My Guest Blogging at EU PSI Platform / EU PSI Events
Guest blogging about Open PSI in the EU
In the past weeks I have been writing a few articles as guest blogger at the EU's EPSI platform, dedicated to European efforts to open up public service information (PSI) and open government data. The EPSI platform does a good job of tracking relevant developments in the EU member states, and also their efforts on e.g. Twitter have surprised me with the speed at which they react to articles and postings elsewhere.
I wrote 4 articles for the EPSI-Platform guest blog, which I am posting here in summary.
Open Government Data in the Netherlands
Describing the fragmented nature of open data efforts in Dutch government, and the reasons why, even though the law is pretty clear on what must be done.
Being Aware of All Open PSI Stakeholders
Often I find entire groups of stakeholders are ignored or overlooked in the open government data debate. EIther on purpose or because of not being able to escape traditional frameworks and assumptions. The same goes for areas where Open PSI can create value. In this posting I describe the areas of interest I am aware of, and the groups of stakeholders visible in that area.
The Business Case for Open PSI, Part I
About all the reasons why asking for a business case for open data is a trap and an excuse to not do anything at all. And how to escape that trap.
The Business Case for Open PSI, Part II
Giving you 7 ways to make a useful business case for Open PSI in your government institution, and 4 groups of questions you can count on you will need to solve.
EU PSI Events In June
The coming weeks will see several events on Open PSI that I will be attending.
Tomorrow I will facilitate a discussion on a Dutch Open Government Data catalog for the Ministry f.t. Interior at 'Hack the Government' in Amsterdam.
In Madrid, June 9th, I will attend a session on 'Realising the Value of PSI', organized by the EPSI Platform and Aporta.es, the Spanish open government data portal.
In Luxembourg, June 23rd, I will be speaking at the annual meeting of the European Commission's PSI Group. The meeting will focus on both the developments around the re-use of PSI in the EU as well as on the review of the Directive on re-use of PSI. I will be giving my views on open data and PSI reuse from a community perspective.
0 Comments and 0 Trackbacks | PermalinkHelp Shape a Dutch Gov Data Catalogue
Government data catalogues are an impulse for Open Data
The call for a Dutch catalogue of open government data is getting louder. Not surprising with the examples already available from the USA, UK, Australia, Spain, and Worldbank. At the same time the landscape in the Netherlands is fragmented when it comes to open government data. Different government bodies approach open government data very differently.
Opening up government data is mandatory based on the EU Public Service Information directive of 2003, which has been transcribed into national law all over the EU. So that governments 'must' do this is clear. It's just that there's a difference in how much they 'want' it, and if they actually 'can' do it given their means and expertise. It's those differences that create the fragmented landscape in the Netherlands.
To make it easier for government bodies, so they 'can' do more, a national data catalogue is a great tool. It creates a clear single point of entry for citizens and organizations, and at the same time allows to create clear guidelines when it comes to metadata and dataset description, as well as maintenance, thus reducing the current fragmentation.
Hack the Government, May 29th, you're invited
Coming Saturday, May 29th, a new edition of 'Hack the Government' will take place in Amsterdam. Open government data is high on the agenda of the event.
Particularly, at the request of the Dutch Ministry for the Interior, I will moderate a discussion session (world cafe style) on what a Dutch Open Government Data Catalogue should be from the perspective of all the different stakeholders.
Data.gov.nl : Path of Growth
That there will be a Dutch data catalogue is not in doubt. It is already in the works. However it will start simple, as a straightforward list of pointers to existing national data sets 'as is'. So without a uniform cataloguing structure such as CKAN could provide, and without making sure the data sets are transformed into open standards in line with the principles of open government data. Making an inventory of national data sets is currently under way and will be available in July.
The key question for Saturday is how we, as stakeholders, view the path of development from those simple beginnings
What are must-have and nice-to-have features? How do you see future developments? What are high priority steps to take? How long will it, or should it take? How would you like to be and stay involved in the development of a data catalogue. This all from your own perspective, whether you are a scientist, a transparency activist, a lone coder, a citizen, a civil servant, or a company.
What happens with the results?
All results (including input received from people not present in the session Saturday) will be collated as an advice for the Ministry for the Interior. It will be used both in the discussions the Min Interior will have with other ministries, as well as in discussions with ICTU (gov ICT implementation dept). And I will of course try to stay involved myself to see the results are put to good use.
There will be a Dutch data catalogue. Help shape it!
The Dutch data catalogue will certainly be realized. You can help shape it and guide its path of development. By being there Saturday, or by letting your views be heard here in the comments, or in an e-mail to me.
