Steve Toub Research Associate

My Background 17 yrs in & around non-traditional libraries Never worked in same place as print collection Never did face-to-face reference What led me to MAPLight.org Hired to do what metadata librarians do Analyze, map, normalize, enrich metadata Help manage metadata repository that aggregates diverse data sets

17 yrs in & around non-traditional libraries

Never worked in same place as print collection

Never did face-to-face reference

What led me to MAPLight.org

Hired to do what metadata librarians do

Analyze, map, normalize, enrich metadata

Help manage metadata repository that aggregates diverse data sets

About the Organization Nonprofit, nonpartisan 501(c) 3 Supported by Foundations Sunlight Foundation Rockefeller Brothers Fund Others Individual donors 5 staff, 8 research interns Downtown Berkeley

Nonprofit, nonpartisan 501(c) 3

Supported by

Foundations

Sunlight Foundation

Rockefeller Brothers Fund

Others

Individual donors

5 staff, 8 research interns

Downtown Berkeley

Organizational Vision Money’s influence on politics becomes the number one political issue Federal, state and city governments implement citizen-funded financing of political campaigns

Money’s influence on politics becomes the number one political issue

Federal, state and city governments implement citizen-funded financing of political campaigns

Organizational Focus Publishing data and tools that allow journalists, bloggers, nonprofit groups and citizens to make the connection between campaign contributions and the legislative process

Publishing data and tools

that allow journalists, bloggers,

nonprofit groups and citizens

to make the connection between

campaign contributions

and the legislative process

Types of Policy Transparency From the Transparency Policy Project at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government Explanatory transparency Explaining issues, policies and programs Procedural transparency Provide insight into how & why decisions are made Regulatory transparency systems Disclosure and reporting incentives and requirements Dissemination in ways people can truly understand

From the Transparency Policy Project at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government

Explanatory transparency

Explaining issues, policies and programs

Procedural transparency

Provide insight into how & why decisions are made

Regulatory transparency systems

Disclosure and reporting incentives and requirements

Dissemination in ways people can truly understand

Eight Principles that Define Open Government Data http://www.opengovdata.org/ 1. Complete All public data are made available. Public data are data that are not subject to valid privacy, security of privilege limitations. 2. Primary Data are collected at the source, with the finest possible level of granularity, not in aggregate or modified forms. 3. Timely Data are made available as quickly as necessary to preserve the value of the data. 4. Accessible Data are available to the widest range of users for the widest range of purposes.

http://www.opengovdata.org/

1. Complete

All public data are made available. Public data are data that are not subject to valid privacy, security of privilege limitations.

2. Primary

Data are collected at the source, with the finest possible level of granularity, not in aggregate or modified forms.

3. Timely

Data are made available as quickly as necessary to preserve the value of the data.

4. Accessible

Data are available to the widest range of users for the widest range of purposes.

Eight Principles that Define Open Government Data 5. Machine processable Data are reasonably structured to allow automated processing. 6. Non-discriminatory Data are available to anyone, with no requirement of registration. 7. Non-proprietary Data are available in a format over which no entity has exclusive control. 8. License-free Data are not subject to any copyright, patent, trademark or trade secret regulation. Reasonable privacy, security and privilege restrictions may be allowed.

5. Machine processable

Data are reasonably structured to allow automated processing.

6. Non-discriminatory

Data are available to anyone, with no requirement of registration.

7. Non-proprietary

Data are available in a format over which no entity has exclusive control.

8. License-free

Data are not subject to any copyright, patent, trademark or trade secret regulation. Reasonable privacy, security and privilege restrictions may be allowed.

MAPLight.org

Campaign contributions… $

…and legislative votes $ votes

$700 Billion Financial Bailout Banks & securities firms gave an average of $212,700 to politicians voting yes $150,982 to politicians voting no

Banks & securities firms gave an average of

$212,700 to politicians voting yes

$150,982 to politicians voting no

Telecom Immunity for Cooperating with Warrantless Wiretapping AT&T, Verizon and Sprint PAC contributions $8,359 to each Democrat who flipped Opposed retroactive immunity in March 2008 amendment but supported the June 2008 bill that included immunity $4,987 to each Democrat who did not flip Opposed retroactive immunity in March and June

