Abstract
The objectives of Open Government Data (OGD) are to promote transparency, accountability, and collaboration with the public. Structural issues within Canada’s Subnational OGD and limited governance of urban data collection technologies have led to public concerns about ethical data collection, privacy, and digital human rights. Additionally, OGD research is often purpose-driven evaluating parts of the system from a technical perspective and forgoes what data means to us as humans living in cities. This research examines OGD use in Canada’s cities from a values-based and system-wide perspective. The information used was gathered through a literature review, 24 semi-structured interviews, and horizon scanning and synthesized using design thinking, strategic foresight, and systems thinking methodology. The purpose of this research is to provide OGD decision makers and open data advocates with the principles for designing a data sharing future that supports human values. First, this research investigates the current data sharing system by combining system mapping, orthodoxies, and the Causal Layered Analysis (CLA). Second, this research imagines new ways of thinking about data in 2036 that challenge the current system structure. Three alternative future scenarios are explored using CLAs to identify areas of critical uncertainty for policy making. Last, this research submits decision making principles drawn from design thinking, systems thinking and intersectional feminist epistemology to humanize data. These principles could result in more urban initiatives targeting emerging human needs and citizen participation in policy making. The principles could support human-centered governance initiatives and as a result benefit Canadians’ health, safety, and wellbeing.
Presenters
Hannah ChafetzStudent, Master of Design, Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD) University, Ontario, Canada
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Data, Cities, Human Values, Foresight, Systems Thinking, Digital Government, Tech
