[okfn-za] Open data in South Africa

Tue Nov 19 12:25:37 UTC 2013

Apart from regurgitating the weather report, is there specific contextual
intelligence that you think could be useful? I don't know much about how
that sort of information is used.

Adi

On 19 November 2013 11:32, Robert Elliott <robert at graphflow.com> wrote:

> Hi Adi,
>
> My 2 cents: the devastation in Philippines, tornados in US and flooding in
> Cape Town got me thinking about how basic services (energy, healthcare,
> education, emergency services, water supply, food supply [i see the top
> story today is about how a hailstorm has destroyed fruit crops in WC] etc.)
> are affected during extreme weather.
>
> Weather data and predictions are already available. You could start to
> look at a single service and expand at a later point.
>
> Ciao, Rob
>
>
> On Tue, Nov 19, 2013 at 5:53 AM, Adi Eyal <adi at code4sa.org> wrote:
>
>>  Thanks for the interesting email Axolile
>>
>> > We have had the most difficulties when having to access some financial
>> > information on service delivery agreements/ tenders. Budgeting
>> information,
>> > policies and informal settlements statistics have also been difficult to
>> > get. We are now working on using cellphones and social media to make the
>> > information accessible to everyone, especially the poor in informal
>> > settlements who often don't get have access.
>> >
>>
>> Funnily enough, my gut re-action would be that the most difficult
>> thing would be to get people to use the information. Getting data of
>> course is often hard and frustrating but we already have oodles of
>> data that very few people are using. Is it too early to share your
>> insights around usage of information by consumers?
>>
>> > That being said, we are still looking for ways of accessing the
>> information
>> > ourselves without much or any difficulties. any help you guys can
>> provide
>> > would be much appreciated.
>>
>> >
>> > Also, you mentioned once that you have access to information on tender
>> > resolutions from the City of Cape Town. It would be great if you can
>> share
>> > that information with us.
>>
>> being a complete data nerd, I'm always happy to dig my teeth into an
>> ATI problem. When requesting access to tender award contracts, the
>> City of Cape Town accused me of being "frivolous and vexatious", which
>> only encouraged me more.
>>
>> Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get the actual contracts (they're only
>> stored in hard-copy format and require manually scanning). I did get
>> the tender resolutions for 2013 - you can find them here:
>> https://docs.openafrica.net/search/group:%20code4sa
>>
>> If that's not convenient, let me know and I'll upload them as a zip
>> file somewhere.
>>
>> Adi
>>
>> > Regards,
>> >
>> >
>> > On Mon, Nov 18, 2013 at 2:08 PM, Adi Eyal <adi at code4sa.org> wrote:
>> >>
>> >> That's the longest quick note I have ever seen :)
>> >>
>> >> On 18 November 2013 11:06, Murray Hunter <murray at r2k.org.za> wrote:
>> >> > A very quick note from R2K's experience - the bulk of our membership
>> is
>> >> > made
>> >> > up of front-line civic organisations whose primary concern is service
>> >> > delivery, usually led by volunteer staff with low tech literacy.
>> R2K's
>> >> > role
>> >> > has mainly been in matching these orgs with PAIA-savvy organisations
>> >> > like
>> >> > SAHA and ODAC (since they handle the direct access-to-info needs of
>> >> > R2K's
>> >> > constituent organisations).
>> >>
>> >> My feeling is that a missing ingredient here is tech-oriented
>> >> non-profits (or socially-minded for-profits) who can bridge the gap
>> >> between data and information.
>> >>
>> >> > This points to a number of challenges and shortcomings in the civil
>> >> > society
>> >> > environment: lack of analytic or technocratic capacity, low research
>> >> > skills,
>> >> > tech literacy - and, quite possibly, a vexing lack of imagination on
>> our
>> >> > part when it comes to developing tools to mitigate all of the above.
>> (It
>> >> > also suggests is that much of the time, PAIA just isn't the tool for
>> the
>> >> > job, in as much as "access to information" requests are often really
>> >> > about
>> >> > access to process and access to decision makers - i.e. citizens don't
>> >> > want
>> >> > the 400-page document justifying decisions, they want the person who
>> >> > made
>> >> > the decisions to come down to a community hall and explain those
>> >> > decisions.)
>> >>
>> >> I completely agree. 400 page documents need to be broken down into
>> >> bite-sized information that can help me choose a better school for my
>> >> child or lobby for better services from my municipality. Heavy
>> >> advocacy work has its place but naively, I would like to think that if
>> >> ordinary people had the right information, they could make better
>> >> decisions to improve their own lives as well as those of their
>> >> neighbours.
>> >>
>> >> > All this has made me personally sceptical of easy fixes of the 'tech
>> for
>> >> > transparency' variety - not to reject the concept out of hand, but
>> >> > because
>> >> > because even civil society initiatives that have managed to bridge
>> the
>> >> > vast
>> >> > gap between those who have the skills and those who have the need,
>> are
>> >> > still
>> >> > figuring out what the hell to do with it.
>> >>
>> >> Technology, especially hi-tech, is the wrong target. It is expensive
>> >> and has limited value. It is easy to get intoxicated by whizz-bang
>> >> when a piece of paper has more value. Having said that, a light touch
>> >> with technology could increase reach and potentially have larger
>> >> impact than a non-tech approach.
>> >> >
>> >> > I'm curious to know if Ndifuna Ukwazi and SJC have had success in the
>> >> > past
