"Open Data"

(What does this even mean?)

Open Data

Open data is data that can be freely used, re-used and redistributed by anyone - subject only, at most, to the requirement to attribute and sharealike.

http://opendatahandbook.org/guide/en/what-is-open-data/

Open Government Data

Government gathers a ton of data. Some of it is provided to the public by law.

But why do we care?

The Value of Open Data

• Transparency
• Make better decisions
• Improved efficiency/effectiveness of government
• Save the world, etc.

Man, what a burden

Open Data is a Learning Opportunity

Learning with open data

• Learn to code
• Try out new technologies
• "Intentional practice"
• The barrier to entry is low
• Build your open source portfolio
• And more ...

But, someone probably did this already

How do I get started?

Find a dataset

• data.hawaii.gov
• data.honolulu.gov
• data.hawaii.edu

Come up with a question

• Where are the free electric vehicle charging stations on the island?
• How many of the charging stations are free?
• What types of businesses make up the top 50 employers in Hawaii county?

Where are the electric vehicle stations on Oahu?

How many of the charging stations are free (vs. paid)?

What types of businesses make up the top 50 employers in Hawaii County?

The Challenge

• Find a public dataset.
• Come up with a question that can be answered with the open data.
• Make a visualization.