Re: Ed and Outreadch Opportunity

Well, I admit having the usual gut-check that “here we go again”.  PDF (an ISO standard for document presentation, ISO 32000-1, with –2 development underway) does offer the ability to include the raw data and information. It isn’t often used, since the goal of “presentation” of final format is often considered more important than access to raw data.

To me, it’s a matter of education rather than format.

Davemc


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On 1/29/10 6:27 AM, "David Pullinger" <David.Pullinger@coi.gsi.gov.uk> wrote:

Chris,

Let me assure you that I'm not in favour of PDF for data or communication, the critical words were ...'those who insist on..'   Let me draw a comparison.  The government is not in favour of people taking drugs.  But we provide information to help those who do.  Our friends at Adobe should not draw the analogy too far as I just mean that sometimes we engage in harm reduction - in this case to get at good re-usable data.

David





David Pullinger
david.pullinger@coi.gsi.gov.uk
Head of Digital Policy
Central Office of Information
Hercules House
7 Hercules Road
London SE1 7DU
020 7261 8513
07788 872321

Twitter #digigov and blogs:  www.coi.gov.uk/blogs/digigov <http://www.coi.gov.uk/blogs/digigov>



>>> Chris Beer <chris-beer@grapevine.net.au> 28/01/2010 12:05 >>>
Hey Brian, everyone

Wouldn't be right if I didn't pop the TF4 hat on and respond into the conversation ;) I already sent Brian an email offering to assist, but since we're doing this in list... :)

Personally and professionally,  I have issues with "data", if not any government information, being published in PDF formats as well as how PDF files are used in general, not only by Gov, but by the Private sector as well.

IMO The only three reasons (and only if you had to) to use PDF is a) as an archive snapshot of a document and b) for document control - that is - when you don't want a document to be altered by users such as in the case of a manifestation or publication of a piece of legislation, tenders etc - hence why you can embed digital signatures, lock them from editing, etc etc. and c) With accessible Smart Forms, which are actually just such a cool idea and so very useful as an assistive technology, and for both the user, and the owner - that said these all still have issues around being in PDF.

The general usage, however, seems to be for anything and everything that can be published. Want a printable version? Download the PDF file.

Rather than focus on the pitfalls of using PDF's in the .gov.* space (which I'm more than happy to discuss with anyone - especially David in light of his comments ;) ), I'll focus on the topic at hand. I've had a look at the Fiscal Note Brian provided as well as the proposed Act and I'm a little stunned by the leap of logic in this sense.

A careful reading of the Bill reveals that throughout, information is required to be "posted on-line, in a downloadable format". Now if I was a clever Web Manager in charge of implementing my local schools requirements under this bill, I could quickly and easily meet these requirements through a CMS enabled website/database - the act of viewing a webpage is, by definition, downloading information. Not only that, but I could point at my model and highlight the fact that:

a) The data supports RDF(a), XML, StratML etc in a far more useful and usable format than a PDF version

b) I can send my schemas to other schools, or even the Department (who might want to create a centralised model) to enable consistancy of data formatting, not just a pretty view of the data

c) I can deliver my data in a range of open standard formats, from such as binary, CSV, HTML, XML, etc using very basic, free, vendor independant and accessible technologies

d) I can export a customisable view of this data on demand as a PDF file if needed... (think the export as PDF function of Google Analytics dashboard reports.) But I can also export it in a variety of other propriety formats on demand.

e) I can very easily track the usage and access of this data by the public through web analytics. If I track it well enough, and agressively enough, I can start to analyse which parts of the data are the most useful (for instance I might well find that visits from .edu domains (ie: teachers) show a marked interest in salary schedule comparisons) and I can tailor the solution from a push Web 1.0 model to a information on demand Web 2.0 model.)

f) I can allow others, including other arms of Local, State and Federal Governments, through API's and mashups, to mix my data with other data to provide interesting information - like financial data mapped against student result averages.

A couple of other things to consider with the financial and workload aspects in mind, is that technically (and correct me if I am wrong) each and every PDF release of this data would be classed as a government publication and will require not only ISBN numbers etc, but entry into the Library of Congress or State equivalent, catalogues as well. A single website, being considered as an Intergrated Resource, technically would require only a single catalogue entry...

