Tracey P. Lauriault (Programmable City team) A genealogy of open data assemblages Abstract: Evidence informed decision making, participatory public policy, government transparency and accountability, sustainable development, and data driven journalism were the initial drivers of making public data accessible. The access work of geomaticians, researchers, librarians, community developers and journalists has recently been recast as open data that includes a different set of actors. As open data matures as a practice, its principles, definitions and guidelines have been transformed into national performance indicators such as indexes, barometers, ratings and score cards; the private sector such as Gartner, McKinsey, and Deloitte are touting open data's innovation and business opportunities; while smart city initiatives offer tools and expertise to help government sense, monitor, measure and evaluate their cities. Open data today seems to have evolved far from its original ideals, even with civil society players such as Markets for Good, Sunlight Foundation, Open Knowledge Foundation, Code for America, and many others advocating for more social approaches. This talk proposes an assemblage approach to understanding open data and provides a genealogy of its development in different contexts and places. Bio: Tracey P. Lauriault is a Programmable City Project Postdoctoral Researcher focussing on How are digital data generated and processed about cities and their citizens? She arrives from Canada where she was a researcher with the Geomatics and Cartographic Research Centre, at Carleton University, where she investigated Data, Infrastructures and Geographical Imaginations, spatial data infrastructures, open data and the preservation of and access to research and geomatics data; legal and policy issues associated with geospatial, administrative and civil society data; and cybercartography. She is a a member of the international Research Data Alliance Legal (RDA) Interoperability Working Group, the Natural Resources Canada Roundtable on Geomatics Legal and Policy Interest Group. She is also actively engaged in public policy research as it pertains to open data and their related infrastructures.

1. A genealogy of open data assemblages
Dr Tracey P. Lauriault, NUIM
March 25, 2014
The Programmable City Project
LAUNCH

2. Content
1.Research Question
2.Data Assemblage
3.Geospatial Data Infrastructure Assemblage
4.Access to Data in Canada
5.Open Data In Canada
6.Observations
7.Summary
8.Next Steps

3. 1.Research Question

4. Research Question
How are digital data materially and
discursively supported and processed
about cities and their citizens?

5. 2.Assemblages

6. Kitchin’s Data Assemblage
Attributes Elements
Systems of
thought
Modes of thinking, philosophies, theories, models,
ideologies, rationalities, etc.
Forms of
knowledge
Research texts, manuals, magazines, websites,
experience, word of mouth, chat forums, etc.
Finance
Business models, investment, venture capital,
grants, philanthropy, profit, etc.
Political
economy
Policy, tax regimes, public and political opinion,
ethical considerations, etc.
Govern-
mentalities /
Legalities
Data standards, file formats, system requirements,
protocols, regulations, laws, licensing, intellectual
property regimes, etc.
Materialities &
infrastructures
Paper/pens, computers, digital devices, sensors,
scanners, databases, networks, servers, etc.
Practices
Techniques, ways of doing, learned behaviours,
scientific conventions, etc.
Organisations
& institutions
Archives, corporations, consultants, manufacturers,
retailers, government agencies, universities,
conferences, clubs and societies, committees and
boards, communities of practice, etc.
Subjectivities
& communities
Of data producers, curators, managers, analysts,
scientists, politicians, users, citizens, etc.
Places
Labs, offices, field sites, data centres, server farms,
business parks, etc, and their agglomerations
Marketplace
For data, its derivatives (e.g., text, tables, graphs,
maps), analysts, analytic software, interpretations,
etc.
Systemsofthought

7. 3. Geospatial
Data Infrastructure
Assemblage

8. 1999
Canadian Geospatial Data
Infrastructure (CGDI)
200120052005
2013

9. CGDI Principles
1. Open:
enables better decision making, the CGDI is
based on open, barrier-free data sharing and
standards that allow users to exchange data.
2. Accessible:
allows users to access data and services
seamlessly, despite any complexities of the
underlying technology.
3. Evolving:
the network of organizations participating in
the CGDI will continue to address new
requirements and business applications for
information and service delivery to their
respective users.
4. Timely:
the CGDI is based on technologies and
services that support timely or real-time
access to information.
5. Sustainable:
is sustained by the contributions of the
participating organizations and broad user
community and through the infrastructure’s
relevance to these groups.
6. Self-organizing
the CGDI enables various organizations to
contribute geospatial information, services
and applications, and guide the
infrastructure’s development.
7. User and community driven
emphasizes the nurturing of and service to a
broad user community. These users,
including Canadians in general, will drive the
CGDI’s development based on user
requirements.
8. Closest to source
maximizes efficiency and quality by
encouraging organizations closest to source
to provide data and services. Thereby
eliminating duplication and overlap.
9. Trustworthy
is continually enhanced to protect sensitive
and proprietary data. The CGDI offers this
protection through policies and mechanisms
that enable data to be assessed for quality
and trusted by users.
Source: : 2012, Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure Vision, Mission
and Roadmap - The Way Forward

