Civic Data Education Series
  • Civic Data Education Series
    • About
    • License
    • Instructor Guide
    • Feedback
  • Segment 1: Introducing Civic Data
    • Module 1.1: Introduction to Open Civic Data
    • Module 1.2: The Lifecycle of Open Civic Data
    • Module 1.3: A Critical Approach to Open Civic Data
  • Segment 2: Understanding Civic Data Ecosystems
    • Module 2.1: Identifying Civic Data Intermediaries
    • Module 2.2: Introduction to Civic Data Ecosystems
      • Module 2.2 Activities
    • Module 2.3: Assessing the Civic Data Needs of Communities
  • Segment 3: Preparing Libraries for Sharing their Data
    • Module 3.1: Selecting and Sharing Open Data
      • Module 3.1 Activities
    • Module 3.2: Protecting Privacy
    • Module 3.3: Metadata for Open Civic Data
    • Module 3.4: Data Documentation for Open Civic Data
      • Modules 3.3 & 3.4 Activities
    • Module 3.5: File Formats for Open Civic Data
  • Segment 4: Community Engagement through Civic Data
    • Module 4.1: Defining Data Visualization
    • Module 4.2: Telling Stories with Data
    • Module 4.3: Outreach on Open Civic Data
  • Segment 5: Using Civic Data
    • Module 5.1: Asking Data Driven Questions
    • Module 5.2: Answering Data Driven Questions Computationally
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  • Introduction
  • Instructional Materials
  • Video
  • Script and Slide Deck
  • Activities
  • Resources
  1. Segment 3: Preparing Libraries for Sharing their Data

Module 3.4: Data Documentation for Open Civic Data

PreviousModule 3.3: Metadata for Open Civic DataNextModules 3.3 & 3.4 Activities

Last updated 2 years ago

Introduction

This is the second of two modules on metadata and documentation. In this module, we consider the ways that open data initiatives have approached creating and managing the information about data, or metadata. We will build an understanding of the importance of data documentation for supporting understanding and reuse of civic open data.

Guiding Questions

  • What is metadata and data documentation and why are they important to open civic data sharing?

  • How does data documentation impact the interpretation of data?

  • How can information professionals create data documentation that makes open civic data easier to use and understand?

Vignette

To support the usage of their Wi-Fi data, the librarian creates metadata for the dataset shared through the open data portal and creates a data dictionary and readme file that supports the reuse of the data. They also create a civic data guide, based on the LibGuide model, that provides information about why and how the data was collected, the organizational context in which it was collected, and the limitations of the data. The librarian also seeks out qualitative stories to contextualize the data to include in this guide.

Instructional Materials

Video

Video Files

Script and Slide Deck

Script and Slide Deck Files

Activities

There are two activities that support modules 3.3 and 3.4. We recommend engaging with both modules before completing the activities.

Activities for Modules 3.3 and 3.4 are available on their own sub-page: Modules 3.3 & 3.4 Activities

Resources

Module 3.4 Captioned Video: Data Documentation for Open Civic Data
Data User Guides • WPRDCWPRDC
Data user guides are an expansion of data documentation, providing users with an understanding of the context for data creation and examples of the data in use. The Western Pennsylvania Regional Data Center offers example data guides that they have created for open civic datasets and a template that can guide creation of this documentation. Citation: Western Pennsylvania Regional Data Center. "Data User Guides."
http://www.wprdc.org/data-user-guides/
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Module3.4_CaptionedRecording.mp4
Module 3.4 Captioned Video: Data Documentation for Open Civic Data MP4 File
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Module3.4_UncaptionedRecording.mp4
Module 3.4 Uncaptioned Video: Data Documentation for Open Civic Data MP4 File
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Module3.4_Script.docx
Module 3.4 Script: Data Documentation for Open Civic Data Word Document File
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Module3.4_Script.pdf
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Module 3.4 Script: Data Documentation for Open Civic Data PDF File
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Module3.4_Slides.pptx
Module 3.4 Slides: Data Documentation for Open Civic Data PowerPoint Fiile
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Module3.4_Slides.pdf
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Module 3.4 Slides: Data Documentation for Open Civic Data PDF Fiile