GovEx Data Points

Transportation is a key issue for many governments. From transit planning to roads and bridges and autonomous vehicles, transportation affects all residents of communities in one way or another. Using data has long been a critical piece of transportati...

Transportation is a key issue for many governments. From transit planning to roads and bridges and autonomous vehicles, transportation affects all residents of communities in one way or another. Using data has long been a critical piece of transportation improvement efforts and all kinds of governments can learn from these experiences.

In this episode, Sharon and Matt sat down to talk with Dan Morgan, the first Chief Data Officer at the US Department of Transportation (DOT), to talk about how data is helping the DOT improve its practice. Throughout the conversation, Dan explains DOT 's role in a variety of aspects of transportation as a provider, investor, and stakeholder. Most importantly, Dan outlines how DOT is thinking about how transportation integrates with other services and ultimately how it impacts people across the country.

For more information on DOT and data, check out https://www.transportation.gov/ and the National Transportation Library.

 

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You can find updates to the podcast in several ways.

* Look for us on iTunes as GovEx Data Points

* Find up-to-date episodes on our website at http://govex.jhu.edu/podcast

Get in touch with us and let us know what you want to hear, suggest potential episodes, and give us feedback on how the podcast is going. You can contact us on Twitter at Gov_Ex or reach out via our website at govex.jhu.edu/contact.

Comparing budget data is no easy task for cities. Categories aren't standardized, budget cycles often don't align, and each city funds its priorities differently according to the governmental structure, age, and size among other factors. However, cities need to be able to compare budget and spending data in order to understand how their spending is affecting their priorities in context.

To help Jackson, Mississippi, tackle this problem the GovEx team developed a tool called "Compared to Jackson." The tool allowed city officials to compare their spending and budget data to other cities deemed comparable by a GovEx machine learning algorithm. This week, GovExers Sheila Dugan and Nick Hadjigeorge join Data Points to talk about their work on the project and takeaways for other cities to replicate this process.

To learn more about Compared to Jackson, check out the GovEx Github page and to see the tool in use check out the Jackson Budget page.

Like Data? Listen and Get in Touch

You can find updates to the podcast in several ways.

* Look for us on iTunes as GovEx Data Points

* Find up-to-date episodes on our website at http://govex.jhu.edu/podcast

Get in touch with us and let us know what you want to hear, suggest potential episodes, and give us feedback on how the podcast is going. You can contact us on Twitter at Gov_Ex or reach out via our website at govex.jhu.edu/contact.

Data science is a hot topic among many cities. But few are doing it right. Understanding the buzzwords, data quality needs, skill sets, and what kinds of  government problems lend themselves to data science techniques is challenging. All cities need guidance in how to structure problems, implement data science techniques, and use the results to improve outcomes for residents.

With that in mind, GovEx's Director of Analytics Carter Hewgley had a conversation with two leading thinkers and practitioners in the government data science world, Rayid Ghani and Hunter Owens. Rayid is a data science guru and involved in a variety of data projects through his positions at the University of Chicago. Hunter is a data scientist for the City of Los Angeles and has worked on data science projects related to education, bike shares, food trucks, and more.

To learn more about Rayid and Hunter and their work, check out personal websites (Rayid and Hunter) and the Data Science for Social Good Fellowship.

Like Data? Listen and Get in Touch

You can find updates to the podcast in several ways.

* Look for us on iTunes as GovEx Data Points

* Find up-to-date episodes on our website at http://govex.jhu.edu/podcast

Get in touch with us and let us know what you want to hear, suggest potential episodes, and give us feedback on how the podcast is going. You can contact us on Twitter at Gov_Ex or reach out via our website at govex.jhu.edu/contact.

As cities work hard to help residents thrive, the neighborhoods they live in are often the front lines of some pretty tough challenges. Simultaneously keeping housing affordable, properties maintained, neighborhoods safe, and businesses open are all efforts that require a robust understanding of how investments and policies shape outcomes across both space and time. Fortunately, experts like Dr. Ken Steif are leading the way.

Dr. Steif leads the Master of Urban Spatial Analytics (MUSA) program at the University of Pennsylvania and is the founder of Urban Spatial, a firm that combines spatial analysis, econometrics and predictive analytics to help government, business and the non-profit sector allocate limited resources across space. Dr. Steif and his team were recently featured by The Atlantic’s CityLab and Next City for their work building a model to predict gentrification in 29 U.S. cities.