10. Maps
6th Edition 1999
3rd Edition 1957
4th Edition 1974
1st Edition 1906
2nd Edition 1915
5th Edition 1985

11. Data

12. 4. Access to Data Canada
a. University
b. Government
c. Civil Society
d. Research
e. Public Health

13. University Setting
Image source: http://www.geomatikk.ntnu.no/english/
University Geomatics1992 Proposed, 1996 Launched

14. Federal Government Setting
Provincial and Territorial
Geomatics Accord (2001)

15. Geographic
and
Numeric
Information
Systems
Social
Planning
Network of
Ontario
Civil Society

16. Research Setting

17. Data Negotiation
http://cdc-dcc.info/mandate.php

18. Chief Medical Officer of Health
http://emis.santemontreal.qc.ca/

19. 4. Open Data Canada
a. Transition
b. Cities
c. Licenses and Collaboration
d. Research

20. Access to Public Data

21. Open Data Definitions (sample)
• 1959 Antarctic Treaty
• 1992 - UNCED – Agenda 21 Chapter 40,
Information for Decision Making
• 1996 Global Map
• 2007 GEOSS - Data Sharing Principles for the
Global Earth Observing System of Systems
• 2005 - Open Knowledge Foundation (OKNF)
- 11 Principles (Licence specific)
• 2007 - US Open Government Working Group
- 8 principles of Open Government Data
• 2007 Science Commons Protocol for
Implementing Open Access Data
• 2007 Sunlight Foundation - 10 Principles for
Opening Up Government Informatio
• 2007 OECD, Principles and Guidelines for
Access to Research Data from Public
Funding
• 2009 W3C - Publishing Open Government
Data
• 2010 Tim Berners-Lee 5 Star of Open Data
• 2008 OECD, Recommendations on Public
Sector Information
• 2010 Panton Principles for Open Data in
Science
• 2010 Ontario Information Privacy
Commissioner - 7 Principles
• 2013 Open Economics Principles
• US Association of Computing Machinery
(USACM) – Recommendations on Open
Government
• American Library Association (ALA) – Access
to Government Information Principles

22. Foundational
ARTICLE III
1. In order to promote international cooperation in
scientific investigation in Antarctica, as provided for
in Article II of the present Treaty, the Contracting
Parties agree that, to the greatest extent feasible and
practicable:
(a) information regarding plans for scientific programs in
Antarctica shall be exchanged to permit maximum
economy and efficiency of operations;
(b) scientific personnel shall be exchanged in Antarctica
between expeditions and stations;
(c) scientific observations and results from Antarctica
shall be exchanged and made freely available
Agenda 21 – Chapter 40
INFORMATION FOR DECISION-MAKING
40.1. In sustainable development, everyone is a
user and provider of information considered in
the broad sense. That includes data,
information, appropriately packaged
experience and knowledge. The need for
information arises at all levels, from that of
senior decision makers at the national and
international levels to the grass-roots and
individual levels. The following two
programme areas need to be implemented to
ensure that decisions are based increasingly on
sound information:
a. Bridging the data gap;
b. Improving information availability.

23. Most Popular Open Data Defs.
1. Access
2. Redistribution
3. Reuse
4. Absence of Technological
Restriction
5. Attribution
6. Integrity
7. No Discrimination Against Persons
or Groups
8. No Discrimination Against Fields
of Endeavor
9. Distribution of License
10. License Must Not Be Specific to a
Package
11. License Must Not Restrict the
Distribution of Other Works
★ make your stuff available on the Web
(whatever format) under an open license
★★ make it available as structured data (e.g.,
Excel instead of image scan of a table)
★★★ use non-proprietary formats (e.g., CSV
instead of Excel)
★★★★ use URIs to denote things, so that
people can point at your stuff
★★★★★ link your data to other data to
provide context
Tim Berners-Lee, 5 star deployment
scheme for Open Data

