Information requirements to create public value: sharing and opening data to address urban blight

Abstract

Purpose Blighted and vacant properties represent a persistent and costly problem for cities and local governments throughout the USA. The purpose of this paper is to identify data needs and requirements for value creation in the context of urban blight. The main assumption is that sharing and opening data through a robust and effective code enforcement program will facilitate more informed management, mitigation and remediation of blighted and vacant properties. Code enforcement programs must be grounded on organizational and technical infrastructures that enable data sharing and value creation for the city and the communities that share its space. Design/methodology/approach In this paper, the information needs and realities of a city’s code enforcement environment are described, based on data gathered through a series of workshops and focus groups with a range of stakeholders, which included city government departments, police, fire, bank representatives, realtors and community groups. Findings The analysis reveals key data elements that could potentially help to build a code enforcement program to better manage the cycles and costs of urban blight. Although some of these data elements already exist, and are public, they are not easily accessible to key stakeholders. The paper ends with sets of short-term and long-term recommendations for establishing an information-sharing infrastructure, which would serve as the main conduit for exchanging code enforcement data among a number of city government departments and the public that may play a role in managing urban blight and its consequences. Originality/value In this paper, the authors are connecting extant literature on sharing and opening data with literature on the creation of public value. They argue that sharing and opening government data constitute effective ways of managing the costs and cycles of urban blight while creating value. As a result of an initial assessment of data and information requirements, the authors also point to specific data and its potential value from stakeholder perspective.

Methods to Capture User Information Needs: Design Principles for Open Data Intermediaries and Data Providers

“…The design principles presented in this paper originally combine previous research and approaches to capture information needs. The limited research about information needs within OGD research focuses on identifying needs in a specific context by researchers (e.g., Barbosa Tavares et al, 2011;De Tuya et al, 2017;Hogan et al, 2017;Paulus et al, 2018). This approach limits the generalizability, as information needs are determined by social roles, environments, previous knowledge, and experiences (Wilson, 1981).…”

“…They have developed strategies to overcome the difficulties for the users to express information needs. One such method is to involve the users in collaborative workshops (Barbosa Tavares, Hepworth, & De Souza Costa, 2011;De Tuya, Cook, Sutherland, & Luna-Reyes, 2017;Hogan et al, 2017;Staron, Meding, & Baniasad, 2019). Barbosa Tavares et al (2011) used techniques including scene setting, brainstorming, cards for people to express ideas, individual and group work, and discussions as they are efficient to help people identify their information needs.…”

“…Previous OGD research that study methods to capture information needs are scarce, and have focused on how OGD can empower citizens (Barbosa Tavares et al, 2011), how to engage intermediaries to create value (De Tuya et al, 2017;Hogan et al, 2017), or how to develop an OGD solution that solves a specific issue (Paulus et al, 2018). The users' information needs are to elicit to reuse OGD, but the researchers' aim was not the development of methods or guidelines that tackle this challenge.…”

“…Rationale: Information needs are difficult to express spontaneously and in words (e.g., people have dormant information needs, unexpressed needs, misguided needs (Shenton, 2007). Collective workshop has been proven to be an efficient technique to identify people's information needs (Barbosa Tavares et al, 2011;De Tuya et al, 2017;Hogan et al, 2017;Staron et al, 2019). Creative tools, e.g., generative tools, can help participants to express latent needs, thoughts and feelings (Sanders, 2002;Sanders & Stappers, 2008), and idea writing techniques ensure input from a diverse range of people and temperaments (Staron et al, 2019;Warfield, 1994).…”

Creating Value Through Information and Knowledge Flow: Lessons from the Public Sector Applied to the Private Sector

“…Through adoption and continuous maintenance, an information sharing infrastructure would become ingrained in the operation of all involved parties defining their roles and contributions and benefits (Gal, Lyytinen, & Youngjin, 2008). De Tuya, Cook, Sutherland, and Luna-Reyes (2017) found that having a common definition for specific data points to be shared allowed public agencies and their external partners to provide better services to their citizens by knowing exactly what their roles and responsibilities were in the execution of single- or multi-agency efforts, and thus created public value.…”