[okfn-za] Ideas for an initial group project - input wanted!

Wed Feb 20 10:33:01 UTC 2013

Hi Adi (cc'ing back in the list!),

I'm also up for contributing.  Also what about doing a small meetup
this Saturday on Open Data Day using the meetup:
http://www.meetup.com/OpenKnowledgeFoundation/Cape-Town/? I don't
think it's too short notice and it would be a chance to connect with
other virtual groups both in South Africa and elsewhere!

(I just saw someone on the open-data-day list ask about a Cape Town
event by the way!)

Rufus

PS: @Louisa I think you emailed Adi and I directly without including
the list ;-)

PPS: there's also a general Open Knowledge Foundation Labs list where
data geeks and coders tend to hang out that could be worth pinging
once we have a specific idea - see http://okfnlabs.org/contact/

On 19 February 2013 08:00, Adi Eyal <adi at burgercom.co.za> wrote:
> Great - perhaps we should meet up and figure what we're planning on doing -
> how it would work and what we would expect to get out of it? What we can do
> is suggest a date and time and ask any interested parties to come along.
>
> My objective is to get others more interested in working with and understand
> more about data - even if you're non-technical, there is still some value in
> understanding processes around working with data. There is still a boatload
> of other non-technical tasks including finding data sources, conceptualising
> the final product, putting it together. publicising it and presenting it at
> various data forums within the city. I know of three organisations who might
> be interested in either participating or hearing about it (OKFN,
> HacksHackers and ODADI).
>
> Thoughts?
>
> Adi
>
>
> On 19 February 2013 09:46, Louisa Potter <potter.louisa at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> Adi, I am keen, have time and interest. I do not know what skills are
>> needed, how okfn works, who is in CT, etc.
>> I'd rather not reinvent the wheel when researching but keen to be
>> involved here.

On 19 February 2013 08:00, Adi Eyal <adi at burgercom.co.za> wrote:
> Great - perhaps we should meet up and figure what we're planning on doing -
> how it would work and what we would expect to get out of it? What we can do
> is suggest a date and time and ask any interested parties to come along.
>
> My objective is to get others more interested in working with and understand
> more about data - even if you're non-technical, there is still some value in
> understanding processes around working with data. There is still a boatload
> of other non-technical tasks including finding data sources, conceptualising
> the final product, putting it together. publicising it and presenting it at
> various data forums within the city. I know of three organisations who might
> be interested in either participating or hearing about it (OKFN,
> HacksHackers and ODADI).
>
> Thoughts?
>
> Adi
>
>
> On 19 February 2013 09:46, Louisa Potter <potter.louisa at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> Adi, I am keen, have time and interest. I do not know what skills are
>> needed, how okfn works, who is in CT, etc.
>> I'd rather not reinvent the wheel when researching but keen to be
>> involved here.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On 2/18/13, Adi Eyal <adi at burgercom.co.za> wrote:
>> > Anyone keen on working on this project. Even if the topic doesn't
>> > interest
>> > you - it is a good opportunity learn new skills and find other
>> > like-minded
>> > people. It also gives us a little momentum which seems to have been lost
>> > over the last 12 months.
>> >
>> > Adi
>> >
>> > On 14 February 2013 14:01, Rufus Pollock <rufus.pollock at okfn.org> wrote:
>> >
>> >> On 11 February 2013 12:54, Adi Eyal <adi at burgercom.co.za> wrote:
>> >> > 1) pulling stats together for minors in prison: what was bail, how
>> >> >>
>> >> >> > long has he/she been in there, how many times has court been
>> >> >> > postponed
>> >> >> > due to "lost" docket or absent key person
>> >> >>
>> >> >> Any idea where we could find the data? Is it all paper or is it
>> >> >> electronic? Does the government make it available. Could we focus on
>> >> >> a
>> >> >> specific locality to start with?
>> >> >
>> >> > I've poked around quickly online but the only database on verdicts
>> >> > that
>> >> > I
>> >> > have found is for High Courts and the Supreme Court - but nothing
>> >> obviously
>> >> > interesting. We would need someone with more intimate knowledge of
>> >> > where
>> >> > this data could be found.
>> >>
>> >> Very useful data point. Sounds like this is a bit of a non-starter
>> >> because of this!
>> >>
>> >> >> > 3) degrees of separation mind-mappish type thingy for 500 most
>> >> >> > influential South Africans.
>> >> >> > Type in two names, and thingy finds the shortest routes between
>> >> >> > the
>> >> >> > two people (boards of directors, relatives, education, political
>> >> >> > events, tenders).
>> >> >> > Not "quite simple" as you requested but would be fascinating.
>> >> >>
>> >> >> So we need the SA companies register including directors. theyrule
>> >> >> for
>> >> >> South Africa [1]. Is the Companies Register available in machine
>> >> >> readable format
>> >> >
>> >> > The companies register is pathetic. It only provides the name and
>> >> > registration number of the company. There is a cost to finding out
>> >> > who
>> >> the
>> >> > directors are. This is a prime target for a FOI application -
>> >> > although
>> >> it's
>> >> > unlikely to be successful without costly litigation.
>> >>
>> >> Let's get the FoI presses cranking :-) Even if unsuccessful it could
>> >> be the start of a nice campaign!
>> >>
>> >> >> > 6) national map of police station location juxtap with population
>> >> >> > I have in mind the Hout Bay police station for 20,000 people vs
>> >> >> > the
>> >> >> > eastern Baviaanskloof Nature Reserve police station for 20 people,
>> >> >> > 1/4
>> >> >> > of whom work in the station.
>> >> >>
>> >> >> Again, very nice. Where
>> >> >
>> >> > This is easy enough
>> >> >
>> >> > police stations can be found on the SAPS site -
>> >> >
>> >>
>> >> http://www.saps.gov.za/statistics/reports/crimestats/2012/provinces/w_cape/western_cape.htm
>> >> >
>> >> > they aren't geocoded but you could probably find their coordinates in
>> >> > the
>> >> > OpenStreetMaps POI database.
>> >>
>> >> Great.
>> >>
>> >> > The police aren't keen on providing shape files demarcating police
>> >> > jurisdictions (I've tried) so we would have to use a heuristic to
>> >> > figure
>> >> out
>> >> > which areas are policed by which stations.
>> >>
>> >> How hard would that be. I feel we could make a start by focusing on a
>> >> specific region or city ...
>> >>
>> >> > Finally, population data is available from StatsSA. As yet, they
>> >> > haven't
>> >> > released sub-place level information (e.g. Hout Bay). Only municipal
>> >> level
>> >> > data is currently available. They're promising sub-place level
>> >> information
>> >> > in March but I'm not holding my breath given the census fiasco. We
>> >> > can
>> >> use
>> >> > the 2001 census as a proxy until the 2011 data becomes available.
>> >>
>> >> Sounds good. Let's kick this off!
>> >>
>> >> Rufus
>> >>
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > --
>> > Adi Eyal
>> > Data Specialist
>> > phone: +27 78 014 2469
>> > skype: adieyalcas
>> > linkedin: http://za.linkedin.com/pub/dir/Adi/Eyal
>> >
>
>
>
>
> --
> Adi Eyal
> Data Specialist
> phone: +27 78 014 2469
> skype: adieyalcas
> linkedin: http://za.linkedin.com/pub/dir/Adi/Eyal
>