Happy new year! In celebration, I’m excited to share news about a big milestone in the evolution of the Open Referral Initiative: Open Referral is now fiscally sponsored by Aspiration, a 501c3 organization that provides facilitation and capacity-building support to nonprofit technology initiatives. Continue reading
update
Upgrade: the Human Services Data Specification version 1.1
by Tim Davies of the Open Data Services Cooperative
After two years of testing, feedback, and deliberation across the Open Referral initiative, we’ve just upgraded the Human Services Data Specification to version 1.1.
Check HSDS v1.1 out here. If you have questions or feedback, you can comment there directly on the site or discuss the changes in our Github issue tracker; you can also join the conversation in the Open Referral Google Group.
Continue reading
Leveling up: documentation improvements and spec upgrade
Last year, Open Referral introduced Version 1.0 of the Human Services Data Specification — an open data exchange format designed to make it easier for different organizations to share standardized information about the health, human, and social services available to people in need. Since then, a broad range of organizations have used the HSDS to make resource directory data easier to find and use in new ways in their communities.
We’ve received a lot of great feedback along the way, and we’re now ready to put this learning into action — by improving the HSDS itself, and making it easier for people and organizations to use.
This upgrade cycle has already begun: the Open Data Services Cooperative (read their introduction here) has already taken a series of steps to make it easier to understand, comment upon, and work with the HSDS.
Introducing our new documentation
First of all, Open Referral now has our very own Github organization, which hosts our data specification and associated materials. You can check us out here. Continue reading
Meet the Open Data Services Cooperative
This post is from Tim Davies, founding member of the Open Data Services Co-operative.
We’re really delighted to announce the Open Data Services Co-operative’s new collaboration with Open Referral on the Miami Open 211 project, and on wider developments of the Human Services Data Specification (HSDS).
At the Open Data Services Co-operative, we’re passionate about helping people publish and use open data for social impact, particularly where data standards are involved. We believe that data standards are a key part of shared infrastructure for collaboration. As infrastructure, standards need a lot of behind the scenes design, development and maintenance work. When standards operate well, most users will hardly notice them. When standards are neglected, all sort of opportunities for connection, collaboration and engagement break down. But standards are not just technical — they are fundamentally social: about connecting people as well as information. Continue reading
Annual Review wrap-up: the path ahead
In 2014, we formed a table and conducted research. In 2015, we initiated action. In 2016, we’ll put these ideas to the test, and learn from our work. Based on your feedback so far, here’s what that might look like…
(This note is far from a final word on the matter — please share your own feedback in our community forum and/or directly via email. Thanks for your insights!) Continue reading
Introducing Version 1.0 of the Human Service Data Specification
We’re pleased to announce the release of version 1.0 of the Human Services Data Specification (HSDS, also known as the Open Referral format).
Read the specification here: Google Docs and Github.
The purpose of HSDS is to make it easy for community resource directory data to be exchanged among different kinds of information systems, in order to make information about helpful services easier to produce, find, and use. Continue reading
Final ‘Request for Comment’ period before version 1.0
[Update: Embedded video/notes from Assembly discussions on 12/5.] We’ve just posted version 0.8 of the Human Service Data Specification. Check it out here.
See an example CSV package here, and SQL examples here.
Among various other changes, the model now includes the means to overlay a taxonomy for types of services. It also specifies more sophisticated means of structuring data for precise queries on issues such as languages and hours of operation. There’s already some discussion about it in our community forum here. Continue reading
Version 0.2 of Human Services Data Specification: what’s new, what’s ahead
UPDATE: Version 0.2 Version 0.4 of the Human Services Data Specification (i.e. the Open Referral model) is posted! While working through the ‘alpha’ specification (v0.1) we received in-depth feedback and suggestions from a great cross-section of perspectives, including community resource … Continue reading
Updates to our Strategic Framework: a summary of emerging changes
We’re just past halfway into the first year of the Open Referral Initiative, and I’ve just posted an updated version of our ‘Public Documentation’ — a living document that lays out the strategic framework of this project. You can read … Continue reading