No one knows for sure whether Walter Scott was the third 2015 fatality from a police shooting or the 20th. And we should know.
But the United States has no database for police shootings, so we can’t find out .
If Mr. Scott’s shocking death is to spur a much-needed national conversation about policing, racial profiling and the use of deadly force, the big-picture number is a key piece of information. Continue>>>
======
[…]
Phrases like “housing vouchers” and “senior accessibility” aren’t commonly heard at a weekend hackfest. But those words were the focus of one of Seattle’s largest open data hackathons ever — a unique event hosted by Zillow and the University of Washington this weekend.
[…]
The power of the Web is in its universality. Access by everyone regardless of disability is an essential aspect. Tim Berners-Lee W3C.
Some fundamental first principles:
[…]
Read More… from Real Digital Inclusion – A challenge for transparency advocates
The city of Jackson, Michigan, has bold ambitions to make its website the first of its kind in the Great Lakes State to operate as an open data portal.
Unfortunately, city officials announced they’ve hit a slight delay in the process, pushing the expected rollout back at least a month.
[…]
Read More… from Jackson, Michigan’s Open Data Portal Is on Groundbreaking Track
2015 should be the year for open data in California. A new crop of state lawmakers and constitutional officers, combined with activity underway in state and local governments, are pushing California closer to a “tipping point” where the demand and use of data can truly transform the public sector.
[…]
Open data has found the most innovation at the local government level. While not taking away from the efforts of data.gov and the state initiatives, local data has more impact on the day to day lives of civil society. A wealth of city and county public data exists, but accessing it can sometimes be time consuming. Now, thanks to a new local government partnership, open data in Durham is just months away from becoming a reality.
[…]
Read More… from Open data partnership between city and county of Durham, NC
Richmond officials are looking to open up more city data to the public by making information available on government spending, permits, crime and real estate.
Councilman Jonathan T. Baliles, 1st District, introduced an ordinance this month that would require the city to publish its payment register on the city’s website.
[…]
Read More… from Richmond officials planning to publish more government data online
The Digital Accountability and Transparency Act creates a monumental challenge for federal agencies. Government leaders, watchdog groups and citizens want to make sure tax dollars are being used in productive, efficient ways free from waste and fraud. They also want proof that publicly funded programs are performing well against stated missions and executing within budget.
[…]
NASA has been an open data operation since the passage of the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958, in the very earliest days of the Space Race after Sputnik. The agency has always published untold volumes of scientific data.
Yet the kind of standardized, machine-readable data demanded by the Obama Administration's Open Government Initiative remains a challenge.
[…]
