1 / 33

Webinar: Developers and Federal Agencies: Can we talk? August 11, 2011

Webinar: Developers and Federal Agencies: Can we talk? August 11, 2011. Agenda. Introductions Ethan McMahon, U.S. EPA (host) Alex Howard, O’Reilly Media (moderator) Jeremy Carbaugh , Sunlight Foundation (presenter) Michaela Hackner , Forum One (presenter)

jimbo
Download Presentation

Webinar: Developers and Federal Agencies: Can we talk? August 11, 2011

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Webinar: Developers and Federal Agencies: Can we talk?August 11, 2011

  2. Agenda • Introductions • Ethan McMahon, U.S. EPA (host) • Alex Howard, O’Reilly Media (moderator) • Jeremy Carbaugh, Sunlight Foundation (presenter) • Michaela Hackner, Forum One (presenter) • Kurt Voelker, Forum One (presenter) • Format • Speakers (25 minutes) • Lines are muted - submit questions as the speakers talk • Questions and Answers (25 minutes) • Technical issues? Send a message via webinar panel

  3. Background about the Challenge Apps for the Environment • Apps must use EPA data and address one of EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson’s Seven Priorities • Judged based on usefulness, innovativeness, and usability • Submissions are due by September 16 • Winners and runners up for Best Overall App and Best Student App, plus People’s Choice • Recognition from EPA in Washington, D.C. in November • Get more details at epa.gov/appsfortheenvironment

  4. A long(itude) history of contests and challenges

  5. Apps Contests and the passage of the America COMPETES Act • A new movement for collaborative innovation in open government starts in 2008 in DC • Around the world, apps contests are unlocking government innovation • In 2011, the America COMPETES Act allows all agencies to host challenges

  6. Key issue for “App Contests 2.0” • Build community, not just apps • Move from cool to useful • Address sustainability issues • Identify problems to solve

  7. Key issues for open government data • 2010 open data survey showed progress but a long road still ahead • Developers say only 30% of data needed is available, 50% of that unusable • Issues: data timeliness, accuracy, usable formats, metadata schemas, consistency, and incomplete data sets

  8. A portion of the challenges on Challenge.gov

  9. What is the purpose of a challenge? • Add more value to data by allowing them to be used in new ways. • Jumpstart a community of developers with interest in mission. • Allow citizens to invest in the public interest.

  10. A challenge is not a way to get free software development.

  11. Meaningful innovation cannot occur without expertise in the subject matter.

  12. SELECT * FROM hamp_20110617 WHERE ln_mdfc_mode_nme = “official modification” OR ln_mdfc_fout_rsn_nme != “” OR ln_trl_mdfc_dnal_rsn_nme != “”

  13. Make data understandable. • Direct communication with experts in government. • Provide step-by-step examples of going from data to a working application.

  14. Make development easier. • Provide SQL table definitions for data. • Create client libraries for Web services in popular programming languages.

  15. Foster a community. • Provide a forum for communication with government and public. • Be proactive in reaching out to developer communities.

  16. The success of a challenge can be judged by the self-sustaining applications and community it creates.

  17. What We Built: Datamasher.org

  18. Dollars Per Point On The SAT

  19. Most Reproductive States

  20. Finding the “right” data • Too many formats • Inconsistent data models • The data drove the solution, not vice-versa • Incentive problem ThE BIGGEST HURDLES

  21. WHAT WOULD BE AWESOME

  22. Socrata’s Views Service Google’s DSPL Ease Data Discovery by Machines

  23. Code • Recipes • Examples • API Documentation MAKE DEVELOPERS A PRIORITY AUDIENCE

  24. “It’s not just the API that’s a big deal. It’s the discipline an API imposes... To build one, an agency has to record and store data in a way that anticipates public use. Data sharing is no longer an afterthought. You begin with the notion that you’re going to share information. And you’re going to make it easy for people.” • Greg Elin, 2009 Former head, Sunlight Labs Current head, open data, FCC.gov ANTICIPATE PUBLIC USE Anticipate Public Use: Become the Platform Ease Data Discovery by Machines www.Myagency.gov/Developer: Documentation, Code, APIs

  25. Questions and Answers Potential topics: • What’s the most important thing federal agencies can do to help developers? • How can the system be structured so apps can be sustained (i.e., funding)? • How to make apps that are useful to users?

  26. Next Steps • Post this webinar on EPA’s site • www.epa.gov/appsfortheenvironment/webinar.html • Continue the conversation on our blog at http://blog.epa.gov/data/ • Submit your apps by September 16

  27. For more information • Alex Howard, O’Reilly Media • alex@oreilly.com, @digiphile • Jeremy Carbaugh, Sunlight Foundation • jcarbaugh@sunlightfoundation.com, @jcarbaugh • Michaela Hackner, Forum One • mhackner@forumone.com, @KalaBird • Kurt Voelker, Forum One • kvoelker@forumone.com, @KVoelker • Ethan McMahon, U.S. EPA • mcmahon.ethan@epa.gov • Apps for the Environment: epa.gov/appsfortheenvironment

  28. Apps for the Environment Code-a-thon! • September 3, 2011 from 10 AM to 6 PM EST • Hosted by American University • Graduate Student Lounge adjoining the School of International Service building • All developers are welcome! • Get details at blog.epa.gov/data

More Related