open data

eGovAU

Australian open data goes CKAN – but remains fragmented by jurisdiction
Bycraigthomler 31 May 2013

In the run-up to GovHack this weekend, Australian governments have been hard at work preparing new or updated open data sites, many using CKAN as their base technology. This includes the new Australian Government beta data.gov.au site, the new South Australian government’s data.sa.gov.au and the NSW government’s new data.nsw.gov.au/data/. We also have Queensland’s data.qld.gov.au, Victoria’s data.vic.gov.au and the ACT’s data.act.gov.au (which uses…

Read More Australian open data goes CKAN – but remains fragmented by jurisdiction
eGovAU

Australian academia beginning to learn to crawl in 2.0 social channels
Bycraigthomler 27 May 2013

I’ve long lamented the speed at which academia was embracing the internet, social channels and 2.0 approaches – with limited courses available on modern online techniques for under and post graduates, old fashioned-approaches to research and publication. There’s been hints of brilliance overseas – with US universities placing courses online and UK universities embracing social…

Read More Australian academia beginning to learn to crawl in 2.0 social channels
eGovAU

Where are all the public sector web analysts?
Bycraigthomler 23 May 2013

It’s not unusual for agencies to spend millions of dollars on a new program supporting some group in society and hundreds of thousands of dollars on consultants and research to ensure that the new program is designed to be successful, to track its progress and audit it over time. It’s not unusual for agencies to…

Read More Where are all the public sector web analysts?
eGovAU

Australia is joining the Open Government Partnership
Bycraigthomler 22 May 2013

As reported in Peter Timmins’ Open and Shut blog this morning, the Attorney-General, Mark Dreyfus, has announced that Australia will be joining the Open Government Partnership (OGP) – the leading global organisation for states working towards more open government. Australia is the 59th country to join the OGP, following Ireland (who sent a letter of…

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eGovAU

Is there really an open data El Dorado?
Bycraigthomler 20 May 2013

I was reading a tweet yesterday from Australia’s CTO, John Sheridan, and it raised an interesting question for me. #opendata a new goldmine? RT @theeconomist: Making official data public could spur lots of innovation econ.st/111Wy4x #gov2au — John Sheridan (@sherro58) May 19, 2013 Is government open data really a new goldmine for innovation? The Economist’s…

Read More Is there really an open data El Dorado?
eGovAU

Register for the May Gov 2.0 event in Canberra
Bycraigthomler 15 May 2013

I’ve realised I’d not yet blogged about this month’s Gov 2.0 event in Canberra, which is being run by the Department of Finance and combines the Gov 2.0 crowd with the Australian Government’s Cross Agency Social Media Forum. The event – which is coming up next Thursday, 23 May at DEEWR’s auditorium on Marcus Clarke…

Read More Register for the May Gov 2.0 event in Canberra
eGovAU

Can an ‘open’ government site be open if it is poorly designed?
Bycraigthomler 12 May 2013

I was chatting with Paul Davis on Twitter recently about the The State Decoded, an open source US-developed platform for accessibly and openly exposing state legislation online (see the platform in use at Marylandcode.org). He suggested that the tool was effectively a US version of Austlii, which is a repository for Australian federal and state…

Read More Can an ‘open’ government site be open if it is poorly designed?
eGovAU

Clinging to a comfort zone
Bycraigthomler 10 May 2013

Everyone has a comfort zone. Whether it is a favourite book/movie/restaurant that you return to again and again, that old pair of shoes you’ll never throw out because you’ve worn them in, or the route you take to work each day, we all like to follow familiar patterns, and avoid potentially unsettling, discomfortable, change. So…

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eGovAU

Register now for GovHack 2013
Bycraigthomler 6 May 2013

GovHack is on again this year and it’s gone national, with eight locations across Australia. With over $160,000 in prizes, the organisers anticipate over 400 participants in 150 teams – and due to venue sizes, entry is limited. If you’re interested in mashing up open government data for prize money, or simply interested in watching…

Read More Register now for GovHack 2013
eGovAU

City of Sydney commissions open data art to communicate progress towards Sustainable Sydney 2030
Bycraigthomler 6 May 2013

Information is beautiful, as others have said, and the City of Sydney, working with Carbon Arts, is now seeking proposals for a temporary public artwork that engages with open data on Sydney’s progress towards Sustainable Sydney 2030. Not part of GovHack, this initiative is part of ‘Sensing Sydney‘ a program to communicate sustainability through the arts,…

Read More City of Sydney commissions open data art to communicate progress towards Sustainable Sydney 2030