The Fiscal Note also reads "It is assumed that financial documents can be electronically converted into a portable document format (PDF) or image file (tiff, gif, jpg), and posted online at minimal cost, and that software to convert documents and software to modify websites is readily available at the district level."

Now thats an interesting assumption - and it is just that - an assumption. Considering publishing the information as HTML etc is effectively free.

These are only some initial thoughts, but you get the idea. Happy to discuss.

David - would love to discuss your thoughts around the standards and governance on PDF, but it'd probably off topic in this thread. Drop me a line and expand on things :)

Cheers

Chris




David Pullinger wrote:
Both,

As well as separate data files, it is perfectedly possible to embed RDF(a) into PDF files, as other markup, and so provide access to Linked Data thereby...

We're considering whether or not to issue standards in this area so that those who insist on releasing information in PDF files nevertheless don't put a block on Linked Data.

David





David Pullinger
david.pullinger@coi.gsi.gov.uk
Head of Digital Policy
Central Office of Information
Hercules House
7 Hercules Road
London SE1 7DU
020 7261 8513
07788 872321

Twitter #digigov and blogs:  www.coi.gov.uk/blogs/digigov <http://www.coi.gov.uk/blogs/digigov>



>>> "Joe Carmel" <joe.carmel@comcast.net> <mailto:joe.carmel@comcast.net>  26/01/2010 18:56 >>>
Brian,
One option to consider might be XForms (and XSLTForms in particular).  Although I’m not familiar with the school district financial data, it seems like publishing an XForm on a central website and mandating that school districts fill it out would be easy to create, maintain, and implement.  The output files could then be posted centrally and/or locally.
I’m working with Owen Ambur and several others on something like this for StratML.  Check out http://www.xmldatasets.net/XF2/stratmlxform3.xml.   It’s still being developed but it might serve as an example.  The idea is to provide a way to create, import, update, display, and finally catalog StratML fles across the web.
Joe

From: public-egov-ig-request@w3.org [mailto:public-egov-ig-request@w3.org] On Behalf Of Novak, Kevin
Sent: Tuesday, January 26, 2010 12:13 PM
To: Brian Gryth; eGovIG IG
Subject: RE: Ed and Outreadch Opportunity
Brian,
I am here to help you.
I can provide input and opinion on the piece you are developing. I concur with your assessment of PDF. Other options in addition must be considered.
Kevin
From: public-egov-ig-request@w3.org [mailto:public-egov-ig-request@w3.org] On Behalf Of Brian Gryth
Sent: Tuesday, January 26, 2010 12:08 PM
To: eGovIG IG
Subject: Ed and Outreadch Opportunity

Good day all,

Members of the Colorado General Assembly introduced legislation recently that would mandate school districts to publish certain financial data in a down loadable format.  The bill is HB10-1036 and is available at http://legislink.org/us-co?HB10-1036.  This is a good thing on the surface.  What concerns me is the fiscal impact statement associated with the legislation.  The concerning part of the fiscal impact statement focuses on the information being released in PDF or in an image format (e.g. JPEG, TIFF, GIF), but does not talk about other formats.  The fiscal note is available at http://bit.ly/80RBiu.  As has been discussed by this group and in other places, PDF only publication is not the best method of publishing government data.

Therefore, I saw this as a perfect opportunity for some education and outreach.  I am planning on putting some summarized information together that will discuss data publication methods to sent to the bill sponsors and other members of the Colorado legislature.  I also plan on speaking at the Senate hearing for the bill as a concerned citizen.

I would appreciate the assistance of anyone wishing to help me out.  Please feel free to e-mail me and I will share a Google Doc I will be using to draft the materials.

Thanks
Brian

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Anyone coming into unauthorised possession of it should disregard its content and erase it from their records.

The original of this email was scanned for viruses by Government Secure Intranet (GSi) virus scanning service supplied exclusively by Cable & Wireless in partnership with MessageLabs.
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