Open Data Book Club

Promoting Open Data on PEI

(in association with PEI Developers)

Update 2017
PEI Open Data Hackathon 2017
Hackathon And Open Data Workshop
Update for 2017
2016 In Review

Update for 2017

Jan 20, 2017

Happy New Year, gang! Here’s a quick update for 2017.

Quick Notes

  • Note there is no MeetUp for January 2017 (see below).
  • Save the date: March 4, 2017 for Open Data Day. Plans are underway (thanks to Sean Whalley, Evan Porter, Josh Biggley) for an event on PEI (like last year, this is a joint effort between PEI Devs and ODBC).

2016

  • Check out this review for a recap of 2016. We had speakers from the Government of PEI, the Town of Stratford, Elections PEI, and the University of Prince Edward Island.
  • Highlights included a hackathon in March 2016 (thanks to PEI Devs), participating in CODS 2016 with the Ottawa and Toronto ODBCs, and a large turnout for Carol Mayne, from the Gov’t of PEI. November 2016 was a classic outing: a discussion led by a citizen (Bob Shand), with gov’t reps/blue-shirts on hand for clarification.
  • The turnout for the September meetup was a disappointment. We went all-out on social media, posters, etc. Guest sponsor, Binary Star, kindly funded the venue (the spiffy Startup Zone). Yet, we only drew a small crowd. (The good news is that the group asked very good questions!)

The Year Ahead

  • For 2016, we assumed that having regular meetups (even if the topics were light, such as the review of CODS 2016, and the PEI Open Data Hackathon) would ultimately grow the group, but that doesn’t seem to be the case (attendance figures here). Each meetup requires significant time/resources (venue, posters, door prizes, etc), but it seems that interesting topics really drive the attendance.
  • For 2017, a goal is to reduce cost, and yet remain engaged. To that end, let’s experiment with having occasional meetings, driven by topics of interest from the group. If you would like to present, facilitate a session, or contribute an idea, please contact us! (By email, Slack, Twitter, or Facebook).
  • Note that Michael Easter has renewed the MeetUp page for six months, but in June 2017 we may review that to see if we can get by without it. Similarly, we’ll try to find a viable meeting space (e.g. Toronto ODBC meets at the Toronto Library).

Eyes on the Prize

  • We believe we made a difference, if modest, in 2016, and are excited for 2017. Please do send us your input and be sure to stay tuned for details on Open Data Day on March 4!