Brief presentation give to Investigative Reporters & Editors NICAR conference, on why journalists need open data (with brief overview of OpenCorporates)

1. Open data for journalists
How it’s useful, why it matters
Chris Taggart, OpenCorporates, NICAR, Feb 2012

2. About OpenCorporates

3. About OpenCorporates
tions
isdic tes
7 jur
nies in 4 22 US sta
compa clud ing
6million In
wov er 3
No

4. A simple (but huge) goal: an
entry for every corporate
legal entity in the world
Based on the company number and jurisdiction
(no monopoly id)

5. A simple (but huge) goal: an
entry for every corporate
legal entity in the world
Based on the company number and jurisdiction
(no monopoly id)

6. A simple (but huge) goal: an
entry for every corporate
legal entity in the world
Based on the company number and jurisdiction
(no monopoly id)

7. The simple search

8. The simple search
Not to be underestimated

9. The simple search
Not to be underestimated

10. The simple search
Not to be underestimated
Massively reduces friction
(how long will it take you
to find and search
multiple jurisdictions)

11. The simple search
Not to be underestimated
Massively reduces friction
(how long will it take you
to find and search
multiple jurisdictions)

12. The simple search
Not to be underestimated
Massively reduces friction
(how long will it take you
to find and search
multiple jurisdictions)
Allows what if questions

13. The simple search
Not to be underestimated
Massively reduces friction
(how long will it take you
to find and search
multiple jurisdictions)
Allows what if questions
Potentially generates
stories in its own right

14. The simple search
Not to be underestimated
Massively reduces friction
(how long will it take you
to find and search
multiple jurisdictions)
Allows what if questions
Potentially generates
stories in its own right

15. Source for additional info

16. Source for additional info
Addresses, filings,
status, websites...

17. Source for additional info
Addresses, filings,
status, websites...

18. Source for additional info
Addresses, filings,
status, websites...
Intl trademarks, UK
govt spending,
official notices,
health & safety...

19. Source for additional info
Addresses, filings,
status, websites...
Intl trademarks, UK
govt spending,
official notices,
health & safety...

20. Source for additional info
Addresses, filings,
status, websites...
Intl trademarks, UK
govt spending,
official notices,
health & safety...
Other IDs: SEC,
CAGE, charity....

21. Source for additional info
Addresses, filings,
status, websites...
Intl trademarks, UK
govt spending,
official notices,
health & safety...
Other IDs: SEC,
CAGE, charity....
Coming soon:
lobbying registers

22. Reconciliation
(matching names to legal entities)
Cleans up
messy
company
names (&
previous
names) to
legal entity,
and from there
to other data

23. The database/platform
API: allows all
information to be
retrieved as data,
even searches

24. Why care about open data?

25. the freedom argument

26. Information is the currency
of democracy
Thomas Jefferson*
* This quote has also been attributed to Ralph Nader

27. ATA is the currency
Information
D
of democracy
Thomas Jefferson*
* This quote has also been attributed to Ralph Nader

28. ATA is the currency
Information
D
of democracy
Thomas Jefferson*
We live in a big data world. Our lives are
not just governed by data, they are data
* This quote has also been attributed to Ralph Nader

29. ATA is the currency
Information
D
of democracy
Thomas Jefferson*
We live in a big data world. Our lives are
not just governed by data, they are data
The biggest databases in the world are
private not governmental – social
networks, search engines, finance
companies, supermarkets...
* This quote has also been attributed to Ralph Nader

30. ATA is the currency
Information
D
of democracy
Thomas Jefferson*
We live in a big data world. Our lives are
not just governed by data, they are data
The biggest databases in the world are
private not governmental – social
networks, search engines, finance
companies, supermarkets...
These are enriched by public data that
are only available to purchase
* This quote has also been attributed to Ralph Nader

31. ATA is the currency
Information
D
of democracy
Thomas Jefferson*
We live in a big data world. Our lives are
not just governed by data, they are data
The biggest databases in the world are
private not governmental – social
networks, search engines, finance
companies, supermarkets...
These are enriched by public data that Getting worse
are only available to purchase in USA
* This quote has also been attributed to Ralph Nader

32. the journalism argument

33. Good journalism = data
journalism

34. Good journalism = data
journalism
But the data is complex

35. Good journalism = data
journalism
But the data is complex
Split across multiple datasets

36. Good journalism = data
journalism
But the data is complex
Split across multiple datasets
The links are not clear and often redacted

37. Good journalism = data
journalism
But the data is complex
Split across multiple datasets
The links are not clear and often redacted
And without both access and the right to reuse the
data, you can’t even begin to make sense of it

38. Good journalism = data
journalism
But the data is complex
Split across multiple datasets
The links are not clear and often redacted
And without both access and the right to reuse the
data, you can’t even begin to make sense of it
Even then, it’s HARD

39. Good journalism = data
journalism
But the data is complex
Split across multiple datasets
The links are not clear and often redacted
And without both access and the right to reuse the
data, you can’t even begin to make sense of it
Even then, it’s HARD
But that’s why it’s worth doing

41. In short, this only works:

42. In short, this only works:
SELECT companies.* FROM companies
INNER JOIN government_suppliers ON
companies.id = government_suppliers.company_id
INNER JOIN directors ON companies.id =
directors.company_id WHERE
government_suppliers.total_received > 5000000
AND directors.convicted_tax_evader = true

43. In short, this only works:
SELECT companies.* FROM companies
INNER JOIN government_suppliers ON
companies.id = government_suppliers.company_id
INNER JOIN directors ON companies.id =
directors.company_id WHERE
government_suppliers.total_received > 5000000
AND directors.convicted_tax_evader = true
if you can get the data