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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  • Activity 1: Missing Metadata
  • Activity 2: Review of Data Guide
  1. Segment 3: Preparing Libraries for Sharing their Data
  2. Module 3.4: Data Documentation for Open Civic Data

Modules 3.3 & 3.4 Activities

PreviousModule 3.4: Data Documentation for Open Civic DataNextModule 3.5: File Formats for Open Civic Data

Last updated 2 years ago

These activities support Modules 3.3 and 3.4. We recommend completing both modules before the exercise.

Activity 1: Missing Metadata

Overview: Through this exercise, we will consider the importance of metadata for supporting the understandability and reuse of open civic datasets. Through this activity, we will build an understanding of the importance of metadata for understanding datasets and the need for quality metadata in open data portals.

This activity can be done individually or in pairs. This exercise should be completed after Modules 3.3 and 3.4.

Supplies: A computer or Internet-connected device

Time: 20-30 minutes

Activity:

  1. Set-up: If doing this activity in a group, divide into pairs. Each pair should have an Internet-connected device. The following files are two data files shared on an open data portal. Note that these files are available both as an Excel spreadsheet and a csv file (an open file format).

Select one of these datasets to explore in this activity:

2. Review the data: Spend 10 minutes examining the data file and capturing your observations:

  • What can you infer from the dataset file alone?

  • What are you unable to infer without metadata and data documentation?

  • What do you think this dataset file is capturing?

3. Access the dataset on the data portal. When you are ready, refer to the key, which includes links to the data on the data portal. There, you will find metadata and data dictionaries.

4. Reflect

Return to your observations about your selected dataset. Individually or with your partner, consider the following:

  • Do the metadata and data disciplinary address what you were unable to infer from the dataset file alone?

  • Are there aspects of the dataset that remain unclear?

  • How can the metadata and data dictionary be improved or made more clear?

  • What did this exercise reveal to you about the role and importance of metadata for open civic data?

5. Debrief [if completing this activity in a group]

Reconvene as a group, sharing your perspectives on: What did this exercise reveal to you about the role and importance of metadata for open civic data?

Activity Files:

Activity 2: Review of Data Guide

Overview: Data guides are, as Catherine D’Ignazio and Lauren Klein explain, “simple, written documents that each contain a narrative portrait of a dataset. They describe, among other things, the purpose and application of the data; the history, format, and standards; the organizational context; other analyses and stories that have used the dataset; and the limitations and ethical implications of the dataset” (p. 169).

This activity can be done individually, with group reflection time.

Supplies: A computer or Internet-connected device

Time: 20-30 minutes

Activity:

1. Select a data guide for review

The following are examples by the Western Pennsylvania Regional Data Center:

    • Supports several datasets outlined on the guide

    • Supports several datasets outlined on the guide

2. Review the data guide

Evaluate the guide and capture your observations in a quick write response:

  • How is the data guide organized? What components are included?

  • How does it support and augment the metadata available in the portal, including the data dictionary and the readme file?

  • Put yourself in the position of a data user. Would this data guide empower you to make use of the data, by providing you with additional context?

  • Put yourself in the position of a librarian providing data literacy or data reference support. How might you use data guides in your own work?

3. Debrief

If in a group, share with one another your observations from the quick write activity.

Works Cited

D’Ignazio, Catherine and Lauren F. Klein. Data Feminism. The MIT Press, 2020.

Activity Files:

The creation of data guides by civic data intermediaries is an emergent practice. In this exercise, we will explore an example of a data guide developed by one data intermediary, the

Supports the

Supports

Western Pennsylvania Regional Data Center.
Allegheny County Property Assessment Data User Guide
Allegheny County Property Assessments Data
City of Pittsburgh 311 Data User Guide
311 Data
Guide to Crime, Courts, and Corrections in the City of Pittsburgh
A Guide for Data Related to Cardiovascular Disease Risk in Allegheny County
17KB
ActivityDataset1.xlsx
Activity Dataset Option 1 XLSX (Excel) File
16KB
ActivityDataset1.csv
Activity Dataset Option 1 CSV File
177KB
ActivityDataset2.xlsx
Activity Dataset Option 2 XLSX (Excel) File
234KB
ActivityDataset2.csv
Activity Dataset Option 2 CSV File
358KB
Module3.3_3.4_ActivityKey.docx
Activity Dataset Key Word Document File
78KB
Module3.3_3.4_ActivityKey.pdf
pdf
Activity Dataset Key PDF File
360KB
Module3.3_3.4_Activity1.docx
Module 3.3 and 3.4 Activity 1: Missing Metadata Word Document File
107KB
Module3.3_3.4_Activity1.pdf
pdf
Module 3.3 and 3.4 Activity 1: Missing Metadata PDF File
358KB
Module3.3_3.4_Activity2.docx
Module 3.3 and 3.4 Activity 2: Review of Data Guide Word Document File
89KB
Module3.3_3.4_Activity2.pdf
pdf
Module 3.3 and 3.4 Activity 2: Review of Data Guide PDF File