How London Black Cabbie are using Social Media and Data to improve their own performance November 22nd, 2011 by Guest Blogger You all know that Black Cab Drivers have a lot to say for themselves, right? Well, a private Twitter account has been giving drivers the chance to tell each other what is going on around the Capital, and has helped turn an idea hatched by 2 drivers in the back of their cabs, into a…
London Fire Brigade to set Twittersphere alight with Bonfire Night tweets November 4th, 2011 by Guest Blogger This Saturday London Fire Brigade is set to hold the world’s first live Bonfire Night twitterthon (@LondonFire <http://twitter.com/londonfire> ). You may be wondering why; well, the answer is simple – we’re concerned that the number of fires could rocket this year due to Guy Fawkes night falling on a Saturday. The last time Bonfire Night…
Open Data in Ireland – where are we now? September 20th, 2011 by Guest Blogger Fingal Open Data was launched 10 months ago today and became the first Open Data website in the Republic of Ireland. At the time of the launch we looked forward to our site being joined by many more Irish Open Data sites from both Local and Central Government. However, 10 months on, Fingal Open Data…
London gets real-time bus information… at last! September 12th, 2011 by Guest Blogger In one of the most significant new data releases of the year, London Buses have this week released live bus departure information for every stop in London on countdown.tfl.gov.uk. This is a beta service to test the system, and users should read the release notes for further details. This release follows the publication of public…
A Lobbying Opportunity for Digital Agencies August 3rd, 2011 by Guest Blogger During the process of creating and developing an online community of Creative Agencies, as we have recently at http://siliconjunction.co.uk/, we find ourselves frequently presented with new opportunities to better represent that community – often in ways we hadn’t previously anticipated. One of these opportunities is lobbying. Agencies have already found themselves lobbying for obvious desirables…
The Place Station July 6th, 2011 by Guest Blogger People living and working across the capital have fantastic ideas about how to transform their neighbourhoods through social enterprise, but often don’t know where to start when it comes to identifying the premises and support that they need. Where can I find a space to try out my idea? How can I meet and talk…
Sense & the City – London Transport Museum May 20th, 2011 by Guest Blogger 1 July 2011 – 31 March 2012 This summer a new exhibition about London opens at London Transport Museum – you could be part of it. Sense & the City explores the powerful new forces that are shaping the way we live, work and travel in the city. GPS, pervasive wireless, sensing, near field communication,…
Can Crowdsourcing Improve Open Data? May 13th, 2011 by Guest Blogger What happens when open data is wrong? Can crowdsourcing improve it? Often, open data enthusiasts assume that the next step after the release of some government data is a smart phone app or cool visualisation. I’m more interested in collaborating on the data itself. I’ve been working on a project called OpenEcoMaps and I’ve made use…
Data tales from the Tavern – Greenwich Peninsula an exemplar for future living? April 27th, 2011 by Guest Blogger The Fantastic Tavern (TFT) is a meeting of minds online and at welcoming hostelries; a community of brand and agency digital planners & creatives who share insights, expertise, experience and beer. On 14th April 2011 50+ Taverners, some old some new, convened at The Horniman on the Southbank to discuss the hot topic of Digital Government;…
Where’s the loo? Making data on public toilets more widely available April 21st, 2011 by Guest Blogger The London Assembly is trying to help improve the quality of data published about public toilets in London, and we would appreciate your help. Over the past few months the Health and Public Services Committee has been investigating the provision of public toilets http://www.london.gov.uk/assembly_investigation/public-toilets across the capital. We know that many Londoners – especially older…
Know Where To Go April 13th, 2011 by Guest Blogger Today we’ve launched ‘Know Where To Go‘, an online directory of organisations that provide support services for women dealing with the trauma of violence against women including domestic violence, rape, forced marriage, trafficking and prostitution. The directory includes details of services provided by over 200 organisations across London and was put together in conjunction with…
UKCrimeStats and the Cambrian Data Explosion April 11th, 2011 by Guest Blogger Today, the Economic Policy Centre launches a new website, http://www.ukcrimestats.com/ – the country’s first free to view crime-ranking platform for Neighbourhoods, Police Forces and streets with maps, analysis and reports. It has taken many months to develop and brings a number of new capabilities beyond those of the government’s own website, www.police.uk. For example; A unique…
An Open Data Value Chain – Making Data Flowers Bloom March 31st, 2011 by Guest Blogger Earlier this month, colleagues from local and central government, bloggers, community activists and developers got together at an event organised by @Madwdata – making a difference with data http://www.madwdata.org.uk/ to discuss how open public data could be used to make a difference. The Making a Difference with Data project is trying to identify what data…
Camden Data March 29th, 2011 by Guest Blogger Camden Council is the latest local authority to launch a local data store, Camden Data, at www.camdendata.info, as part of its commitment to transparency. The site launched this month with about 200 datasets, including data that hasn’t been previously published or has been difficult to find on the council and other websites. This is very…
NHS London Data Update March 19th, 2011 by Guest Blogger NHS London makes yet more NHS data publically available as part of the government’s Information Revolution. In this latest update NHS London has made available previously unpublished data about the number of stroke patients taken by ambulance under ‘blue light’ conditions direct to a Hyper Acute Stroke Unit. We have also updated data about stroke,…
Hyp3rlocal March 17th, 2011 by Guest Blogger The web is a big place and growing rapidly, both in terms of sheer physical size and complexity. Against that backdrop, tools for communicating have never been more ubiquitous or simple to use. The democratisation of content and the explosion of mobile computing has led us to a point where we are always connected and…
NHS Information Revolution Continues February 11th, 2011 by Guest Blogger NHS London is continuing to make NHS data publically available as part of the government’s Information Revolution. In this latest update NHS London has made available previously unpublished data relating to major trauma, mental health and Londoners’ satisfaction with the NHS. We have also updated data relating to maternity services to include the very latest…
Using Data to Create Distinctive Social Markings February 8th, 2011 by Guest Blogger Some interesting stories are beginning to be told through data and infographics. Microsoft (http://obieosobalu.wordpress.com/2011/01/27/infographic-an-overview-of-the-history-of-microsoft-in-the-last-10-years/) Foursquare and Old Spice have all put some useful examples together recently. The great patrons of this art are likely to be the corporations who, just like those of the Renaissance, have the means and the desire to develop their social profile…
Imperial College Launches it’s New Web-Based Service for Patients Undergoing Knee Replacement Surgery February 1st, 2011 by Guest Blogger This month in Charing Cross Hospital, West London (part of Imperial College NHS Trust) we launched a new service called myJoint. myJoint gives patients more information and greater control, improving their care experiences and allowing us as clinicians to keep track on how our patients are doing once they leave hospital. We hope that our…
Join the debate at London’s Clinical Senate December 17th, 2010 by Guest Blogger NHS London has started to make NHS data publically available as part of the government’s Information Revolution. There is a range of views about how data should be published and what is the most important kind of information for clinicians and for patients. The data is available on Datastore and on NHS London’s website here:…
From journalists to interpreters – is data changing the way we work? August 2nd, 2010 by Guest Blogger “We will unleash a tsunami of data”. So said our Downing Street contact in the weeks after the election. And so it’s proven to be, from the numbers of civil servants and what they get paid (http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2010/jun/18/civil-service-statistics-headcount) to the salaries of Westminster advisors (http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2010/jun/13/government-special-advisers-list). Those would have been enough to keep us happy, but then…
