Open data hackathon as a tool for increased engagement of Generation Z: to hack or not to hack?

A hackathon is known as a form of civic innovation in which participants representing citizens can point out existing problems or social needs and propose a solution. Given the high social, technical, and economic potential of open government data, the concept of open data hackathons is becoming popular around the world. This concept has become popular in Latvia with the annual hackathons organized for a specific cluster of citizens called Generation Z. Contrary to the general opinion, the organizer suggests that the main goal of open data hackathons to raise an awareness of OGD has been achieved, and there has been a debate about the need to continue them. This study presents the latest findings on the role of open data hackathons and the benefits that they can bring to both the society, participants, and government

Everybody’s Hacking:Participation and the Mainstreaming of Hackathons

Hackathons have become a popular tool for bringing people together to imagine new possibilities for technology. Despite originating in technology communities, hackathons have now been widely adopted by a broad range of organisations. This mainstreaming of hackathons means they encompass a very different range of attendees and activities than they once did, to the extent that some events billed as hackathons may involve no coding at all. Given this shift away from production of code, they might instead be seen as an increasingly popular participatory design activity, from which designers and researchers in HCI can learn. Through fieldwork at six hackathons that targeted non-technical communities, we identify the types of activities and contributions that emerge through these events and the barriers and tensions that might exist. In doing so, we contribute a greater understanding of hackathons as a growing phenomenon and as a potential tool for participatory research.Publisher PD

Amplifying Quiet Voices: Challenges and Opportunities for Participatory Design at an Urban Scale

Many Smart City projects are beginning to consider the role of citizens. However, current methods for engaging urban populations in participatory design activities are somewhat limited. In this paper, we describe an approach taken to empower socially disadvantaged citizens, using a variety of both social and technological tools, in a smart city project. Through analysing the nature of citizens’ concerns and proposed solutions, we explore the benefits of our approach, arguing that engaging citizens can uncover hyper-local concerns that provide a foundation for finding solutions to address citizen concerns. By reflecting on our approach, we identify four key challenges to utilising participatory design at an urban scale; balancing scale with the personal, who has control of the process, who is participating and integrating citizen-led work with local authorities. By addressing these challenges, we will be able to truly engage citizens as collaborators in co-designing their city

Open Strategies for Innovation in the Public Sector: Challenges and Opportunities

La col·laboració amb socis externs proporciona un mitjà per ampliar la base de coneixement d'una empresa, reduir els temps de desenvolupament del producte, augmentar la innovació i proporcionar avantatges competitius. Aquesta tesi contribueix a la recerca en innovació oberta i de l'usuari mitjançant l'exploració qualitativa d’estratègies en el context del sector públic. La tesi pretén comprendre els motors subjacents de la innovació cívica a partir dels esforços innovadors de ciutats europees i americanes. Les ciutats accedeixen a la informació tàcita de l'usuari aprofitant el context i la tecnologia per proporcionar solucions innovadores col·laborant amb plataformes i organitzacions cíviques. Es proposa un enfocament integral de l'ecosistema, ampliant les conceptualitzacions actuals dels ecosistemes empresarials. L'èmfasi en la capacitat desorptive en les organitzacions cíviques es considera una elusió del bloqueig, a causa dels dèficits cívics en capacitat d'absorció. La importància dels processos d'innovació situats en entorns del món real s'examina en líving labs, mentre es compara amb altres metodologies. A més a més, aquesta tesis proposa en el context de la Open Public Policy Innovation una eina millorada per tal d’accedir a la informació tàcita dels usuaris.La colaboración con socios externos proporciona un medio para ampliar la base de conocimiento de una empresa, reducir los tiempos de desarrollo del producto, aumentar la innovación y proporcionar ventajas competitivas. Esta tesis contribuye a la investigación en innovación abierta y del usuario mediante la exploración cualitativa de estrategias en el contexto del sector público. La tesis pretende comprender los motores subyacentes de la innovación cívica a partir de los esfuerzos innovadores de ciudades europeas y americanas. Las ciudades acceden a la información tácita del usuario aprovechando el contexto y la tecnología para proporcionar soluciones innovadoras colaborando con plataformas y organizaciones cívicas. Se propone un enfoque integral del ecosistema, ampliando las conceptualizaciones actuales de los ecosistemas empresariales. El énfasis en la capacidad desorptive en las organizaciones cívicas se considera una elusión del bloqueo, debido a los déficits cívicos en capacidad de absorción. La importancia de los procesos de innovación situados en entornos del mundo real se examina en living labs, mientras se compara con otras metodologías. Además, esta tesis propone en el contexto de la Open Public Policy Innovation una herramienta mejorada para acceder a la información tácita de los usuarios.Collaboration with external partners provides a means of expanding a firm’s knowledge base, decreasing product development timelines, increasing innovation, and providing competitive advantage. This thesis contributes to the research in open innovation and user innovation by exploring these strategies in the context of the public sector. By examining nascent innovation endeavors in European and American cities, the thesis seeks to understand the underlying drivers of civic innovation, how civic organizations foster communities of collaborators and civic platforms, and how governments access tacit user information by leveraging context and technology to provide innovative solutions. An Integrated Ecosystem Approach is proposed, expanding current conceptualizations of business ecosystems. An emphasis on desorptive capacity in civic organizations is considered as a circumvention of lockout, due to civic deficits in absorptive capacity. The importance of innovation processes situated in real-world environments is examined in living labs, as compared to other methodologies. And an enhanced utility of technology as a tool for accessing tacit user information is proposed in the context of Open Public Policy Innovation

