John discusses his candid take on the challenges New York City has had implementing the Open Data Law, what has worked, what has not worked, and what it will take for NYC open data to achieve its enormous potential. In his remarks, John summarizes how the city’s open data program operates, the different communities of public and government data users, and the politics of open data. He identifies specific problems with the law, open data platform, data quality and release of data, and how these problems are or are not being addressed. He also suggests a path towards continual improvement and why it is helpful to view government open data initiatives as a form of agile development.
Recommended advance readings:
- NYC Open Data Law: Intro 0029-2010
- http://nycopendata.tumblr.com/
- https://nycopendata.socrata.com/dashboard
- Open Data for All 2015
- Mayor’s Office of Data Analytics 2013 Annual Report
John Kaehny, is the Executive Director and a founding board member of Reinvent Albany. At Reinvent Albany he has passed state laws strengthening the Freedom of Information Law and creating a “transit lockbox.” John has successfully championed many forms of online transparency and led the public advocacy for New York’s award winning, “Open NY” open data initiative, the Open Budget website, major improvements to the Comptroller’s Open Book New York spending site and the Attorney General’s New York Open Government website. In New York City, John lead the campaign for the NYC Open Data Law — the first of its kind in the world– and the NYC Open FOIL initiative.
Prior to co-founding Reinvent Albany, John was a transportation policy consultant for leading New York, national and international environmental groups, and was the longtime executive director of Transportation Alternatives in New York City. John is also the co-founder of the national Alliance for Bicycling and Walking and has served on numerous city and state governmental advisory boards. His writing has appeared in the NY Times, NY Daily News, Albany Times-Union, NY Post and NY Newsday, as well as technical and scholarly journals.
About Databites
Data & Society’s “Databites” speaker series presents timely conversations about the purpose and power of technology, bridging our interdisciplinary research with broader public conversations about the societal implications of data and automation.