• Broad access to government data will help identify and reduce inefficiencies in government operations

Citizens rated “Public Safety” as one of the highest value data categories (57%) and similarly Developers rated this as the highest value data category (77.4%) and Government rated this as the 3^rd highest (81%).

Civic Application Developers are most motivated by “my application(s) can impact people’s daily lives” (43.6%) compared to “it’s cool and challenging” or “I believe in government-as-a-platform”.

You can explore all of the report data online as well as download the full report here http://www.socrata.com/benchmark-study/

Open Data Apps for Cities

So what are some of the applications that are being developed for cities from open data?

Mashable has a list of 5 Open Data Apps that are improving cities.

1. TweetMy311 gives anyone with a smartphone and a Twitter account the ability to report a city-related issue (like a pothole in need of repair) in 140 characters or less.
2. HeyGov! can be used as an alternative method for non-emergency service request or code enforcement input from your citizens.
3. CitySourced provides a free, simple, and intuitive platform that empowers residents to identify civic issues.
4. SeeClickFix is focused on community engagement through various channels. Residents can report issues on SeeClickFix, through their favorite sites via a web widget, or on their mobile device.
5. MojiPage is sort of like iGoogle for mobile devices, and has created a widget for Open311.

Click here to read more about these 5 apps http://mashable.com/2010/08/13/open311-apps/ .

Any other interesting open data apps for cities and citizens that you know of?

Government 2.0, also called Gov 2.0 and e-government, essentially gives easier access to government information.

There are many benefits of Gov 2.0 from more citizen engagement, paperless office, faster processing, and better service with added convenience.

Examples of Gov 2.0 and greater citizen participation include blogging and web portals.

1. Blogging to communicate with citizens

• Montgomery County, Maryland, Division of Solid Waste has a blog titled “Talkin’ Trash“

• The government of Rhode Island has a media center on their portal, including a place where you can read state agency blogs

• EPA.gov has established blog writing and blog commenting guidelines, which include sample blog posts

• To read tips for starting a government agency blog, click here

2. Web portals for citizen services such as

• Submit building plans for permits and check progress on permit approval

• Apply for or renew business licenses

• Schedule construction inspections

• Report graffiti or other neighborhood complaints

• Click here to see citizen portal example

• To learn more about finding the right services for a citizen portal, click here for a down-loadable book

3. More resources

To learn about strategies and planning for Government 2.0 initiatives click here

Feel free to share your examples and resources …