24. Cities take the lead in Canada

25. Licences & Collaboration
Ottawa, Toronto, Edmonton, Vancouver + Montreal

26. Open Data Cities
1. Banff Open Data Portal, (AB) Pilot
2. City of Brandon (MB)
3. City of Burlington (ON)
4. City of Calgary (AB)
5. City of Chilliwack (BC)
6. City of Edmonton (AB)
7. City of Fredericton (NB)
8. Portail de données ouvertes de la ville de
Gatineau
9. County of Grande Prairie (AB)
10. Open Data Guelph (ON)
11. Halifax Regional Municipality (NS)
12. City of Hamilton Open and Accessible Data (ON)
13. City of Kelowna Open Data Catalog (BC)
14. City of London (ON)
15. Township of Langley (BC)
16. Open Data Medicine Hat (AB)
17. Town of Milton (ON)
18. City of Mississauga (ON)
19. Ville de Montréal Portails données ouvertes (QC)
20. City of Nanaimo (BC)
20. City of Niagara Falls (ON)
21. Region of Niagara (ON)
22. Regional District of Central Okanagan
23. Regional District of North Okanagan (BC)
24. District of North Vancouver (BC)
25. City of Ottawa (ON)
26. Region of Peel (ON)
27. City of Prince George (BC)
28. Ville de Québec Catalogue de données (QC)
29. City of Red Deer, (AB)
30. City of Regina (SK)
31. District of Saanich Open Data (BC)
32. Open Data Saskatoon (SK)
33. Données ouvertes Sherbrookes (QC)
34. Strathcona County Open Data Portal (AB)
35. City of Surrey (BC)
36. City of Toronto (ON)
37. City of Vancouver (BC)
38. District of North Vancouver (BC)
39. City of Victoria (BC)
40. City of Waterloo (ON).
41. Region of Waterloo (ON)
42. City of Whitehorse (YK)
43. City of Windsor (ON)
44. York Region

27. Open Data Provinces
1. Data BC
2. Alberta Open Data
3. Open Data Saskatchewan, Citizen Led
4. Ontario Open Data
5. Données ouvertes Portail du Gouvernement du Québec,
Québec Ouvert – Citizen Led
6. Newfoundland and Labrador

28. Federal Open Data
• Geogratis & Geobase & Discovery Portal & Atlas of Canada
• Office of the Information Commissioners Open Government
Resolutions
• OpenData.gc.ca
• Research Data Canada
• Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) Open Data

29. Fed. Open Data Portal

30. Accessibility
Catherine Roy: ecrire@catherine-roy.net http://montrealaccessible.ca/

31. Transparency
 Les appels d’offres et certain contrats
octroyés de la Ville de Montréal et la
province du Québec (version détaillée
ici)
 Le registre des entreprises du Canada
 Les dons au partis politiques du
Canada
 Les dons aux partis politiques du
Québec
 Le registre des lobbyistes du
gouvernment fédéral(aussi registre et
journal)
 Licenses restreintes dans l'industrie
de la construction
 Les contrats octroyés par la Ville de
Laval depuis 2007
 Les contrats octroyés par la Ville de
Montréal depuis 2006

32. Hackathons
http://www.rhok.org/
http://montrealouvert.net/2011/
11/23/compte-rendu-du-3e-
hackathon-montreal-
ouvert/?lang=en
http://www.livinglabmontreal.org
/TranspoCampMTL

33. Transportation Planning
Au niveau municipal, les
données sont accessibles
indirectement sur le site de la
ville de Montréal. En d'autres
termes, ces données n'ont pas
été prévues pour être utilisées
de manière directe mais sont
affichées sur une carte dans la
section Info-Travaux.
Au niveau provinciale, les
données viennent du
Ministère des transports du
Québec et de son
service Québec 511. Là aussi le
MTQ se démarque de ses
homologues canadiens en étant
a priori le premier à proposer
des données GPS pour la
localisation des chantiers.

34. Entrepreneurs
 All 10,000 public and
private foundations.
 Exhaustive list of
federal and provincial
funding programs
specifically for non-
profits (over 700).
 Corporate funders
(500 and growing).

35. Advocacy
http://www.opendatabc.ca
/index.html
http://opennorth.ca/

36. 6. Observations

37. Research
Data
Canada
Archiving, Management and
Preservation of Geospatial Data
National Consultation on Access to
Scientific Data Final Report
(NCASRD)
20101990 1995 2000 2005
National Data Archive
Consultation
(SSHRC)
Stewardship of Research Data in Canada: A Gap
Analysis
The dissemination of government
geographic data in Canada: guide to best practices
Standing Committee on Industry, Science and
Technology
Toward a National Digital Information
Strategy: Mapping the Current Situation in
Canada (LAC)
Canadian Digital
Information
Strategy (CDIS)
(LAC)
IPY
1985 2014
Open Data
Consultations
Mapping the
Data
Landscape:
Report of the
2011
Canadian
Research
Data
Summit
Digital Economy
Consultation,
Industry Canada
Community Data
Roundtable
Privacy (Geo)
Sensitive Data (Geo)
Resolution of
Canada’s Access to
Information and
Privacy
Commissioners
Geomatics Accord Signed
Canadian Geospatial Data Policy
Liberating the Data
Proposal
VGI Primer
Cloud (Geo)
OD
Advisory
Panel
OGP
G8
Subjectivities &
Forms of Knowledge
• Policies
• Reports
• Proposals
• Recommendations
• Consultation
2008

