Tag Archives: Open data

FOSS4G NA 2016 is in Raleigh from May 2-5

FOSS4GNA_2016FOSS4G NA is coming to Raleigh! The conference will be held on May 2-5, 2016 in the Raleigh Convention Center.

FOSS4G stands for Free and Open Source Software for Geospatial. This annual North American conference, a collaborative event organized jointly by OSGeo and LocationTech, is the pre-eminent conference for developers working with geospatial technologies. Continue reading

Cristobal Lights Up the NC Surf Scene

cristobal_bipie_23All my research was complete and the call was made for the morning: Emerald Isle was the spot, fingers crossed. Hurricane Cristobal was sitting off the coast, pumping in swell. I used a combination of MagicSeaWeed and SwellInfo to help me pinpoint a surf location—be sure to check out my post Surfing the open data wave that highlights how open data is used by surf forecasting tools. As a surfer stuck inland, if I’m getting in the car to drive two plus hours, I want to maximize my time. Continue reading

Book Chapter 1: What is open source?

If you’re curious about open source, here is an excerpt describing what open source is in plain English from The Foundation for an Open Source City, a book that explores the five elements of an open source city. If you missed the introduction, be sure to check that out too. There is also a great resource on opensource.com that answers What is open source software?

Chapter 1: Defining an open source city

Before we define the elements of an open source city, it’s important to establish a baseline of knowledge. The concepts of open source, open government, and open data are new to many citizens. In order to make our government more transparent, participatory, and collaborative, we’ll need to start by exploring these definitions. Continue reading

Writing a book about Raleigh being an open source city

It’s about time to come out of hibernation mode and come out swinging for 2013. I’ve been quiet the last two weeks. Red Hat had their annual holiday shut down from December 24 to January 1 and I decided to extend that until January 3. I head back to the office this Friday.

Over the last two weeks, I spent some time with the family, did a lot of running (I made my goal of running 1,000 miles in 2012), and I played a little too much Skylanders Giants.

Before the break, I was contemplating writing a book about the open government movement in Raleigh with a focus on the characteristics of an open source city. I jotted down a few title ideas and drafted an outline in early December one Saturday morning. And I sat on that for a week or two. Letting the idea marinate. Continue reading

Duck diving into online surf forecasts

Hurricane KatiaDuring hurricane season, my attention turns to the Atlantic Ocean. I keep an eye on swell-producing storms and use a variety of forecasting tools to get to the right spot for the best surf. But I never really thought about the data behind the tools I use.

There are many different stats brought together by today’s forecasting technology: Continue reading

Blazing an open data trail

Where do you start to standardize legislative information for all 50 United States? Blazing an open data trail for one state government isn’t easy, so shifting 50 must be nearly impossible. Or is it? The Open State Project is making progress towards the impossible—and closing in on the goal.

When I first heard about this project I thought, that’s cool—I wonder how they do it? Then I thought, this must be a nightmare. Can you imagine trying to scrape, sanitize, and standardize data from hundreds of different sources? Continue reading