Open Data icon and Open Government icon
Empathic Civilization
Great little video I found in the blog of Viv McWaters (go have a look at her blog as well!)
The story line follows much of what I've been writing a good while back about how the interconnectedness internet and mobile communications create allows us to include people in our sphere of empathy on an unprecedented scale. And that changing scope of empathy is reshaping our cultures.
0 Comments and 1 Trackbacks | PermalinkWorking On Stuff That Matters - WSTM
This posting is based on, and an extension of, my opening remarks from last Friday, when my 40th birthday unconference took place. The theme was 'Working on Stuff that Matters'
What is stuff that matters?
The question 'am I working on stuff that matters?' has gained more importance slowly but steadily in my life. First it was about getting more freedom of choice in what I worked on. My jobs step by step led to working as an independent professional. Since then I need to learn better to use that freedom to work with clients and on projects that matter. It is why the question 'am I working on stuff that matters?' has become much more prominent to me in the past year than before.
It's not world peace, it's using a macroscope
'Working on Stuff that Matters' doesn't mean world peace, or ending hunger in the world per se to me, as Robert also said. There are way more small things that matter than big ones I feel. The trick is probably in seeing those smaller things through a macroscope (a concept by John Thackara, introduced to me by Matt Webb's opening talk at Reboot, video here, last year). A macroscope allows you to see a thing in its bigger context, to "to feel the human scale and the grand view all at once"(quote).
To me that bigger context is that of peaking and declining physical resources, and of macro-systems (money systems, political systems, lineair management) failing to cope with our new networked and therefore complexity-filled era, while that networked era also brings us new places of abundance. That abundance lies in the digitalization of everything and the ability to access to collected knowledge and creativity of the whole of humankind. That is my macroscopic view, and it's what I tried to convey as the closing key-note of SHiFT in Lisbon last month. I think it's the fundamental context of our time.
Conversations going on
It's not just small things, it's meaningful settings around them
There are loads of small things that matter. That matter because they work towards taking on the much bigger context visible through the macroscope. It's also about working in ways that matter. The process involved in creating something is at least as important as the outcome. The process needs to embody the values that need to embody the result. It's why I think 20th century cathedrals are meaningless, and the ancient cathedrals and La Sagrada Familia, though unfinished, are meaningful. They are testimony to the community and community processes over generations that built them. Barn raising is way more important than having a barn built by a contractor, even though the result in terms of barns is the same. I've come to see for me as a primary driving force enabling others to do more themselves. Whether it's by allowing them a look through my personal macroscope, or by helping them acquire the skills and literacies needed to do things, or by providing new tools to that purpose.
Conversations going on
Sphere of influence
I am trying to translate those notions into stuff that I can tackle in my own sphere of influence. And to me those then make up the stuff that matters.
Stuff that's connected to the large scale things that are in motion, yet close enough to be of actual relevance in my own life, and done in ways that are consistent in meaning with the result.
And then there is the quest to bring more things into that place of actual relevance, bring more things into my sphere of influence. Which is I guess about me enabling me, bringing it full circle.
Time and attention are a currency
Ernst in his preparatory blogpost wrote how to him time and attention have become currencies. I feel much the same way, much more so now that I work independently. It's why open space's 'law of two feet' is important: to always let your feet take you to a place worth spending time and attention.
During the unconference we were therefore unusually rich. We all brought a full day of time and attention to spend. A rare gift of 40 people to each other.
So it was up to us to make that matter, make it worth spending all that currency in a day. By having great conversations, by inspiring each other, by making new connections, both in our minds, and with each other.
Conversations going on
Connections matter
Over the last 8 years, catalyzed by social media Elmine and I have met so many incredibly great people, and we saw our peer network virtually explode.
For me you that are the network of people around me have become my primary place of learning, working, living.
The sense of wonder I felt when the first connections with other people started popping up online around things that mattered to me, never left me again.
I still feel that sense of wonder every day. Especially on days like last Friday and Saturday. Those are proof of the deep and diverse connections our new network infrastructures have allowed us to build.
Making something that matters
Before the unconference I suggested we'd try to create something that matters. At first I thought of an actual artefact, even though I didn't have a clue what that could or should be. I now realize what we created that matters are actually the new connections we created during the event. Those connections we made through a process, the unconference, that mattered, a process that fostered curiosity, in an open setting and in a personal space (our home), as well as allowing conversations to wander to the topics that worked best.
The thing within my and Elmine's sphere of influence that we could do was to be host and create the circumstances for the process, in the awareness of the larger context of the import of weaving global networks. The sociogram we created is the artefact that is witness to both the process and the connections made.
