Creating Portland's open data digital commons

This proposal is about building a data library and catalog of open dataset from an equity catalog provided by the Office of Equity and Human Rights at the City of Portland. This extensive list includes datasets that can be (1) openly available as open data, (2) available for processing, (3) available only for visualization, and (4) not available and placed in a Wishlist.
These datasets can be in different formats including maps (GIS), tables (as csv and other table formats) and databases access (via APIs). The city will provide a catalog and initial open datasets for testing and development.
The City is collaborating with local organizations on trying to build digital commons, including a common data lake that service our region. This project is perceived as a proof of concept to this shared data lake with open datasets. This new shared library will become a common digital asset that will enable exploring digital governance, emergent sustainable economic models, and the development of services to keep datasets updated and valuable to the Portland community.
Part of this exploration will be to find some recommendations on what architecture and tools (preferable open source) can be used as part of this digital commons. 
 

Objectives


Explore an architecture for what an open data stack would look like (we are looking into DKAN, but open to other options).

Implement a stack in the cloud that enables an open data cataloging for the regional equity data sources. We will provide with a list and open data samples owned by the City of Portland.

Provide documentation and initial ingestions and publishing data pipelines

Explore use of CD/CI procedures that may support future developments and enhancement of this system.

Motivations


The City of Portland needs to be able to share and access regional data from different sources contributing to a common pool of information. However, the City has not been able to identify and, therefore, implement this ideal for a data lake that could become a regional digital commons in the Portland metropolitan area.
The ongoing need to prioritize equitable outcomes require good quality and accessible data that can be used in projects, analysis, and model development. Making this data open and accessible to the public can facilitate reproducibility, and third-party validation of analysis. 
Open data in general is a tool for improving trust in government and motivate public engagement and participation.
Regarding the exploration of digital commons, they come with challenges that include identifying risks (security, privacy, management, capacity and talent) and how to make these digital services financially viable and sustainable. We cannot start any of these analysis without an initial test best. 
This project will help to configure an initial stack for regional digital commons in Portland, Oregon. 
 

Qualifications


Minimum Qualifications:
  • Full stack development experience
  • Installation and management of open-source software
  • Cloud services experience
  • Data ingestion and ETL systems
  • Basic UX experience with data systems
  • General user management experience
  • General project management experience
  • Reporting and basic documentation drafting experience

Preferred Qualifications:
  • Open-source licensing knowledge
  • Continuous development/continuous integration experience
  • API development experience
  • Open data and data cataloging experience
  • Experience developing and documenting data procedures and policies


Details


Project Partner:

Hector Data

NDA/IPA:

No Agreement Required

Number Groups:

1

Project Status:

Accepting Applicants

Website:
https://www.portland.gov/bps/smart-city-pdx/open-data-program
Video:
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/pucm5jorhf3lstmpev5x9/Meeting-with-Dominguez-Aguirre-Hector-20240829_134528-Meeting-Recording.mp4?rlkey=eis20n8cz2s6utesueijyc08i&st=nm8pzrzm&dl=0
Keywords:
WebOperations / CloudData ScienceHCI / UX / UIData EngineeringConsultancy
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