Gov 2.0 and Open Data Strategies in Massachusetts

April 5th, 2010 -- Gov 2.0 and Open Data initiatives received lot of attention in Massachusetts over the last year: the Department of Transportation (MassDOT) started their successful transit data developer program, the Governor's Office is spearheading communication through social media among state agencies and Anne Margulies, the Commonwealth's Chief Information Officer, calls the potential of open data "limitless".

At the "Where is my bus?" event on March 24th, hosted by MITX, the Massachusetts Innovation & Technology Exchange at Microsoft NERD, we had the opportunity to hear from and connect with innovative Gov 2.0 and Open Data leaders in Massachusetts.

Brad Blake, Director of New Media & Online Strategy for the Office of the Governor, gave insights on their social media learning curve and how Governor Deval Patrick is using social media to interact with Massachusetts residents. An overview of existing social media accounts among the state government and some guidelines on social media usage is listed at mass.gov/socialmedia.

Anne Margulies, formerly responsible for opening educational information in OpenCourseWare at MIT, outlined the significance of open data to create more transparent governmental environments and the potential of leveraging smart applications based on Open Data.

Tim Vaverchak, Director of Shared Services at ITD, presented Massachusetts’ recently launched Open Data initiative and gave an outlook on future developments. Massachusetts’ Open Data initiative helps and guides agencies, private organizations and residents to find available public data in the state. The growing data catalog, currently organized as wiki where several stakeholders can participate, will be extended by a useful set of social media functionality, aimed to improve accessibility and utilization of public data.

If you would like to get involved and join the discussion, know other available data or post a request for missing data, you’re welcome to join the Massachusetts Open Data Google Group.

Introduced by Jeffrey Mullan, MassDOT Secretary and Chief Executive Officer, Josh Robin and Chris Dempsey, the two key persons behind MassDOT's transit data developer program, walked the audience through the impressive range of developed applications and services – web sites, mobile applications, a phone service and hardware installations. All developed transit data products are the sole result of an Open Data initiative and created without further investments on the part of MassDOT.

Another highlight of the event was the announcement of the MassDOT/MBTA Real-Time developer challenge winners via a video message of Governor Deval Patrick.

The winning software project of the challenge was the iPhone (and Android) application "Catch the Bus", where users can see when the next busses are arriving for each station. In the category hardware installation, the winner is the "MBTA bus clock", a simple and cost effective ($30, powered by recycled cell phone components) clock that counts down to the next bus arrival. Both winners received an autographed Bus sign and a $500 prize, sponsored by NextBus.

Rich Davey, Administrator of Rail and Transit for MassDOT, announced the real-time feed for every Bus in the MBTA system, as well as commuter rail and train to be available late summer this year, which is going to provide even more fuel for the great outcome MassDOT has seen during this initiative.

Read MITX's post on Mass. Gov't and Citizens Connect to Innovate

User Profile -- Czarina Biton, Regional Emergency Preparedness Coordinator

March 9th, 2010 -- Czarina Biton is a public health professional committed to social justice and civic engagement. As Regional Emergency Preparedness Coordinator for Massachusetts Region 4b, she coordinates efforts among the twenty-seven municipalities in the region to make sure that they have the resources and support to plan for public health emergencies.

Czarina finds, "The DataCommon is an innovative tool that addresses emergency preparedness questions with solutions. At the local public health level, mapping has helped me visualize and understand the assets of a community, and prioritize planning efforts to address areas of growth."

To develop a basic profile of each of the communities in her region, Czarina uses the MetroBoston DataCommon's Community Snapshots which provide a map, graphs, and common statistics for each municipality.

The DataMap Tool allows Czarina to tailor her analyses to fit her expert understanding of the problem and the needs of the region. It allows her to map hard-to-reach areas, such as those that have large non-English speaking populations, and to map the location of churches and community centers where outreach efforts can take place.

Through these applications, the MetroBoston DataCommon helps Czarina help municipalities better prepare for emergencies and secure the health of the region.

Interactive January 2010 calendar map

Census results determine the amount of money Massachusetts receives from the Federal government and the number of representatives we send to Washington. According to the Brookings Institute, the Commonwealth is likely to receive more than $2,000 in federal aid for each person counted in the 2010 Census. For cities and towns, the Census is a critical demographic benchmark that sets the stage for ten years worth of planning. (PDF)

The City University of New York developed interactive Hard to Count" population maps for the entire United States.

Datasets Updated

January 19th, 2010 -- We have recently updated several data layers in our DataMap Tool with updated information.

In the General Population Statistics folder:
-- Population Estimates have been updated to the most current available data (2008).

In the Housing folder:
-- We have added data noting HUD inspection scores for both Public Housing and Project–based Multifamily Housing.

In the Zoning and Land Use folder:
-- The Open Space layer has been updated with various edits around the state.

See older news items.