free our data in parliament (UK)

November 15, 2007 in Uncategorized by Hugh | Permalink

The inspirational Free Our Data blog out of the UK reports on a mention of their efforts in Parliament, where Mark Todd, MP had this to say in argument against:

I should like briefly to comment on the free our data campaign [our emphasis], which has suggested that the correct path is to distribute Government data virtually for free, or at cost. The difficulty of that model, which relies on the argument that that would generate substantial economic growth and tax revenues that would easily repay the amount lost in revenues directly associated with the sales, is that I am afraid it places a substantial reliance on any Government—not just this one—to continue to fund the development and maintenance of the quality of data in those organisations. At the moment, the organisations have revenue streams on which they can rely to invest into the future. Simply relying on the Treasury to bury its hand into its pocket periodically to develop data into the future is wishful thinking. That is not the path down which we should be treading.

More of the debate can be found here.

Open Database License (Draft)

November 3, 2007 in openmovement, resources, tools by Hugh | Permalink

Open Database License (Draft):

This is a beta release, or a draft version of the licence, for comment and criticism by communities interested in licensing databases using copyleft, open content, and related licensing schemes. Distribution of this draft licence does not create an attorney-client relationship. This information is provided ‘as is‘, and this site makes no warranties on the information provided. Any damages resulting from its use are disclaimed.

From opencontentlawyer.com (thanks to James Duncan).

Canadian Digital Information Strategy – Consultation

November 2, 2007 in Access by Tracey | Permalink

Le français suis l’anglais.

This draft strategy is seeking public input. It would be great for related individuals, organizations and institutions in Canada and Internationally to respond. Much work went into this Draft but it is incomplete without citizen input from multiple lenses. The info you need is below!

**************************

We are pleased to announce that the draft version of the Canadian Digital Information Strategy has been released for public comment. The Strategy results from a series of meetings that took place across the country in 2005 and 2006 to gather views from content producers, users and government officials. In the course of the deliberations, more than 200 stakeholder organizations offered ideas or commentary, and nearly 100 of Canada’s leading thinkers from across the information environment participated in a national summit in December, 2006.

Building on this rich set of input, the strategy has been drafted by a 24 member development committee. It addresses some of the critical issues in digital information production, preservation and access, and proposes a range of actions to strengthen the Canadian digital information environment.

The Committee welcomes public comment on the draft strategy by November 23rd 2007. Please visit http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/cdis/index-e.html to download the strategy document and to provide comments.

Sean Berrigan, Library and Archives Canada
Gérard Boismenu, Université de Montréal
Co-chairs, Canadian Digital Information Strategy Development Committee

**********************

Nous sommes fiers d’annoncer que l’ébauche de la Stratégie canadienne sur l’information numérique a été publiée afin d’être soumise à l’évaluation du public. Cette stratégie est le fruit d’une série de réunions qui ont eu lieu partout au pays en 2005 et en 2006, et auxquelles ont participé des représentants gouvernementaux, des producteurs et des utilisateurs de contenu numérique. Au cours des débats, plus de 200 organismes sont intervenus afin de faire valoir leurs idées et leurs commentaires, et près d’une centaine de penseurs parmi les plus influents provenant de tous les domaines du milieu de l’information ont pris part à un sommet national en décembre 2006.

Un comité de 24 membres a puisé dans ces contributions pour élaborer une stratégie nationale. Celle-ci répond à certains enjeux importants liées à accès, à la conservation et à la production de l’information numérique, et elle propose diverses mesures destinées à renforcer le milieu de l’information numérique au Canada.

Le comité recevra les commentaires du public sur l’ébauche de cette stratégie à compter du 23 novembre 2007. Pour télécharger le document de la Stratégie canadienne sur l’information numérique, et pour nous faire part de vos commentaires, veuillez vous rendre à l’adresse suivante: http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/scin/index-f.html.

Sean Berrigan, Bibliothèque et Archives Canada
Gérard Boismenu, Université de Montréal
Coprésidents du comité d’élaboration de la Stratégie canadienne sur l’information numérique

******************************************

Government of Newfoundland and Labrador Community Accounts

October 31, 2007 in Uncategorized by Tracey | Permalink

This is what the liberalization of data is all about:

The Newfoundland and Labrador Statistics Agency, in partnership with the Strategic Social Plan (SSP) of the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador and Memorial University, developed a government and public-wide system that embraces an integrated, evidence-based approach to policy and program development through collaboration within and across government departments, and economic and social sectors. Termed the “Community Accounts“, it is the first Internet-based data retrieval and exchange system in Canada with unrestricted access to view and analyze data down to the community level. It provides citizens and policy makers with a single comprehensive source of key social, economic, and health data and indicators that would not be readily available, too costly to obtain, or too time consuming to manually or otherwise retrieve and compile.

