Today we presented Datamx at the Innovation in Transparency Award 2015, where we were awarded first place in the category of Individuals and Civil Associations. It was an honor to share part of the experience we learned in about 2 years of work, and we wanted to emphasize telling the story of Datamx not just by how far it has come, but by the principles it started from and the stories we’ve documented—there’s a lot to tell.
We spent a couple of years in continuous contact with government, civil society, and citizens interested in changing their environment, mainly getting involved together in new ways to bring innovation to our society in a civic way. It is worth noting that Codeando México and therefore Datamx are based on 3 major pillars that shape our work:
- Open innovation.
- Access to information through open data.
- The creation of code tools that promote practical collaboration.
Datamx managed to develop an organic solution to what citizens needed. It has always been our philosophy to build tools with citizens and not for citizens, promoting a creative flow that includes the user. Datamx carries this in its mantra.
An example of this is that when Datamx was born, its only goal was to publish and consume data. Later, we generated a data publication and consumption flow for citizens that involved creating the Open Data Center, where you can request data to be opened and analyze the pulse of what citizens are demanding. Beyond the technical guidelines of open data, we realized that citizens demand timely data.
Data Standards
The best way Datamx could have gained its first allies was by collaborating with Civil Associations, which have very valuable specific and specialized knowledge. That’s why a channel was opened to propose data standards. In principle, open discussion is privileged, and it is also promoted as a shared reference both in Mexico and Latin America. If you’d like to know more, you can see it at estandares.datamx.io.
Civic Applications
Another topic that excites us is civic applications, some were created for informational purposes or used to create civic solutions. One of the projects we sometimes use as an example is the Viajes Transparentes application, which was made with the then Federal Institute for Access to Public Information, now INAI. From there, we would like to highlight a cultural change that is happening for new software acquisitions:
- The use of open data for applications is now a value element.
- The use of open source code and open technology is also promoted.
- Efforts are made to involve smaller teams with valuable proposals, making it more inclusive.
- Open Source by default is promoted as a multiplier effect and for reuse in other institutions.
Civic Hacking Communities
Codeando México finds groups of citizens and motivated minds who want to change collectivity and citizenship. In government, groups move in hierarchies; in contrast, these citizen groups move in network-like structures. They participate with a practical collaboration focus and are directed toward a common goal. These citizens probably know each other thanks to the Internet, as thematic communities are easier to find. Civic Hacking Communities are exactly that place where you can meet others with the same civic interest in person. Some of the events we did together with Civic Hacking Communities and the online community were the Open Data MX Race 2015, the Open Data Census, hackathons, and Civic Hack Nights.
Datamx as a system is diluted among the community; the community is the great builder of the platform’s meaning. It was clear at the ceremony that this has been a small part of the journey we’ve traveled and can share. More importantly, the message remains that there are many citizens interested in improving the environment and wanting to collaborate, that transparency is better when it is useful, and that today is a great day we celebrate with you.
Post originally written for Codeando México.
Photo by TomHall NZ.