The Realities of Open Geo Data

The Realities of Open Geo Data
Tyler Bell:
@twbell

1989 - GPS
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:GPS_Satellite_NASA_art-iif.jpg

May 2000 – “Selective
Availability” of GPS
Ends

August 2004 – More People
Use Online Maps Than Use
Email

August 2004 –
OpenStreetMap Conceived

June 2005 – Open Source
And Maps Start To Come
Together

June 2006 – OpenStreetMap
Maps The Isle Of Wight

December 2006 –
Neogeography

July 2007 – The First
OpenStreetMap Conference

July 2010 – MapQuest Open
Uses OpenStreetMap Data

2008 – Google Drives Down
Costs

October 2009 – Farewell
TeleAtlas (In The US)

"Substantial" = "less
than (sic) 100 features"

Format & Accessibility
Friction

1. Include as much detail and resolution as possible. County-level data is better than state-level data which is
better than national-level data. Bonus points if you break it down further by age, sex, etc. I understand that this
can't always be done for privacy reasons, but it is immensely useful when it is possible.
2. Use a flexible file format. My preference is .csv, because it can be read by almost any program. I'll tolerate .xls,
but I'm not pleased with .xlsx (not everyone uses Excel!). And please, please, please do not use pdf.
3. If you do use a spreadsheet format, do not use multiple sheets, nested headers, merged cells, strategic cell
borders, etc. Make it as plain as possible. Don't worry that you'll end up with too many files if you don't use
sheets. Release them in a zipped folder instead.
4. Use short variable names with no whitespace. Underscores are usually a safe bet, so instead of "Number of
new tuberculosis cases" use "incident_tb". If you have a corresponding column, e.g. confidence intervals in the
screenshot shown above, make the variable name relevant. Use "UCI_incident_tb" instead of relying on the
column's proximity to "incident_tb" to indicate a pairing. Include a README that explains the variable names if
you're worried they aren't descriptive enough.
5. Actually, include a README no matter what. It can include variable names, units of measurement, notes on
data collection/reporting/suppression, or anything else that is relevant.
6. Tell me whom to cite! I'm so pleased to be able to use your data, and I'd love to give you the credit you
deserve. Put your citation on your website, in your README, and everywhere else I might look for it so that I can
use it appropriately. Or post it to figshare where it will automatically be assigned a doi. It's an easy way to make
you data citeable, shareable, and version controlled.
Bookmark these guidelines. Next time you reach for the 'export to PDF' button, or begin to use the change-cell-
border feature on Excel, pull this out and remind yourself, 'this is not machine-readable. Nobody will use my data if I
release it like this.' Then rejoice that you are awesome for sharing your data, and for doing so in a way that is actually
useful. And for that, I thank you.
Caitlin Rivers:
"Send me your data; PDF is fine"
- no one, ever

// Function: guidGenerator
// Description:returns a pseudo-random GUID
//This is appended to a url for 2 reasons
//1. to make the URL unique, so that the browser
always gets it and doesn't use a cached version
//2. to make a URL look like its got a unique key, in a
naive attempt to fool a not-so-wily hacker
//into thinking they can't download a datapack
directly if they know the URL pattern, because they
//need a unique key.

Prosser: But the plans were on display.
Arthur Dent: On display? I eventually had to go down to the
cellar.
Prosser: That's the display department.
Arthur Dent: With a torch.
Prosser: The lights had probably gone.
Arthur Dent: So had the stairs.
Prosser: But you did see the notice, didn't you?
Arthur Dent: Oh, yes. It was on display in the bottom of a
locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign
outside the door saying "Beware of the Leopard."

"It’s just dumb that a 100mil+ people carry
GPS device in their pockets and we have
to buy expensive proprietary data to find
out about the shape of where we live."
"It is equal parts sad-making and hate-
making that we're all still stuck suffering
the lack of a comprehensive and open
dataset for places."
The former Flickr guys
get it

This is a Pivotal Moment for
Geo
Krissy Venosdale on Flickr : http://www.flickr.com/photos/venosdale/4538665373/

Sebastien Bertrand / Flickr : http://www.flickr.com/photos/tiseb/3148814484/
We Make Data

Matthew Fontaine Maury
(January 14, 1806 – February 1, 1873)
American astronomer, historian, oceanographer,
meteorologist, cartographer, author, geologist, and
educator.
"Every ship that navigates
the high seas may
henceforth be regarded as
a floating observatory, a
temple of science"

22,000+ Personal
Weather Stations

"Seeds [...] are one of the original information storage devices, it’s
almost hard to understand why libraries haven’t always included seeds"

"When you and I interact, our ability to be together on
Earth is predicated by all the stuff that people did for
thousands of years. You and I didn't invent language.
You and I didn't invent clothes, roads, agriculture. It's
up to us to be not just the receivers of what was given
to us, but the givers of whatever's going to come next."
- John Bunker

Fin
Tyler Bell
tyler@factual.com
@twbell

The Realities of Open Geo Data

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The Realities of Open Geo Data