[okfn-za] [HacksHackers Cape Town] Open Source in Government

Fri Oct 11 20:16:46 UTC 2013

It's amazing how the same idea emerges in different areas. Charles, I'm
totally keen on the idea of mapping networks and running useful metrics on
them such as community detection, betweeness centrality, Authority, etc.
and have been working towards this.

Happy to chat further...

On 11 October 2013 18:43, Adi Eyal <adi at burgercom.co.za> wrote:

> Adding Kyle and Leo who are both working on this independently.
>
> Charles,  if we accept that perhaps we can never really know the objective
> truth, we can create a Wikipedia for networks where relationships can be
> added by anyone.  You decide which contributors you trust and rely only on
> those relationships. Just like pgp (pretty good privacy) I will trust your
> contribution if a person I trust trusts you.
>
> This might also be useful for journalists to find sources.
>
> Adi
> On 11 Oct 2013 6:14 PM, "Charles" <chuckra at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Adi ****
>>
>> ** **
>>
>> This bothered me for  a long time, and it is the thing which prevented
>> me from starting it long ago.****
>>
>> But now I think that’s the press’ job. We just have to give them a tool
>> good enough to credibly direct their enquiries. If, for instance, 50 people
>> have indicated that Khulubuse Zuma is the nephew of Jacob Zuma, then
>> it’s worth a journo’s while to verify it. Same with company
>> directorships, and other connection types - even friendships. The
>> journalists or other interested parties can go pay whatever fees are
>> necessary to give them a definitive answer. We don’t pretend to do that.*
>> ***
>>
>> ** **
>>
>> We could build in:****
>>
>> **1.       **A simple vote-up/down count, which counts the number of
>> people who agree this is true, or untrue, and publish that. ****
>>
>> **2.       **A simple cellphone token to authenticate the “informant”  once,
>> and prevent another attempt by that person on the same link. We don’t store
>> the cellphone number after sending the first token- we just store a MD5
>> hash of the cell number against that link. So anyone can up/down vote a
>> link only once, and they remain almost perfectly anonymous.****
>>
>> ** **
>>
>> But what *really* interests me is the math we can do after we have a
>> decent relationship graph. We can calculate and rank effective influence,
>> centrality, and many other formal metrics which are hugely informative. And
>> we can get the cleverest people in the world to do it, if we keep it open.
>> ****
>>
>> ** **
>>
>> I love this shit.****
>>
>> ** **
>>
>> C****
>>
>> ** **
>>
>> ---------------------****
>>
>> Charles Marais****
>>
>> chuckra at gmail.com****
>>
>> Skype: chuckra****
>>
>> ---------------------****
>>
>> ** **
>>
>> ** **
>>
>> *From:* Adi Eyal [mailto:adi at burgercom.co.za]
>> *Sent:* 11 October 2013 12:21
>> *To:* Charles
>> *Cc:* Robert Elliott; Thoko Madonko; Greg Kempe; okfn-za at lists.okfn.org;
>> hackshackers-johannesburg; hackshackers-capetown; odadi
>> *Subject:* Re: [okfn-za] [HacksHackers Cape Town] Open Source in
>> Government****
>>
>> ** **
>>
>> what about verification? How do you know that something is true?****
>>
>> ** **
>>
>> Adi****
>>
>>
>> ****
>>
>> Adi Eyal
>> Data Specialist
>> phone: +27 78 014 2469
>> skype: adieyalcas
>> linkedin: http://za.linkedin.com/pub/dir/Adi/Eyal****
>>
>> ** **
>>
>> On 11 October 2013 11:01, Charles <chuckra at gmail.com> wrote:****
>>
>> Robert****
>>
>> I think it would be worth considering going with the graph databases from
>> the start – otherwise the day when we upload the first large chunk(the
>> voters’ roll comes to mind J) will be a show-stopper until we pivot. But
>> sure, SQL can work for prototypes, as long as you know you’ll be ditching
>> it and rewriting…****
>>
>>  ****
>>
>> The other point is that a link between people/companies becomes more
>> credible the more people “vote it” to be true. It just has to be good
>> enough for a journo to follow up – so we should also plan for a
>> “link-weight” parameter thingy.****
>>
>>  ****
>>
>>  ****
>>
>> C****
>>
>>  ****
>>
>> *From:* Robert Elliott [mailto:robert at graphflow.com]
>> *Sent:* 11 October 2013 10:43
>> *To:* Thoko Madonko
>> *Cc:* Greg Kempe; Adi Eyal; Charles; okfn-za at lists.okfn.org;
>> hackshackers-johannesburg; hackshackers-capetown; odadi****
>>
>>
>> *Subject:* Re: [okfn-za] [HacksHackers Cape Town] Open Source in
>> Government****
>>
>>  ****
>>
>> I think 'crowdsourcing' the data is an excellent idea. Interactions can
>> be 'draft' until officially confirmed as and when evidence becomes
>> available. Here is a D3 example of what we could end up with (albeit very
>> conspiracy-theorist): http://www.whodotheyserve.com/****
>>
>> From a data perspective, what we need is:****
>>
>> ·         Entity (person or organisation)****
>>
>> ·         Interaction (shareholder-in, partner-with, contract-with,
