Open Data Review Board Vacancy

Cambridge City Manager Louis A. DePasquale is seeking to fill a vacancy on Cambridge’s Open Data Review Board and is looking for representatives from public, private, academic, or nonprofit sectors with expertise in or relevant experience with Open Data.

The city’s Open Data Program makes government data easily available in useful formats, and is intended to increase transparency, foster engagement among residents, and create new opportunities for collaboration between Cambridge and the public.

The Review Board, comprised of at least three residents and four or more city employees, will meet quarterly to help ensure that the program balances its goals of transparency and accessibility with the city’s obligation to protect private, confidential, and sensitive information.

The Board will make recommendations to the City Manager and Open Data Program Manager on policies, rules, and standards related to Cambridge’s Open Data Program, including methods for determining the appropriate level of accessibility for new datasets and timelines for making new datasets available.

Specifically, the Review Board will help answer the following questions:

• What privacy and security standards should Cambridge adopt as it assesses potential open datasets?
• What data quality standards should be in place to ensure the accuracy and reliability of Cambridge's open datasets?
• What best practices should Cambridge employ to make use of its own open datasets in order to improve city operations?
• How might Cambridge align open data initiatives with the city's other strategic initiatives?
• How should Cambridge engage and educate the broader community— including residents, businesses, and research institutions—to maximize use of the city's open data?
• How might Cambridge partner with other municipalities, government entities, and institutions in the open data space?
• How should Cambridge market the open data program internally to improve participation among city departments?

For more information about Open Data Review Board, contact Josh Wolff, jwolff@cambridgema.gov. The deadline for submitting applications is June 4, 2018. Applications can be submitted to City Manager Louis A. DePasquale using the City’s online application system at cambridgema.gov/apply. A cover letter and resume or applicable experience can be submitted during the online application process. Paper applications are available in the City Manager’s Office at Cambridge City Hall, 795 Massachusetts Avenue.