Who is affected by this project?
- Information is power, and open data is a publicly-facing, publicly available trove of information that can be used to identify neighborhood or city-wide issues, highlight successes/accomplishments, develop business plans and strategies, and provide an evidence-base for policy or programs. Developing or an improving an open data portal can positively impact the entire city, especially the most vulnerable. It will be important to keep in mind, however, that data can also entrench/perpetuate harms, and so having a diverse set of voices and perspectives will be pivotal to doing this right.
Some high level questions":
This group originally met around the questions: 1) What would be the best platform for open data from the City of Milwaukee? 2) What improvements could be made to the current portal offering in terms of functionality, data quality, data coverage? 3) What sort of real-time activity/process for residential engagement could both improve visibility/usability of the open data portal and help develop a relationship between MKE residents and the city office of Information Technology Management Division for greater digital engagement and constant feedback loops?
Goals:
Build capacity of non-traditional participants in the refining, understanding, and employment of data to drive decision making
Invite residents to participate in a process that values peoples’ struggles and achievements
Develop dialogue over the use of technology to drive decisions or monitor efficacy
Improve residence understanding of data privacy, security, and access
Ideal Outcome:
Develop a dataset and begin to understand what accompanying products (infographics, articles, blog, dashboard) that are meaningful to community stakeholders
Understand what functionalities are crucial to a useful open data platform
Develop relationship between City IT and residents to continue this sort of engagement