>> employee-of, colleague-with, friend-of etc.)****
>>
>> o    This should include some sort of basis: link or document.****
>>
>> ·         Entity (person or organisation)****
>>
>> So we would end up with a interactions graph dataset. This could
>> initially be a google spread sheet or a simple db or wiki until it gets
>> large enough to warrant a NoSQL graph db.****
>>
>>  ****
>>
>> On Fri, Oct 11, 2013 at 10:26 AM, Thoko Madonko <thoko.madonko at gmail.com>
>> wrote:****
>>
>> Dear All****
>>
>>  ****
>>
>> I am following the discussion with keen interest. Would there be a way to
>> start small - I am thinking given the health reform taking place in SA - a
>> 3d picture of who is connected to which medical scheme would be a great
>> start! ****
>>
>>  ****
>>
>> Let me know if you are keen. I am sure I can find some cash monies to
>> help do it. ****
>>
>>  ****
>>
>> Thoko****
>>
>>
>> ****
>>
>> *__________________________________________*****
>>
>> [image:
>> https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-t95JVjwQ9CA/UA05IlbsDbI/AAAAAAAAAEM/VMgnqNjABOc/s314/buscard.jpg]
>> ****
>>
>>  ****
>>
>>  ****
>>
>> On 10 October 2013 14:55, Greg Kempe <gregkempe at gmail.com> wrote:****
>>
>> Charles, I agree, this would be very interesting. I've also thought of
>> doing something with the tender database.****
>>
>>  ****
>>
>> But I think Adi is right: there's a lot of money to be made with that
>> data, and a lot of incentive for people to keep it hidden. The journoswould love it, the business owners less so, so there'd be some friction for
>> sure.****
>>
>>  ****
>>
>> Greg****
>>
>>  ****
>>
>> On 10 October 2013 at 1:50:37 PM, Charles (chuckra at gmail.com<//chuckra at gmail.com>)
>> wrote:****
>>
>> For me, the biggest hit we can make in open data in SA is the companies
>> office. If you look at what the NZ govt<http://cat.open.org.nz/tag/companies/>,
>> for instance, has done, we have a long way to go. But I dream of being able
>> to show a dynamic D3 <http://d3js.org/> graph connecting all our
>> politicians to their family members and the companies in which they are
>> involved.****
>>
>>  ****
>>
>> What are the chances of getting a nice REST service running at the CIPC<http://www.cipc.co.za/>,
>> where anyone can query. We’d give journalists a field day…****
>>
>>  ****
>>
>> Charles****
>>
>>  ****
>>
>> *From:* okfn-za-bounces at lists.okfn.org [mailto:
>> okfn-za-bounces at lists.okfn.org] *On Behalf Of* Robert Elliott
>> *Sent:* 09 October 2013 23:08
>> *To:* Adi Eyal
>> *Cc:* okfn-za at lists.okfn.org; hackshackers-johannesburg at googlegroups.com;
>> hackshackers-capetown at googlegroups.com; odadi at googlegroups.com
>> *Subject:* Re: [okfn-za] [HacksHackers Cape Town] Open Source in
>> Government****
>>
>>  ****
>>
>> Saw this today: Department of Basic Education Bans Open Source****
>>
>>  ****
>>
>>
>> http://dkeats.com/index.php?action=viewsingle&module=blog&postid=gen21Srv8Nme0_40332_1381256759&userid=7050120123
>> ****
>>
>>  ****
>>
>> And Delphi?!????!!****
>>
>>  ****
>>
>> Shocker. ****
>>
>> —
>> Sent from Mailbox <https://www.dropbox.com/mailbox> for iPhone****
>>
>>  ****
>>
>> On Mon, Aug 5, 2013 at 4:19 PM, Adi Eyal <adi at burgercom.co.za> wrote:****
>>
>> Hi Niki
>>
>> On 5 August 2013 16:05, Niki Moore <nikimoore007 at gmail.com> wrote:
>> > With reference to my previous reply.... I switched over to Linux a few
>> > months ago, and I am battling with it, it's not as easy as Microsoft and
>> > requires me to phone my support desk almost weekly to find out how to
>> > install programmes... and there are some of my appliances, like my
>> scanner,
>> > that do not support Linux. There is a scarcity of technical support for
>> > people who are not computer programmers who have gone onto Linux. I have
>> > just been having a chat with such a chap, who was telling me that as
>> the use
>> > of OSS increases, so companies are forced to offer support, but unless
>> you
>> > have some basic programming knowledge, Linux is extremely frustrating.
>> Can
>> > you imagine your average civil servant handling the programming
>> required to
>> > open source?
>>
>> I feel your pain. Funnily enough, I just bought a laptop which came
>> with Windows 8. I battled for about an hour trying to figure it out
>> and gave up in disgust. However, you're right, Linux is somewhat
>> difficult for non-techies. Having said that, my sexagenarian motherin
>> in law has been using Ubuntu for about a year now. She doesn't even
>> know that she's using it. I'm not trying to sell Linux on the desktop.
>> For most people used to Windows, it is a difficult switch. I find
>> MacOS difficult too, but it's mostly because it is a new interface.
>> Linux though is not the only open source system around. There is lot's
>> of software that is opensource which runs on Windows.
>>
>> More importantly, bespoke software should be written as open source -
>> there is no reason why software which is built specifically for a