GovEx’s own Carter Hewgley sat down with Dr. Steif to explore his work and passion for spatial analysis. During their conversation, they discussed the MUSA program and Urban Spatial’s work predicting gentrification and land values for the Philadelphia land bank, topics of particular interest for any city confronting challenges with affordability or blight.

To learn more about Dr. Steif’s work, check out this post in CityLab, which features his work at Urban Spatial, and check out the MUSA program.

Like Data? Listen and Get in Touch

You can find updates to the podcast in several ways.

* Look for us on iTunes as GovEx Data Points

* Find up-to-date episodes on our website at http://govex.jhu.edu/podcast

Get in touch with us and let us know what you want to hear, suggest potential episodes, and give us feedback on how the podcast is going. You can contact us on Twitter at Gov_Ex or reach out via our website at govex.jhu.edu/contact.

Data privacy and security have been and continue be a huge conversation in the government data world. What data are sensitive? Do governments need to collect all the data they have? How do governments protect their data and residents once they do collect the data? We explore these questions and more on this week's Data Points.

To dive into these topics, we assembled a panel of experts from GovEx and the District of Columbia government.

* Rebecca Williams - Senior Advisor at GovEx working with cities across the country and who has a variety of experience with local and federal government agencies.

* Emily Shaw - Our newest GovEx team member, Emily was formerly with our partners the Sunlight Foundation and is an expert in data management policy.

* Darby Hickey - Senior Legislative Analyst for Council Member David Grosso in the District of Columbia who has experience at the Open Technology Institute and also works directly on these kinds of issues for the DC Council.

To learn more about this topic, check out Emily's recent paper on data privacy and the DC Auditor's report on data security practices in the District of Columbia.

Like Data? Listen and Get in Touch

You can find updates to the podcast in several ways.

* Look for us on iTunes as GovEx Data Points

* Find up-to-date episodes on our website at http://govex.jhu.edu/podcast

Get in touch with us and let us know what you want to hear, suggest potential episodes, and give us feedback on how the podcast is going. You can contact us on Twitter at Gov_Ex or reach out via our website at govex.jhu.edu/contact.

Data use is exploding across governments not only in the US, but around the world as well. To dive deeper into the international waters, Data Points is hosting a series of discussions focusing on data use outside the US. We'll be talking with practitioners and policy makers from around the world about how data use is changing in their locations and how they relate to changes in the US.

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As the final part in our continuing miniseries looking at government and data outside the US, this week we sat down with Martin Alessandro from the government of the City of Buenos Aires. GovEx has been working with Buenos Aires on a variety of topics, including helping the city's delivery unit work with departments to set and meet public goals. Martin is the head of the city's delivery unit, which reports to the Mayor and is designed to drive increased performance across the entire city government.

Delivery units first became popular with the launch of the Prime Minister's Delivery Unit in the United Kingdom and have since expanded to other regions and government types. Delivery units are similar to "stat" programs that are more prevalent in the US in that both focus heavily on using data to get better outcomes for governments. In our conversation, Martin explains about how his unique academic and public policy background helps position the delivery unit, how the unit is working to build on public commitments, and how the city is overcoming challenges to improve outcomes for residents.

Check out these links to learn more about Buenos Aires, the delivery unit, and Mayor Larreta's public commitments.

Like Data? Listen and Get in Touch

You can find updates to the podcast in several ways.

* Look for us on iTunes as GovEx Data Points

* Find up-to-date episodes on our website at http://govex.jhu.edu/podcast

Get in touch with us and let us know what you want to hear, suggest potential episodes, and give us feedback on how the podcast is going. You can contact us on Twitter at Gov_Ex or reach out via our website at govex.jhu.edu/contact.

Data use is exploding across governments not only in the US, but around the world as well. To dive deeper into the international waters, Data Points is hosting a series of discussions focusing on data use outside the US. We'll be talking with practitioners and policy makers from around the world about how data use is changing in their locations and how they relate to changes in the US.

