Aid Transparency: Information about aid spending is steadily becoming more available, but it also needs to become more useful, concludes a report released by Publish What You Fund. For the first time, a U.S. agency – the Millennium Challenge Corporation – ranks top, scoring 89%, more than double the average score.
Global Transparency Week: See listing of eventsfor thge last week of October.
Open Access Week: Same week, go figure, see more here.
Open Data Declaration: The Global Open Data Initiative invites the public to comment on this declaration in this commentable version of the text below, please add your thoughts by November 8, 10.00am GMT. See also the Declaration announcement blog post.
Open Data: The revolution will NOT be in Open Data writes Duncan Edwards from the Institute of Development Studies.
A common narrative in many “open” development projects goes along the lines of “provide access to data/information –> some magic occurs –> we see positive change.” In essence, because of the newness of this field, we only know what we THINK happens, we don’t know what REALLY happens because there is a paucity of documentation and evidence.
He says later:
Understanding and thinking through how we get from the “openness” of data, to how this affects how and what people think, and consequently how they MIGHT act, is critical in whether “open” actually has any additional impact.
He discusses the role of information intermediaries and “what happens after people are able to access and internalise open data and information,” among other topics.
United States: Secrecy News Blog reports that the Department of Defense Inspector General released its Evaluation of Over-Classification of National Security Information. “Unfortunately, the new report is superficial, incomplete and sheds little light on either the problem of overclassification or any potential solution.”
United States: The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press released iFOIA at the Online News Association conference. “The app makes everything about FOIA requests much easier — you can generate requests, track them, set reminders, file an appeal or a Vaughn motion, and even scan in any offline communication.”
Call for Papers: Nov. 30 is the deadline for submitting proposals for a special issue on open government by Social Science Computer Review. Contact guest editor mila.gasco@esade.edu.
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