PlaceSpeak is a location-based community consultation platform designed to advance public participation. It connects residents with issues taking place in their own neighbourhoods to promote meaningful dialogue on local issues. This is a copy of a presentation made to the City of Vancouver Corporate Management Team (CMT) in August 2012. For more information, please visit, http://www.placespeak.com

1. Advancing Online Public
Consultation
City of Vancouver
August 2012

2. Refresher - The Problem

3. Timeline:
What a short trip it's been!
● March 2011: City of Vancouver Corporate Mgmt Team-
Presented concept
● May-August 2011: Prototype Pilots
● September 2011: Vancouver School Board -
Sectoral review
● Fall 2011: Additional case studies
● Jan 2012: Urban Futures Survey - expansion
● April 2012: Re-engineered platform
NOW: Expansion into other areas
NEXT: API, standardization & systemization

4. Growth of PlaceSpeak Users

5. Citizen-centred - Network Effect
Maritime Museum Coast Guard
Artist's
Residence
Fires on
beach Planetarium &
Museum
Lifeguards
Development permit
application
Traffic Circle
Boathouse Patio
Parking Restrictions Squamish
Development
Kitsilano to
Jericho Seawall
Billy Bishop Patio Bike Lanes
License Henry Hudson School

6. Imagine ~ ~ ~
● You can be notified online of consultations relevant to
where you live, work and play.
● You choose by distance and subject what topics you're
interested in hearing about.
○ e.g. anything to do with housing within 1 KM or
○ anything to do with transportation within 5 KM
● Notifications can come from many sources:
○ including governments, transportation agencies, developers, utilities,
schools, parks, emergency services, and community organizations
● You register and confirm your identity and location
○ carry those credentials with you everywhere
● You can influence outcomes because your verified input
enables evidence-based decision making.

7. Open Data & Public Consultation

8. Open Data Standards
Each time a new consultation topic is initiated a
standardized listing is created:
1. Title
2. Abstract (140 characters, incl. keywords)
3. URL (link to originating web site/page)
4. Contact Email (notifies responsible staff)
5. Address (site location under review)
6. Date (public meeting, open house)
● Generates XML or JSON file into the Open Data
Catalogue http://data.vancouver.ca/

9. Setting up a Topic
An email is sent to the contact person asking them to
activate the topic and decide whether to choose:
1. API (PS Connect) or;
2. PlaceSpeak page containing feedback tools:
● Discussion Forum(s)
● Survey(s)
● Poll(s)
● Notice Board
● Social Media

10. Mapping of Topic Area
● The responsible staff person
maps out the area (polygons) of
interest:
○ Manually (e.g. 2 block radius)
○ Importing KML file (eg. 26 local areas)
● Residents will be notified within
affected area.
● Reporting will be segmented by
polygon boundary.

11. Public Notification
Residents are notified according to
their preferences:
● Distance: eg. 1 km - 100 km
● Keyword: eg. housing, parks,
transportation
Residents determine their privacy
● Show names and photos?
(yes/no)
NOTE: Connected participants identities are
always visible to the proponent (although not
their street address).

12. In the Beginning: Registration
Network Effect requires verification of participants:
● Email
● Home phone (Audio PIN)
● Cell phone (SMS PIN)
● Home/work address (Mailer' PIN)
● Other
○ Property assessment roll
○ Credit card minimum $0.02
● Privacy: separating 'church from state'
● Authentication = transparency
● Information and Privacy Act(s)

13. Citizen User (Participant)
Feedback
Once notified, residents determine whether or not to
engage. Select consultation features:
● Discussion Forums
● Polls
● Surveys
● Notice Board
● Social Media
To participate, residents must CONNECT with the Topic.
● This requires registration and verification within the
boundaries defined in the map polygon.

14. How to build
Awareness and Adoption?
Coordinated offline and online strategies:
● Offline
○ Posters
○ Mailers
○ Handouts
○ Traditional advertising, media
● Online
○ Social Media (Facebook, Twitter)
○ Wider reach
○ Websites, email, newsletters

15. Reporting and Analytics
All feedback received:
● Quantitative: polls & surveys
● Qualitative: discussion, notice board
Reports include:
● x # of participants responded with y area(s) with z
responses
● Spatially segment data (by polygons):
○ shows how responses vary by area

16. Outcomes
CORE PRINCIPLE:
Evidence-based decision making and public policy
development
● After conclusion of consultation, outcomes must be
communicated to participants.
● Important that participants observe that their input has
had an impact on the outcome.
● Process is open, accessible, dynamic, transparent and
defensible.

17. Recommendations
1. Standardized Open Data
○ Add a public consultation category to the City's Open
Data Catalogue and standardize
2. Inform/Notify
○ Implement an online notification system that ties
digital identity to physical address
3. Consult/Feedback
○ Ensure accessible online and place-based
4. Report/Analytics
○ Require defensible evidence to inform decision-
making and public policy development

18. www.placespeak.com