>> government department should be kept closed. Once built, it should be
>> shareable with other departments with no fee (except for installation
>> and support).
>>
>> One last thing - I didn't mention why I thought that the open data
>> groups were a good avenue for this initiative. Open data by itself is
>> a technical area which doesn't interest most people. If we pair open
>> data with open government or active citizenry, we have a much more
>> powerful tool to change society. This project is an example of how
>> that can happen. Collecting data from government departments is the
>> first piece of the puzzle.
>>
>> Adi
>> >
>> >
>> > On Mon, Aug 5, 2013 at 3:55 PM, Adi Eyal <adi at burgercom.co.za> wrote:
>> >>
>> >> They refuse to response to my PAIA requests. They have an open data
>> >> policy - they also administer Microsoft licences valuing over a
>> >> R100,000,000. I would like policy documents translated to real action.
>> >>
>> >> Adi
>> >>
>> >> On 5 August 2013 15:44, Niki Moore <nikimoore007 at gmail.com> wrote:
>> >> > Why don't you ask the SITA? They announced in their congress last
>> year
>> >> > that
>> >> > they are moving to open-source, so they should have an idea of the
>> spend
>> >> > of
>> >> > each department.
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >> > On Mon, Aug 5, 2013 at 3:16 PM, Adi Eyal <adi at burgercom.co.za>
>> wrote:
>> >> >>
>> >> >> Hi All
>> >> >>
>> >> >> I'm working on a personal project which these groups may find
>> >> >> interesting. I'd like to build a case for why moving government
>> >> >> departments to using open source software makes economic sense. I'm
>> >> >> doing this by laboriously contacting each government department and
>> >> >> asking them what software they use and how much they pay for it.
>> >> >>
>> >> >> Yes I know - I may be a little idealistic and a touch naive, but I'm
>> >> >> not trying to argue the philosophical merits of why open source
>> >> >> software may be better than proprietary software.
>> >> >>
>> >> >> My logic is simply:
>> >> >>
>> >> >> If government spends Rx billion annually importing proprietary
>> >> >> software and they rather redirect that money to the local software
>> >> >> community for installation, customisation, support and hosting then
>> we
>> >> >> can create Y new jobs.
>> >> >>
>> >> >> It's a lot of work but hopefully I can convince a few more people to
>> >> >> help me. I have data from 5 departments so far with a total annual
>> >> >> spend of over R26m.
>> >> >>
>> >> >> I would really appreciate your help. Collecting this information is
>> >> >> time consuming. I plan to collect information across all spheres of
>> >> >> government which you can imagine is a mammoth task. Any
>> contribution -
>> >> >> no matter how small would definitely ease the burden.
>> >> >>
>> >> >> If you want more information - have a look at this link:
>> >> >> https://github.com/adieyal/gov-software-audit
>> >> >>
>> >> >>
>> >> >> Just one caveat - this project is not about complaining about
>> >> >> Microsoft or snide comments about whether government is useless,
>> >> >> inefficient or incompetent. I am an idealist and I prefer a naively
>> >> >> optimistic approach. Even if the project fails (and the odds are
>> >> >> against it), I think it is a worthwhile cause and will add another
>> >> >> voice to why this is a good thing.
>> >> >>
>> >> >> Comments welcome.
>> >> >>
>> >> >> Adi
>> >> >>
>> >> >> --
>> >> >> Adi Eyal
>> >> >> Data Specialist
>> >> >> phone: +27 78 014 2469
>> >> >> skype: adieyalcas
>> >> >> linkedin: http://za.linkedin.com/pub/dir/Adi/Eyal
>> >> >>
>> >> >> --
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>> >> >>
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >> > --
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>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> --
>> >> Adi Eyal
>> >> Data Specialist
>> >> phone: +27 78 014 2469
>> >> skype: adieyalcas
>> >> linkedin: http://za.linkedin.com/pub/dir/Adi/Eyal
>> >>
>> >> --
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>> >>
>> >>
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > --
>> > * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
>> > 7th Avenue Communications
>> > 031 - 205-8331
>> > 083 - 758-4483
>> >
>> > --
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>> .
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>> >
>> >
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Adi Eyal
>> Data Specialist
>> phone: +27 78 014 2469
>> skype: adieyalcas
>> linkedin: http://za.linkedin.com/pub/dir/Adi/Eyal
>>
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>>
>>
>>
>> -- ****
>>
>> [image:
>> https://graphflow-app-data.s3.amazonaws.com/images/logosmall.png?Signature=nKJJ5zJvKf7nTyw7HQJ6Gt32e04%3D&Expires=1380108276&AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAJXFG65FWVJBIYVLA]<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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