Edmonton/ Engaging people not familiar with technology

From OpenMuni Wiki

Thinking beyond technology solutions

- people want face to face despite technology to project a common voice

 - makes idea feel stronger when done in person

- online engagement is easier and less significant

 - harder to get ppl to go out to a rally

- more info means more white noise

 - too much!

- OD can cause much great focus on local community

 - great neighbourhoods
 - allow more support

- not about just OD... it's about how it's used

 - OD is already happening
 - about having ownership and taking pride
 - making govt more efficient/reliable because citizens have access to data 

Deliberative dialogue: how will open data help or hinder

- open data can help deep conversation for complex topics

 - most complex discussions need this

- open data dangerous?

 - focus on too specific
 - focus on easily fixed things

- OD can make it easier to talk about the subject

 - allow us to bring more ppl into the conversation/involved

- OD is a starting point for big complex conversations

 - OD allows everyone to have the same starting point

- City might be micro managed and cause harm

 - city as a flip side can be much more responsive based up data being pushed back

- who's responsibility is it to disseminate info?

 - private orgs? the city govt?
 - the standard has risen... more accessible to not just humans but also machines

- journalists feel that it is a boon because they are always trying to get data - increased accountability when there is open data

- media AND normal citizens

- what if OD causes MM to stop looking as hard for things?

 - job is not to dig up dirt but to try and inform citizens

- machine accessible data will allow more tools to search and filter - reorienting large issues to something local can only be positive

Citizens participating in govt

- will OD cause more/less accountability?

  - will it allow citizens to look at politician history and make decisions or cause action

- govt should be responsible to people

 - accountability
   - missing erroneous/data would be noticed

- careful to be worried about things we don't know about

 - put it out there so the questions can be asked

- trust

 - "everyone has a right to know"
 - OD is easier to trust

- imagine you could see the voting history of every single govt official

 - easy make analysis

How would you engage residents not familiar w/ tech?

- age old question - OD should not be about tech - allow people to make stories - make OD seed ideas

 - e.g. crime data causes ppl to get together and vote
 - it's what comes out of it that matters

- Bias will be towards ppl who have access and knowledge

 - important to realize it

How will citizens participates in budget?

- England does

 - hire locals to speak with people
 - budget is introduced in poorer part of the city
 - important to get people to work together
 - start small
 - some of them get decided by smaller social groups
 - just invite people for meetings and vote

- Open data relation:

 - budget history vs. performance
   - efficiency
 - Fix My Street - blog (in Great Britain) to directly affect where funds are allocated
   - also evaluate whether there was action taken as a result