Today the Minneapolis Star Tribune ran an article on open data access in Minneapolis and the state. It sounds a little geeky and it is – but here’s the hook for everyone – access to open data is the underpinning for a lot of civic apps. Bill Bushey, co-founder of Open Data Twin Cities does a nice job describing the connection…

“The real end is making new tools or new analyses for the local community or the city or the government,” said Bill Bushey, an organizer for Open Twin Cities. Minnesota’s open records law already defines what data is public, but open data advocates say it should be in an easily analyzed format — for instance, spreadsheets rather than PDFs.

Here’s an example of one app…

Among them was Tony Webster, a developer who used an open records request to create a searchable database of city restaurant health code violations spanning two years. He speculates that Minneapolis is one of a few major cities without one. Webster also used Chicago’s towing data to create an app that tells drivers if their cars have been towed. But he has encountered major obstacles trying to obtain simple housing information — or any real-time data sets — from Minneapolis.

“Making that information more easily accessible would only further the goals of the city by ensuring those who can advocate, report on, or research urban problems have the data in hand,” Webster wrote in an e-mail.

The Secretary of State has been working on making open data sets more accessible with a company called Socrata. They make the data very accessible. I am pleased to report that they will be at the Border to Border Broadband conference this week – in the cool tools room. The Secretary of State is also hosting a hack later this month.

The open data discussion is an interesting one. The technology is there to make the information accessible and useful. Part of the concern with open data is ensuring that the information is presented in the aggregate that data does not reveal specific details about individual citizens. Format of data becomes a big issue when it comes to access and privacy. It is much easier to use and remove sensitive data from survey results kept in a database or spreadsheet than survey results in PDF format – or worse paper copies of individual responses. So there are a number of potential hurdles to overcome with open data – ensuring privacy and getting data in share-able formats. But I think helping people understand the potential benefits will help build the case that open data is worth promoting and supporting.