In discussions about access to government data, we should distinguish between attribution and citation: government-imposed attribution requirements are inappropriate restrictions on reuse and unnecessary barriers to access, while citation guidelines can help add reliable value to data.
Continue readingUsing federal levers to open municipal financial data
Could a federal agency play a role in opening up local financial data?
Continue readingSafeguarding sensitive information shouldn’t be an all or nothing proposition
Providing open data comes with challenges. How can governments thoughtfully approach safeguarding sensitive information?
Continue readingThe chicken or the egg? Deciding which data to release first
As we transition from 20th century to 21st century government, governments seeking to guarantee their citizens access to public data online find they must ask themselves: What should we release first?
Continue readingOpening data: Have you checked your pipes?
Almost every technical project (and every idea for one) has an initial cost known as ETL. So why aren't we talking about it?
Continue readingWaiting for a FOIA response
We've been waiting for more than three months for a response to our open data FOIA request.
Continue readingWhat makes Pittsburgh’s open data law different
On March 11, Pittsburgh joined the growing number of cities who have adopted open data policies across the United States. So, how does Pittsburgh’s open data policy stack up to the other policies already out there?
Continue readingAnnouncing the Sunlight Foundation’s Open Data Policy Guidelines, Version 3.0
In honor of Sunshine Week 2014, the Sunlight Foundation officially welcomes you to explore our updated Open Data Policy Guidelines!
Continue readingOpen data is the next iteration of public records
The way we think about access to information is changing along with advances in technology. It's time for public records to be proactively released online.
Continue readingMaking JSON as simple as a spreadsheet
Recently, I gave a workshop at Open Data Day whose goal was to demystify JSON. I searched, but couldn't find any tools to do this that worked inside the browser. The only solution was to make a new one!
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