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As part of our continuing miniseries looking at government and data outside the US, this week we sat down with Brittany Lane of the Open Government Partnership (or OGP). If you're not familiar with the OGP, it is an international organization launched in 2011 to provide a platform for reformers committed to making their governments more open, accountable, and responsive to citizens.  OGP has grown from 8 original participating countries to 75 participating countries since 2011 (including the US). In all of these countries, government and civil society are working together to develop and implement ambitious open government reforms.

While the OGP is generally focused on national governments, Brittany leads one of the OGP's newest programs, a pilot designed to involve subnational governments in the work of the OGP. Subnational governments include cities, counties, states, provinces, and even devolved nations (shout out to Scotland). The fifteen pioneer subnational governments are committed to political and working level reforms and engaging with partners in civil society. Brittany helps shepherd the subnational governments through a process of committing to action steps and implementing their plans no matter their level of focus.

To learn about the OGP and its subnational commitments, check out this page for a list of participants and their work on the ground.

 

Like Data? Listen and Get in Touch

You can find updates to the podcast in several ways.

* Look for us on iTunes as GovEx Data Points

* Find up-to-date episodes on our website at http://govex.jhu.edu/podcast

Get in touch with us and let us know what you want to hear, suggest potential episodes, and give us feedback on how the podcast is going. You can contact us on Twitter at Gov_Ex or reach out via our website at govex.jhu.edu/contact.

Data use is exploding across governments not only in the US, but around the world as well. To dive deeper into the international waters, Data Points is hosting a series of discussions focusing on data use outside the US. We'll be talking with practitioners and policy makers from around the world about how data use is changing in their locations and how they relate to changes in the US.

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As part of our continuing miniseries looking at government and data outside the US, this week we were lucky to be in Vilnius, Lithuania. There, we sat down with the Mayor's Advisor, Povilas Poderskis to talk about how the Municipality is creating, leveraging, and publishing data to improve transparency and service delivery.

GovEx has been working with Vilnius on developing its open data and performance practices, and specifically helping parents make better informed kindergarten school choices for their children. In this episode, we talk to Povilas about this project, as well as the current state of open data and transparency in Vilnius and in Lithuania at large.

The Municipality is using data not just to inform education-related decisions, but for urban planning, transit, and infrastructure, as well. Povilas shares his insights on how Vilnius successfully partners with its local civic tech community, private industries, and the Lithuanian national government.

Patikti! [Enjoy!]

Like Data? Listen and Get in Touch

You can find updates to the podcast in several ways.

* Look for us on iTunes as GovEx Data Points

* Find up-to-date episodes on our website at http://govex.jhu.edu/podcast

Get in touch with us and let us know what you want to hear, suggest potential episodes, and give us feedback on how the podcast is going. You can contact us on Twitter at Gov_Ex or reach out via our website at govex.jhu.edu/contact.

Data use is exploding across governments not only in the US, but around the world as well. To dive deeper into the international waters, Data Points is hosting a series of discussions focusing on data use outside the US. We'll be talking with practitioners and policy makers from around the world about how data use is changing in their locations and how they relate to changes in the US.

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Despite our close proximity, the US and Canada are not always sharing our best practices when it comes to data. This week's episode hopes to start reversing that trend through a conversation with Jean-Noé Landry, Executive Director of Open North. Open North is Montreal-based Canadian nonprofit that helps governments become more transparent, accountable, and responsive in the digital age. Open North works with cities and other governments across Canada and partners with organizations around the world to improve data use and outcomes for communities.

In addition to his work in Canada, Jean-Noé also has extensive experience from over the world including work in Croatia, Serbia, Russia, Afghanistan, the West Bank, Kenya, and more recently in Algeria, Tunisia, Ukraine, and Morocco. Through his work, Jean-Noé has consistently focused on openness in government, using policy to improve outcomes, and strategic use of data. Our conversation with him covered a variety of topics, including how partnerships between the US and Canada can help both countries improve data use in government.

To find out more on what's happening in Canada and at Open North, check out http://www.opennorth.ca/.

Like Data? Listen and Get in Touch

You can find updates to the podcast in several ways.

* Look for us on iTunes as GovEx Data Points

* Find up-to-date episodes on our website at http://govex.jhu.edu/podcast

Get in touch with us and let us know what you want to hear, suggest potential episodes, and give us feedback on how the podcast is going. You can contact us on Twitter at Gov_Ex or reach out via our website at govex.jhu.edu/contact.