Data for the Community: New research for Power to Change

Power To Change: empowering people Power to Change is an independent charitable trust that supports and develops community businesses in England. With an endowment of £150 million in 2015 from the Big Lottery Fund, Power to Change helps local people run community businesses. “Our vision is to create better places through community business. We will use…… Continue reading Data for the Community: New research for Power to Change

A look back at Open Data Camp 3: After the Watershed

This post was first published on the Open Data Camp blog. It’s several weeks since the third UK Open Data Camp. In case that means nothing to you: Camp ‘Camp’ is a term commonly used to refer to an ‘unconference’, which basically means it’s an event with no predefined agenda – instead, attendees ‘pitch’ session ideas…… Continue reading A look back at Open Data Camp 3: After the Watershed

Open Data Camp: Hitting the road again

This post was originally published on the Open Data Camp blog. We’re back First, there was Open Data Camp, in Winchester (Feb 2015). Then, came Open Data Camp 2, in Manchester (Oct 2015). Guess what’s coming next…. Correct! Back on the road again We’re absolutely thrilled to announce that the Open Data Camp unconference charabanc…… Continue reading Open Data Camp: Hitting the road again

Using Data as a policy maker – Pt1

This is the first in a series of posts about an event: Using Data as a policy maker, which was held in Winchester, in November 2015. This post first appeared on the Open Data Aha! blog. Using data for policy – Aha! Wearing my ‘Open Data Aha!’ hat*, I teamed up with Southern Policy Centre…… Continue reading Using Data as a policy maker – Pt1

If you open stuff up, good stuff happens

This is a slightly edited version of a post originally published on DATA.GOV.UK I rather like the phrase: “Engineering Serendipity” which – as I choose to interpret it – means something like ‘creating conditions which maximise the chances of good stuff happening’. If you’re interested in a fuller discussion of Engineering Serendipity, there’s the excellent…… Continue reading If you open stuff up, good stuff happens

Linking data across multiple organisations – Hampshire example

You may have seen Dan’s post about Hampshire’s Land Supply Phasing Open Data in which he mentions the Pilot Project for Linked Open Data. Our land supply linked data features in this recent blog post by John Goodwin: Tell Me About Hampshire – Linking Government Data using SPARQL federation 2. In his post, John constructs and runs…… Continue reading Linking data across multiple organisations – Hampshire example

Futurology at UKGC14?

UKGC14 I’m writing this just a few days before UKGovCamp 2014, which is on Saturday 25th January 2014. If you’re going and haven’t already read UKGovcamp14: be prepared, do take a look, as it’s the practical info for attendees (including ARRIVE EARLY…BRING COFFEE). Futurology I’ve used ‘Futurology’ in the title of this post, which Finlo Rohrer summarised rather well in his 2010 BBC…… Continue reading Futurology at UKGC14?

Open data, apps and maps

This post was originally published on the prototype Hampshire Hub web site. Open Data A few weeks ago I blogged about Hampshire’s Rights of Way network, which has been published as an interactive map, and as open data. The data was released under the OS Open Data Licence, which effectively means you can do what you…… Continue reading Open data, apps and maps

Getting the measure of social media

Tweets - why measure?

Must we measure? In November, Emer Coleman asked: Social media – Must we measure? In a fascinating post, Emer discusses how tricky it is to present the benefits of social media in traditional business cases. Emer argues that: Making a business case to use these channels is like making a business case to read the newspaper; it…… Continue reading Getting the measure of social media