AT&T, Verizon and Sprint PAC contributions

$8,359 to each Democrat who flipped

Opposed retroactive immunity in March 2008 amendment but supported the June 2008 bill that included immunity

$4,987 to each Democrat who did not flip

Opposed retroactive immunity in March and June

Reported Campaign Contributions As reported by government Federal Election Commission California Secretary of State Los Angeles City Ethics Commission Contributions less than disclosure threshold omitted We expose only contributions to officeholders Candidates who lost don’t get to vote $

As reported by government

Federal Election Commission

California Secretary of State

Los Angeles City Ethics Commission

Contributions less than disclosure threshold omitted

We expose only contributions to officeholders

Candidates who lost don’t get to vote

Legislative Roll Call Votes U.S. Congress Only floor votes; no committee votes California State Legislature Los Angeles City Council Later this year $ votes

U.S. Congress

Only floor votes; no committee votes

California State Legislature

Los Angeles City Council

Later this year

Data Sources OpenSecrets.org GovTrack.us NIMSP State government websites $ votes

Obtaining Legislative Data California status Lawsuit continues Sunlight Labs’ Fifty State Project Announced in February 2009 First 10 days: 8 states done Today: 25 states have scraper code, 11 more in progress U.S. Congress Senate votes became available in XML in May Still want committee votes Would like data in addition to campaign contributions real-time lobbying disclosure better disclosure of earmarks

California status

Lawsuit continues

Sunlight Labs’ Fifty State Project

Announced in February 2009

First 10 days: 8 states done

Today: 25 states have scraper code, 11 more in progress

U.S. Congress

Senate votes became available in XML in May

Still want committee votes

Would like data in addition to campaign contributions

real-time lobbying disclosure

better disclosure of earmarks

Our value add is… Support & Opposition Gathered from: Hearing testimony News databases Websites $ votes

Gathered from:

Hearing testimony

News databases

Websites

June 4, 2003

Don’t like the default categories?

H.R. 801 – Fair Copyright in Research Works Act Would reverse NIH’s open access mandate passed by Congress in December 2007 Would amend copyright law create a new class of copyrighted material: stuff that your tax dollars paid for to make it illegal for the government to require that works that are the result of government funding (not just NIH) be freely available

Would reverse NIH’s open access mandate

passed by Congress in December 2007

Would amend copyright law

create a new class of copyrighted material: stuff that your tax dollars paid for

to make it illegal for the government to require that works that are the result of government funding (not just NIH) be freely available

Projects that went live in May Los Angeles site The first jurisdiction where we coded contributors into special interest categories Phase two will include legislative data Bill Positions API Provides citations of organizations that support and oppose bills, primarily for 110th and 111th Congress Simple read-only REST API Four methods, allowing you to search by organization or bill Responses in JSON and XML

Los Angeles site

The first jurisdiction where we coded contributors into special interest categories

Phase two will include legislative data

Bill Positions API

Provides citations of organizations that support and oppose bills, primarily for 110th and 111th Congress

Simple read-only REST API

Four methods, allowing you to search by organization or bill

Responses in JSON and XML

Current Projects: Web Redesign Focus on usability Improving information design Improving interaction design Some backend improvements Migrating to Drupal 6 and CiviCRM 2.2 Moving search from MySQL to Solr

Focus on usability

Improving information design

Improving interaction design

Some backend improvements

Migrating to Drupal 6 and CiviCRM 2.2

Moving search from MySQL to Solr

Current Projects: Metadata Redesign how we research bill positions Want data to come to us automagically, rather than have interns hunt and peck Shift in orientation from bill as a whole to votes Start including which industries benefit from legislation rather than those that explicitly support Normalizing and de-duping contributors, especially names of organizations Planning to expose all contributors/contributions Plan for expansion into all 50 states Assess viability of including other datasets Project Vote Smart API Lobbying Earmarks

Redesign how we research bill positions

Want data to come to us automagically, rather than have interns hunt and peck

Shift in orientation from bill as a whole to votes

Start including which industries benefit from legislation rather than those that explicitly support

Normalizing and de-duping contributors, especially names of organizations

Planning to expose all contributors/contributions

Plan for expansion into all 50 states

Assess viability of including other datasets

Project Vote Smart API

Lobbying

Earmarks

Questions? [email_address]

[email_address]