[Tfug] Fwd: Open Government Initiative

[Chad Woolley]

FYI

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Andrew Greenhill <andrewgreenhill1 at gmail.com>
Date: Sun, May 6, 2012 at 9:07 PM
Subject: Open Government Initiative
To: andrewgreenhill1 at gmail.com


This Tuesday, May 8th, the City of Tucson Mayor and Council will consider
for the first time an Open Government Initiative.

Mayor Rothschild's overall goal with this Initiative is to help make the
City of Tucson more efficient, more transparent and more collaborative.
 The Initiative would require the City to establish an open data catalog
with high-value data streams in machine-readable formats.  Citizens and
City staff would be able to access these data streams in order to gauge the
City's performance levels in its operations and public services, conduct
analyses of the data, and create mashups, visualizations and applications
that provide value to the community.

You can access the agenda here:

http://www.tucsonaz.gov/sirepub/mtgviewer.aspx?meetid=922&doctype=AGENDA

The Open Government Initiative is Agenda Item #8.  Click on the item, and
you will find links to the related materials appear on the right of the
screen.  You can click on each of those links to access the documents.

I am writing you because you've expressed interest in the subject of open
government to OpenTucson.org, to Ian Johnson or to me in the past.  We
wanted to let you know that the Tucson City Council is now taking up this
subject, and we hope you support it and spread the word.

Additionally, we have received some questions on this Open Government
Initiative from City Council staff.  If you have any additional information
that would help us address their questions please let us know.  These
questions are listed below.

At least one particular question requires your help: "Have any local
software developers, from Tucson, signed on to this effort and if so, who
are they?"  If you support, and/or if you know other individuals or
organizations who can express their support, for the Tucson Open Government
Initiative, please let me know ASAP so I can include your information in
the answer to the City Council.  Email or Twitter is best.

Thanks for your interest in open government, open data and the strategic
use of technology to help improve Tucson's quality of life.

--Andrew Greenhill
  Chief of Staff
  Office of the Mayor
  Email: andrewgreenhill1 at gmail.com
  Twitter: @andrewgreenhill

>>>>>>

What other cities in towns in Arizona have or are considering an "open
government" initiative similar to the one proposed for this agenda item?

Can it be explained how this proposal could enable the Mayor and Council,
or City management, to engage in data-based decision making?

Are there statistics on those cities which have seen a reduction in FOIA
requests, and if so, for what cities, what period of time and what were the
numbers prior to implementation?

How would this Open Government Initiative raise "accountability?"

How would this Open Government Initiative be "cost effective" and change
the decision making process?

What examples are there of this from other cities who have endorsed this
initiative?

Have any local software developers, from Tucson, signed on to this effort
and if so, who are they?

Thanks!
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