Sociogram, result of process that mattered, map of connections that matter
It is why I will try to make that sociogram even more useful, by making it digitally shareable and reusable for interpretation.
It is also why I hope to be able to see the new ripples the connections will cause down the line, when new exchanges flow through them.
Looking back on WSTM - General Impressions
What a great week it was last week! Looking back, I feel we really celebrated. First on Friday with the unconference 'Working on Stuff that Matters', and then the BBQ party on Saturday. My head is still spinning from everything that took place. I will try and word some of my impressions and take-aways in a few postings. This first posting is just to get some basic things into words first, and explain the context.
Thank you!
I really am grateful to all of you who made it to the event. Some of you travelled a long way to be there. We had about a dozen nationalities present, with people coming in from seven different countries besides the Netherlands. That is both awesome and humbling to me. What's even more awesome is the shows of friendship and love we received and how new connections as well as deeper connections were formed during the event. It's absolutely great to see how a lot of people, that know us, but for the most part didn't know each other, really engaged with each other. Everybody came with an open mind and eager to engage, whether they were friends, family, clients or colleagues. It blew me away, to see how well that went. Thank you all, for making the event truly special.
Impression of the diversity of backgrounds at the unconference (photo by Wilfred Rubens)
So what did we do?
We opened up our home to two days of intensive interaction. One day, Friday was an unconference for 38 people, the other day, Saturday, was a bbq party for about double that number (including children). But with the first guests arriving on Wednesday, and the last ones leaving on Sunday, to us it was basically a 5-day event.
The Unconference - Working on Stuff that Matters
The unconference sessions basically followed the BarCamp format, where at the start of the day the participants propose sessions for the program, around the preset theme. We had room for about 20 sessions, 12 in the morning, 8 or more in the afternoon.
Before building the program I made a few opening remarks on who was in the room, how I look at 'working on stuff that matters' and I also introduced some of the basic elements from Open Space, to help people to engage in a more open way. These were the only 'rules' for the event:
- Whoever is here are the right people (both for the event, and the session you're in)
- Whatever you talk about is the right topic (because that apparently is where your energy is)
- Be prepared to be surprised (Open your mind, so you can make the most of it)
- Law of Two Feet (When you're in a conversation where you think you cannot contribute anymore, or there's nothing you can take out of it, feel free to go join another conversation. It is not an insult to the session host, it's making the best of the limited face to face time we have)
Principles and single rule of engagement posted in all session spaces
We then proceeded to collect ideas for sessions, and started filling the program.
At first we only created the morning program of 12 sessions (three rounds with four parallel sessions), and left the afternoon program till after lunch, so we could adapt to whatever ideas would surface during the morning. Lunch was followed by a walk around the neighbourhood, inspired by our BlogWalks of old (and giving us time to clean-up a bit and prepare the house for the next round of sessions), before the afternoon sessions started. At the end of the afternoon sessions we created a sociogram that was the result of a networking game Patricia Wolf and Peter Troxler guided us through during the day. It's a map of all the new connections formed. (I am thinking about how to turn this into a digital artefact. More about that in a later posting).
We collectively created a sociogram of the new connections formed
That ended in drinks (and me being sung to! :) ), and a collective dinner of a variety of Chinese and Indonesian dishes.
Without going into specifics now, these are the sessions that took place, to give you a notion of breadth and scope:
- What images / associations / people inspire us
- 7 Days of inspiration (connecting the best ideas/people and knowledge in 14 cities in 7 days in NL)
- Unschooling Schools, bringing entrepeneurship into school, without making it school-like
- Making innovation, change and action ROCK!
- Our powerful personal learning environment
- How do I share my "shit" without writing in e.g. a blog
- How do we manage ourselves, do amazing world-changing shit and stay healthy?
- Business model storytelling and video
- FabLabs, FabLab what's next
- Personal Canvas on work that matters
- Connections, which matter, why do they matter
- How to deal with communication overload?
- Sharing your private life
- iPad: what should we do with it?
- How to convince people to change 'bad' life habits
- How to create a data.gov.nl
- Embrace play
- What role does moving (walking, cycling, exercising) play in your work. Do you honour your body?
- Mondial Learning (cross/intercultural)
- How / When / Why can virtual worlds (or tech in general) improve quality of life
The BBQ Party
Saturday was spent picking up all the food for the BBQ party, and doing some last minute shopping to replenish the things that were used the day before, and starting to marinate the meat and prepare the salads. We had great help from several participants in doing that. Thanks for that!
From 15:00 hours on, people started coming in for the BBQ party. All the traces of the day before (like flip-over sheets and pictures) were on display around the house, triggering again more conversations). It was a great party, with even more friends, family, clients and colleagues joining us. Again many good conversations were had, and many new connections formed. I am really glad Elmine and I could be host to all of this.
