Comments on: City of San Francisco promises to "open its data" with DataSF.org http://boingboing.net/2009/08/19/city-of-san-francisc.html Brain candy for Happy Mutants Sun, 26 May 2013 06:24:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 By: mdh http://boingboing.net/2009/08/19/city-of-san-francisc.html#comment-569411 mdh Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-569411 Speaking as someone who needs to access government records professionally, let me say this loudly. HUZZAH! Speaking as someone who needs to access government records professionally, let me say this loudly.

HUZZAH!

]]> By: Technocrat http://boingboing.net/2009/08/19/city-of-san-francisc.html#comment-569687 Technocrat Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-569687 I am not sure about CA Public Records Laws, but in NM using public records data for commercial/solicitation use is prohibited. I am not sure about CA Public Records Laws, but in NM using public records data for commercial/solicitation use is prohibited.

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2009/08/19/city-of-san-francisc.html#comment-570479 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-570479 Toronto began its open data initiative at the beginning of 2009 http://wiki.changecamp.ca/ChangeCampTO_Event/Official_ChangeCamp_TO_Grid/Session_C1 ) and Mayor Miller announced it at the Mesh09 conference in May. Look how far they've come! http://toronto.ca/open/ Toronto began its open data initiative at the beginning of 2009 http://wiki.changecamp.ca/ChangeCampTO_Event/Official_ChangeCamp_TO_Grid/Session_C1 ) and Mayor Miller announced it at the Mesh09 conference in May.

Look how far they’ve come! http://toronto.ca/open/

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2009/08/19/city-of-san-francisc.html#comment-569464 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-569464 The LAPD crime map's location icon looks very similar to the icon for homicide. Hilariously poor design. The LAPD crime map’s location icon looks very similar to the icon for homicide. Hilariously poor design.

]]> By: Mazoola http://boingboing.net/2009/08/19/city-of-san-francisc.html#comment-569503 Mazoola Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-569503 The GIS data has been around for a while -- but SF traditionally held it close to the vest while trying to find a way to productize it. I spent a fruitless couple of evenings, geez, I guess 7 years ago trying to find anything useful and freely accessible as part of the attempt by a coalition of newspaper publishers to keep from having the Clear Channel pedmounts shoved down our collective throats. In the end, a handful of us spent the next few days mapping out the Tenderloin, Union Square, the Financial District, and eight to ten blocks of Market Street with graph paper and tape measures.... The GIS data has been around for a while — but SF traditionally held it close to the vest while trying to find a way to productize it. I spent a fruitless couple of evenings, geez, I guess 7 years ago trying to find anything useful and freely accessible as part of the attempt by a coalition of newspaper publishers to keep from having the Clear Channel pedmounts shoved down our collective throats. In the end, a handful of us spent the next few days mapping out the Tenderloin, Union Square, the Financial District, and eight to ten blocks of Market Street with graph paper and tape measures….

]]> By: Mazoola http://boingboing.net/2009/08/19/city-of-san-francisc.html#comment-569506 Mazoola Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-569506 c/has/have dammit c/has/have dammit

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2009/08/19/city-of-san-francisc.html#comment-721575 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-721575 There is only one entity handling open data the "right" way from what I've seen. All others give you datasets and then you have to figure out what to do with them. This one not only gives you the datasets, but a very cool web-based toolset to instantly work with them... this looks to be the wave of the future- www.simplergov.org There is only one entity handling open data the “right” way from what I’ve seen. All others give you datasets and then you have to figure out what to do with them. This one not only gives you the datasets, but a very cool web-based toolset to instantly work with them… this looks to be the wave of the future- http://www.simplergov.org

]]> By: mweisman http://boingboing.net/2009/08/19/city-of-san-francisc.html#comment-569300 mweisman Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-569300 This is a great start, but ultimately a giant fail. All they are doing is linking files which look like they have already been public for some time. What we need is a way to get to the raw data without being encumbered by proprietary data formats. Check out the City of Nanaimo (BC, Canada)'s Property Search Data Catalog for an example of this being done the right way (RESTful access to the raw data in standard text-based formats): http://maps.nanaimo.ca/data/property/ This will enable developers to write cool applications. Linking to an Excel file on an ftp site will not. This is a great start, but ultimately a giant fail.

All they are doing is linking files which look like they have already been public for some time. What we need is a way to get to the raw data without being encumbered by proprietary data formats.

Check out the City of Nanaimo (BC, Canada)’s Property Search Data Catalog for an example of this being done the right way (RESTful access to the raw data in standard text-based formats):
http://maps.nanaimo.ca/data/property/

This will enable developers to write cool applications. Linking to an Excel file on an ftp site will not.

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2009/08/19/city-of-san-francisc.html#comment-569316 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-569316 Can anyone tell me what font the DataSF logo is in? It's on the tip of my brain...... Can anyone tell me what font the DataSF logo is in?
It’s on the tip of my brain……

]]> By: KWillets http://boingboing.net/2009/08/19/city-of-san-francisc.html#comment-569342 KWillets Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-569342 This looks like a fairly standard GIS data clearinghouse. Some of the data, such as police calls for service, hasn't been available before. Some of the data access is RESTful. This looks like a fairly standard GIS data clearinghouse. Some of the data, such as police calls for service, hasn’t been available before.

Some of the data access is RESTful.

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