Key challenges for the Data Custodians
Data scientists and custodians within government are ultimately responsible for opening up clean, current and reliable datasets. However, they often experience managerial, technical and process challenges.
Typical challenges include:
Inconsistent interest in publishing interesting open data within departments and between departments
The benefits of publishing data are not always clearly tangible, which creates barriers based on assumptions of value for taxpayer money
Fragmented datasets that are incomplete, inconsistent and undiscoverable
Overly complex/bureaucratic approval processes preventing streamlined data publishing
Inconsistent (or lack of) executive buy-in, which limits data publishing and adoption
Lack of genuine methods of quantifying outcomes/benefits of open data beyond a general philosophy of being more transparent/accountable
How we help Data Custodians
Salsa partners with data scientists and custodians to help in the following areas:
Deep CKAN-specific knowledge and appreciation of the possibilities and opportunities
Significant government experience for a practical and pragmatic appreciation of government processes, protocols, limitation, drivers and influencers
Acknowledgement and appreciation of the challenges Data Custodians face and an ability to jointly work towards lowering managerial, technical and process barriers
Breadth of significant open data (CKAN) projects/programs across jurisdictions such as Victoria, Queensland and Northern Territory, and within these areas (e.g. Salsa has executed multiple projects for Victorian government departments)
Acting as a catalyst for sharing ideas, approaches and implementation (where appropriate)
Technical expertise in open data consolidation through designing, building, hosting, maintaining and scaling whole-of-government open data platforms
Experience researching and understanding the needs of open data producers and consumers to design better experiences for how data is published, discovered, accessed and used
Contributing to drafting open data business cases and delivering on projected outcomes based on open data experience and innovation
Co-contributing new features and fixes to open data open source platforms and their communities
Helping build open data momentum and community as part of our technical contributions and open data connections and relationships
Co-educating government, industry and citizens on how to co-create and co-innovate with open data through thought leadership publications and series including Salsa’s Open Data Insights series
Contributing momentum for the open data movement by delivering projects and solutions that open up more datasets