>> >> > year?
>> >>
>> >> We all are.
>> >>
>> >> Thanks for your thoughts.
>> >>
>> >> Adi
>> >> >
>> >> > MH
>> >> >
>> >> > Murray Hunter
>> >> >
>> >> > Right2Know Campaign
>> >> > www.r2k.org.za
>> >> > @r2kcampaign
>> >> > c: 072 672 5468
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >> > On 18 November 2013 10:06, Justin Arenstein <
>> justinarenstein at gmail.com>
>> >> > wrote:
>> >> >>
>> >> >> Adi,
>> >> >>
>> >> >> Hi. I think this is a crucial question, & think you should also be
>> >> >> pinging
>> >> >> ATI / PAIA orgs like ODAC and SAHA and R2K and SAHRC, etc, directly.
>> >> >> Advocacy and policy work is obviously important, but only if
>> citizens
>> >> >> use
>> >> >> the results. Civil society and activists seem to be struggling to
>> >> >> translate
>> >> >> 'ivory tower' policy work into tangible 'real world' benefits or
>> >> >> services
>> >> >> for ordinary citizens. It would therefore be good to understand
>> whether
>> >> >> the
>> >> >> organisations at the forefront of ATI advocacy know of any tools /
>> >> >> services
>> >> >> that impact on ordinary citizens in a demonstratable / measurable
>> way.
>> >> >>
>> >> >> Cheers,
>> >> >> Justin
>> >> >>
>> >> >> Justin Arenstein
>> >> >>
>> >> >> SA Mobile: +27.82.374.0812
>> >> >> US Mobile: +1.650.336.5878
>> >> >> Skype: JustinArenstein
>> >> >> Twitter: JustinArenstein
>> >> >> Web: http://www.linkedin.com/in/JustinArenstein
>> >> >>
>> >> >> PGP Key Fingerprint: 8B19 3C53 2B40 453B F48D 9D7A 7346 A3AE DB88
>> 30CD
>> >> >> Do you want to email me confidentially? See: http://bit.ly/VLJt1N
>> >> >>
>> >> >>
>> >> >>
>> >> >>
>> >> >> On 18 November 2013 08:46, Adi Eyal <adi at code4sa.org> wrote:
>> >> >>>
>> >> >>> Hi All
>> >> >>>
>> >> >>> I'm looking for access to information type projects in South Africa
>> >> >>> that actually reach end-users and have impact on improving human
>> >> >>> rights, social justice issues, service delivery or other hot button
>> >> >>> issues.
>> >> >>>
>> >> >>> Transport apps and pretty visualisations are sexy but I'm looking
>> for
>> >> >>> examples that have real impact. I am struggling a little and I was
>> >> >>> hoping for input from these mailing lists.
>> >> >>>
>> >> >>> Adi
>> >> >>>
>> >> >>> --
>> >> >>> Adi Eyal
>> >> >>> Strategy
>> >> >>> Code for South Africa
>> >> >>> Promoting informed decision-making
>> >> >>>
>> >> >>> phone: +27 78 014 2469
>> >> >>> skype: adieyalcas
>> >> >>> linkedin: http://za.linkedin.com/pub/dir/Adi/Eyal
>> >> >>> web: http://www.code4sa.org
>> >> >>> twitter: @soapsudtycoon
>> >> >>>
>> >> >>> For more information on how to participate in the open data
>> community
>> >> >>> in South Africa, go to: http://www.code4sa.org/#community
>> >> >>>
>> >> >>> --
>> >> >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
>> >> >>> Groups
>> >> >>> "Open Data and Democracy Initiative (ODADI)" group.
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>> >> >>> an
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>> >> >>
>> >> >>
>> >> >> --
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>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >> > --
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>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> --
>> >> Adi Eyal
>> >> Director
>> >> Code for South Africa
>> >> Promoting informed decision-making
>> >>
>> >> phone: +27 78 014 2469
>> >> skype: adieyalcas
>> >> linkedin: http://za.linkedin.com/pub/dir/Adi/Eyal
>> >> web: http://www.code4sa.org
>> >> twitter: @soapsudtycoon
>> >>
>> >> For more information on how to participate in the open data community
>> >> in South Africa, go to: http://www.code4sa.org/#community
>> >>
>> >> --
>> >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
>> Groups
>> >> "Open Data and Democracy Initiative (ODADI)" group.
>> >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send
>> an
>> >> email to odadi+unsubscribe at googlegroups.com.
>> >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > --
>> > Axolile Notywala
>> > Imali Yethu Project Manager
>> > Social Justice Coalition
>> > www.sjc.org.za
>> > Tel/Cell: +27213618160 / +27743861584
>> > Twitter: @Xila_Notywala
>> > Skype: axolile.notywala
>> >
>> > --
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>> Groups
>> > "Open Data and Democracy Initiative (ODADI)" group.
>> > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send
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>> > email to odadi+unsubscribe at googlegroups.com.
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>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Adi Eyal
>> Director
>> Code for South Africa
>> Promoting informed decision-making
>>
>> phone: +27 78 014 2469
>> skype: adieyalcas
>> linkedin: http://za.linkedin.com/pub/dir/Adi/Eyal
>> web: http://www.code4sa.org
>> twitter: @soapsudtycoon
>>
>> For more information on how to participate in the open data community
>> in South Africa, go to: http://www.code4sa.org/#community
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>
>
>
> --
> <http://www.graphflow.com>
> Robert Elliott | Co-founder
> robert at graphflow.com | +27 71 882 4222 | @greenafrican<http://twitter.com/greenafrican>
>
> GraphFlow | Product, user and content recommendations
> www.graphflow.com | @graphflow <http://twitter.com/graphflow>
>
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-- 
Adi Eyal
Director
Code for South Africa
Promoting informed decision-making

phone: +27 78 014 2469
skype: adieyalcas
linkedin: http://za.linkedin.com/pub/dir/Adi/Eyal
web: http://www.code4sa.org
twitter: @soapsudtycoon

For more information on how to participate in the open data community in
South Africa, go to: http://www.code4sa.org/#community
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