Scenes from the bbq / sausages are social objects too!
I am working on several other postings around WSTM. One on giving, one on organizing an event like this, one on my own notions of Working on Stuff that Matters, one on the sociogram. And there might be more.
0 Comments and 0 Trackbacks | PermalinkShaping My Birthday Unconference - Input Welcomed!
On May 12th I will turn 40. As already announced Elmine and I will celebrate my birthday in two ways. On May 14th we organize an unconference around the theme 'Working on Stuff that Matters', and on May 15th we will host a big BBQ party.
An amazing group of about 35 people, friends, colleagues, clients and family alike, from a dozen nationalities and countries, have rsvp-ed to be part of the unconference. I am wowed, humbled and extremely pleased to be able to welcome them to our home for what will hopefully be a very inspiring day. The group for the BBQ will be about twice as big.
Time to start building the programme
With the unconference a little under 2 weeks away, it is time to start building the program. We will do it BarCamp style, which means a lot of flexibility during the day itself. But to be as flexible as possible, it is also needed to be well prepared.
So those of you that will attend please already start thinking about what you can bring to the discussion on May 14th, and what it is you hope to find.
There is room for 16 30-min sessions, as well as 3 plenary 30-min sessions (mainly for round-up and synthesis). This being my birthday party, I will do a 20 min plenary intro talk at the start. If you want you can already add some of your thoughts for sessions at SuggestedSessions. Do remember that we will collectively create the program at the start of the unconference itself, given the interests and energy in the group.
Working on Stuff That Matters - What's your take? Blog it!
As is to be expected when you live in a global village, a large number of people cannot make it to the Netherlands mid-May. But it would be great if you can still be involved in this, even if you will not attend personally on May 14th.
I like to ask you to blog your thoughts around 'Working on Stuff That Matters'! Consider it the best gift you can come up with to absolutely make my day. You can choose to blog somewhere in the 11 day run-up to May 14th, or you can choose to blog on May 12th itself. I will make sure all your blog postings are available to all participants during the unconference. We will also think of a way to do a video skype-in halfway through the day. Please tag things relevant to the event with #ton40 and #wstm
Creating something that matters
During the day it would be great if we could move somewhat beyond just conversation. Can we create an artefact during the day that incorporates our thoughts and results? Any thoughts on what this could be are welcome! Add them in the program under the appropiate header.
Starting the day - Doing introductions differently
I am looking for suggestions on how to do introductions differently during the unconference. We will have some 35 people, who mostly won't know the others, apart from me and Elmine. I'm thinking about hanging up a large canvas where everybody puts her/his name and three aspects of themselves, as well as something about how they see their connection to me. Or maybe another participant can add aspects based on the coffee conversations during the first hour of the day.
Carrying the unconference over into the BBQ
All the things that we create during the unconference will be on display during the BBQ. We did that with Elmine's birthday 2 years ago, and it creates another wave of conversations and connections in a very different setting.
On all of the points described your input is welcome!
0 Comments and 0 Trackbacks | PermalinkShare Your Projects With WCIT 2010 - Request for Input
At the end of this month the WCIT 2010 world congress on IT will take place. I heard it describe as 'the Olymp of IT worldwide', and this is the 17th edition, but I never heard of it before.
This time it is taking place in Amsterdam, and a lot of money and energy is being spend by the Dutch government to make the conference happen. There is a declaration to be adopted by all companies and governments taking part in the conference, called the Declaration of Amsterdam (PDF).
In this declaration goals are formulated that the cosigning partners should strive to reach. These goals apply to the role of ICT:
David Osimo (one of the people behind the Open Declaration for eGov in the EU) and I got hired to help create some interaction around the Declaration of Amsterdam. Because it is one thing to sign a declaration, it is another to actually come up with actions that help reach the formulated goals.
So participants to the conference contribute projects that address one or more of the four goals of the Declaration of Amsterdam.
Now, I think, this is a chance to add any contributions you may have that are certainly off the radar to the companies and governments participating in the conference. We know incumbents are very bad at coming up with disruptive things, even if they want to, because their structure prohibits them from perceiving them as opportunities as well as from implementing them. When you have ambitions as the ones implied in the Declaration of Amsterdam, you have to find a way around that innovator's dilemma.
This is where you come in. I invite you to contribute, in one or both of the following two ways:
You can do that by following the links I mentioned just now, leave your comment under this posting, or drop me an e-mail with your reactions. All comments and projects will be discussed and added to the declaration at the conference.
0 Comments and 0 Trackbacks | Permalink
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