38. 20101990 1995 2000 20051985 2014
Data
Liberation
Initiative (DLI)
Geogratis Data
Portal
GeoBase
Canadian
Internet
Public Policy
Clinic
Maps Data and
Government Information
Services (MADGIC)
Carleton U
GeoConnections
GeoGratis
Census Data
Consortium
Canadian Association
of Research Libraries
(CARL)
Atlas of Canada
Online (1st)
CeoNet
Discovery
Portal
Research
Data
Network
How'd they Vote
CivicAccess.ca
Campaign for
Open
Government
(FIPA)
Canadian
Association
of Public
Data Users
Datalibre.ca
VisibleGovernment.ca
I Believe in Open Campaign
Change Camps Start
Nanaimo BC
Toronto
Open Data Portals
Edmonton
Mississauga launches open data
Citizen Factory
B.C.'s Climate Change Data Catalogue
Open Parliament
DatadotGC.ca
Ottawa
Ottawa, Prince George, Medicine Hat
Data.gc.ca
Global TV
Hansard in XML
Langley
Let the Data Flow
GovCamp
Fed. Expenses
Montreal Ouvert
Fed.Gov. Travel
and Hospitality
Expenses
London
Hamilton
Windsor
Open Data
Hackfest
Aid Agency
Proactive.ca
DataBC
Hacking
Health
14 Cities
Quebec
Ontario
OGP
3 Cities
Alberta
G8
Community Data
Program
FCM Quality of Life
Reporting System
Geographic and
Numeric
Information
System (GANIS)
Materialities / Infrastructures
• Consortia
• Portals/Catalogs
• Maps
• Open data/Open Gov Events
2009

39. Data Types & Actors
Research Data
GovData
GeoData
Physical
Sciences
AdminData
Public Sector Data
Access to Data Open Data
Social
Sciences
2005

40. Commercialization

41. 6. Summary

42. Data & Infrastructures
Data do not exist independently of the ideas,
techniques, technologies, people and contexts that
produce, process, manage, analyze and store
them, regardless of them often being presented in
this manner...
...Data are generated as the product of many minds
working within diverse situations, framed and
shaped within complex socio-technical
assemblages.
(The Data Revolution, Kitchin in Press 2014).

43. Kitchin’s Data Assemblage
Attributes Elements
Systems of
thought
Modes of thinking, philosophies, theories, models,
ideologies, rationalities, etc.
Forms of
knowledge
Research texts, manuals, magazines, websites,
experience, word of mouth, chat forums, etc.
Finance
Business models, investment, venture capital,
grants, philanthropy, profit, etc.
Political
economy
Policy, tax regimes, public and political opinion,
ethical considerations, etc.
Govern-
mentalities /
Legalities
Data standards, file formats, system requirements,
protocols, regulations, laws, licensing, intellectual
property regimes, etc.
Materialities &
infrastructures
Paper/pens, computers, digital devices, sensors,
scanners, databases, networks, servers, etc.
Practices
Techniques, ways of doing, learned behaviours,
scientific conventions, etc.
Organisations
& institutions
Archives, corporations, consultants, manufacturers,
retailers, government agencies, universities,
conferences, clubs and societies, committees and
boards, communities of practice, etc.
Subjectivities
& communities
Of data producers, curators, managers, analysts,
scientists, politicians, users, citizens, etc.
Places
Labs, offices, field sites, data centres, server farms,
business parks, etc, and their agglomerations
Marketplace
For data, its derivatives (e.g., text, tables, graphs,
maps), analysts, analytic software, interpretations,
etc.
Systemsofthought

44. Objectives
How is the city translated into software and data?
How do software and data reshape the city?
Translation:
City into Data
Transduction:
Data Reshape City
THE CITYDATA
Discourses, Practices, Knowledge, Models
Mediation, Augmentation, Facilitation, Regulation

45. 6. Next Steps

46. 2 strands
• Data landscape in the city:
• Dublin (Primary City)
• Boston (Secondary City)
• Ottawa/Montreal (Open Data CS)
• 5 in depth case studies
• Kitchin Data Assemblage framework
• Making Up People/Spaces framework

47. Typology / Landscape
Software/Hardware vendors
Analysis Consumers
Funders
Data
Generators
Data
Infrastructures
Research
Centres
Consultancies
Insight
providers
Inspired by The Irish Data Analytics/Big Data Landscape
(http://theanalyticsstore.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/BigDataLandscape.jpg

48. Q & A
Tracey.Lauriault@NUIM.ie
@TraceyLauriault
http://www.nuim.ie/progcity/
Thank You!