The Making of a 'Top' Open Data City: A Case Study of Edmonton’s Open Data Initiative

In recent years, various models and indexes have been proposed to evaluate and rate the performance of open data initiatives. However, little research examines cities’ open data initiatives in relation to these indexes and how cities achieve open data success. Through an exploratory case study of Edmonton, Canada’s top ranked open data city, this research sheds light on the mechanisms contributing to top-rated and successful open data initiatives. Our findings reveal current open data indexes emphasize publication of data sets over the measurement of impact. The case study suggests that to be successful, cities should approach open data as a continuing journey and must actively engage other stakeholders, particularly intermediaries and citizens. Finally, we observe that common myths constructed around open data help promote open data at a strategic level, but must be viewed skeptically at the operational level

Integrating Across Sustainability, Political, and Administrative Spheres: A Longitudinal Study of Actors’ Engagement in Open Data Ecosystems in Three Canadian Cities

Over the last decade, cities around the world have embraced the open data movement by launching open data portals. To successfully derive benefits from these initiatives, various individual and organizational actors need to engage with them. These actors undertake activities supporting data publication and dissemination in open data ecosystems. In this paper, we focus on enhancing the IS community’s contribution to the open data movement by conducting a longitudinal, qualitative archival analysis of open data initiatives in three Canadian cities: Edmonton, Toronto, and Montreal. Combining two complementary models of open data and information ecosystems, we explore how actors engage in and across the sustainability, political, and administrative spheres to influence open data initiatives. Our findings suggest most actors operate in a single sphere but that some can operate across two or all three spheres to become ecosystem anchors. Through these sphere-spanning efforts, ecosystem anchors help to shape the way in which open data initiatives evolve. We provide a theoretically grounded explanation of processes in successful open data initiatives and suggest new directions for practice

The Making of a \u27Top\u27 Open Data City: A Case Study of Edmonton’s Open Data Initiative

In recent years, various models and indexes have been proposed to evaluate and rate the performance of open data initiatives. However, little research examines cities’ open data initiatives in relation to these indexes and how cities achieve open data success. Through an exploratory case study of Edmonton, Canada’s top ranked open data city, this research sheds light on the mechanisms contributing to top-rated and successful open data initiatives. Our findings reveal current open data indexes emphasize publication of data sets over the measurement of impact. The case study suggests that to be successful, cities should approach open data as a continuing journey and must actively engage other stakeholders, particularly intermediaries and citizens. Finally, we observe that common myths constructed around open data help promote open data at a strategic level, but must be viewed skeptically at the operational level