This is an open source initiative, by which we mean that anyone can freely participate in it and even adapt any of our content for their own purposes. There are lots of ways that you might be able to get involved. For example…
Programmers, data scientists, and other technical people…
Check out our Github repo, join our Slack or technical section of our forum. Ask questions — if we don’t know the answers, help us figure them out!
If you live in the area of one of our pilot projects, you can be very helpful indeed. If you don’t live nearby a pilot project that’s already underway, you might be able to help start one yourself. Start by asking people who work in human services in your area about how directory information is currently managed in your community, and how you might help…
Information-and-referral providers…
Read through our data specification, ask any questions that come to mind — and if we don’t know the answers, help us figure them out. Make suggestions for ways to improve the spec.
Even more importantly, identify your own needs: what do you want to see happen? In a world where community resource directory data could flow among systems, where would you want to see if flow? It can be quite valuable to simply scope out an actionable ‘use case’ (some specific action that would benefit some specific set of users).
“I work in health, human, and/or social services.”
You may be one of our most important kinds of participants. Our work only succeeds if it can help you better serve your clients. You can help us identify, scope, and implement a ‘use case,’ in which we facilitate an open data exchange that can improve the deliverability of your services and/or services in your community. Help us get there.
“I don’t code, I’m just a citizen and I want to help!”
There is LOTS of work to be done by people who don’t code! First, read through our documentation, and ask us questions about anything that’s unclear. Then, for example, you might start learning about how information about services gets collected in your community. Talk to the people who are already producing resource directories; see if they’re interested in finding new ways to produce and/or use this information. If so, write a summary of how they do their work and what they say that they need.
NOTE: The most powerful way to help may be to find and build relationships with a group of people who have all of the above experiences. If you can form a team in your community consisting of some combination of civic technologists, service providers, with support from local government and/or funders, we will help you launch a pilot Open Referral project!
Posted in: About Open Referral, Organizational Questions