Community Accounts

via: SPNO GANIS

open access conference vid

October 31, 2007 in academia, canada, openmovement by Hugh | Permalink

Open Access: the New World of Research Communication

The University of Ottawa Library, in association with the Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL), hosted a public seminar entitled Open Access: the New World of Research Communication on Wednesday October 10, 2007

See here for vid.

Nova Scotia Community Counts

October 30, 2007 in Uncategorized by Tracey | Permalink

Community Counts Logo an excellent data sharing initiative from Nova Scotia.

A community embodies a wide range of characteristics. Nova Scotia Community Counts presents socio-economic and other data that illustrate the unique nature of each community. With easily accessible information, Community Counts also allows comparisons of community resources among regional, provincial, and national levels to present a more complete picture of Nova Scotian communities.

via: Social Planning Network of Ontario’s Ted Hilderbrandt

DataBase Aesthetics

October 30, 2007 in academia by Tracey | 1 comment

Oh lala! If anyone want to purchase a present for me – well this is it!

Database Aesthetics:

examines the database as cultural and aesthetic form, explaining how artists have participated in network culture by creating data art. The essays in this collection look at how an aesthetic emerges when artists use the vast amounts of available information as their medium. Here, the ways information is ordered and organized become artistic choices, and artists have an essential role in influencing and critiquing the digitization of daily life.

Contributors: Sharon Daniel, Steve Deitz, Lynn Hershman Leeson, George Legrady, Eduardo Kac, Norman Klein, John Klima, Lev Manovich, Robert F. Nideffer, Nancy Paterson, Christiane Paul, Marko Peljhan, Warren Sack, Bill Seaman, Grahame Weinbren.

Victoria Vesna is a media artist, and professor and chair of the Department of Design and Media Arts at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Everyscape

October 30, 2007 in Access, geo, R&D, tools by Tracey | 1 comment

Civicaccess.ca is about liberating public data from public institutions and finding new ways to make these accessible and useful. So far we have been doing a good job talking about data access, some members on the list are doing some interesting work with postal code files and electoral boundaries, and some of us are writing on this blog to share new technologies, ideas, projects and issues. For the most part and so far cool technology and science examples are from the US and not many derive from home – Canada. Sigh! And alas this one is no different.

Everyscape is really interesting to me as it merges panoramic photographs and a building’s blueprint, a type of data and communication form I learned to draw and read in college, but is generally illegible/inaccessible to most not involved in building things. When I look at a blue print I see the 3 dimensions of a structure and its composition but it is hard to get a sense of space and the place. That’s why architects start with maquetes and sketches. Blue prints happen after that process to communicate to engineers, builders, and workmen (some workwomen) who will actualize the space. This software builds a 3d space from the plane views of the blue print – building’s map – and panoramic photos.

Within each photograph, a user can swivel through a full sphere of motion. To move users from within one panoramic photograph to the next, Everyscape’s servers estimate the locations of the cameras in each photograph and use that information to build sparse 3-D geometry that forms the building blocks for an animated 3-D transition.

The technology is not about getting somewhere it is about being somewhere. When I viewed the MIT hallway 3 MoK video, I was reminded of my architectural walking tours of old Chicago buildings, how my eye navigated the contours, paused at detail, moved through boring stuff quickly to get to a more interesting space.Everscape in MIT Technology Review

This may be a disruptive technology to the 3D viz scientists and 3d modeller geomaticians as google earth was to cartographers and GISers. Mostly though, I like the fact that it seems to make space and place data more accessible, usable, understandable and immersive. Hopefully there will be some interesting public applications!

like google maps, but more internetty

October 30, 2007 in datasets, projects, web by Hugh | Permalink

The Whole Internet:

Yes, we map all 4,294,967,296 IP addresses onto a huge image and let you zoom into it and pan around. Just like google maps, but more internetty.

Passion Pulse

October 24, 2007 in campaigns, geo, international, tools, Uncategorized by Tracey | Permalink

It is not what you think! It’s a visualization poling tool that shows what people think about a particular politician’s quote during an election, in this case the elections in Australia. Online opinion polls are always tricky, as they are driven by how the question is framed, the media outlet that poses it, they often miss the opinions of the non connected which are often those in rural and remote areas or of lower income or particularly less connected demographic groups. Nonetheless it is an interesting way to get a sense of what a select sub section of a population – connected, urban, msn news reader, literate with new media savvyness – thinks.

Passion PulsePassion Pulse Map

Via my Favorite: Information Aesthetics

« Older entries § Newer entries »