Sameer Vasta is a former public servant with the Ontario Cabinet office and employee with the World Bank. Now, he’s a communications & policy manager with the MaRS Data Catalyst and in today’s episode, Sameer describes how Open Government & Open Data can create new economies and foster social entrepreneurship.

Sameer Vasta 
https://twitter.com/vasta

Richard Pietro
https://twitter.com/richardpietro

MaRS Data Catalyst
http://www.marsdd.com/systems-change/data-catalyst/

Green Button
http://greenbuttondata.ca/

Music: Sheryl's Crush
http://sherylscrush.com/


Sameer Vasta - Let Them Make Money

Bianca Wylie from the Canadian Open Data Institute explains one of the fundamental problems with Open Data:  It is intimidating.  Bianca tells us how we can make it less intimidating by making Open Data relevant in terms that just about anyone can understand.

Bianca Wylie
https://twitter.com/biancawylie

Canadian Open Data Institute
http://opendatainstitute.ca/

Bike Share Toronto Hackathon summary
http://blog.abhinav.ca/blog/2014/08/19/hackathon-bike-share-toronto/

Sameer Vasta
https://twitter.com/vasta

Richard Pietro
https://twitter.com/richardpietro

Music: Sheryl's Crush
http://sherylscrush.com/


Bianca Wylie - Harming Ourselves

Paul Fairie, Founder of CityBlocs.ca and Political Science instructor at the University of Calgary tells us how people care about what's in Data, but don't necessarily look at the Data itself. He suggests that visualization can be an answer to that problem.

Paul Fairie
https://twitter.com/paulisci

CityBlocs.ca
http://cityblocs.ca/

Sameer Vasta
https://twitter.com/vasta

Richard Pietro
https://twitter.com/richardpietro

Music: Sheryl's Crush
http://sherylscrush.com/

Paul Fairie - Dots & Lines

Harvey Low from the City of Toronto’s Social Research & Information Management Unit talks about balancing the spirit of “Open by Default” while still protecting citizen's privacy.

Toronto Social Policy Analysis & Research
http://www1.toronto.ca/wps/portal/contentonly?vgnextoid=baab186e20ee0410VgnVCM10000071d60f89RCRD

Sameer Vasta
https://twitter.com/vasta

Richard Pietro
https://twitter.com/richardpietro

Music: Sheryl's Crush
http://sherylscrush.com/

Harvey Low - Tug of War

Louisa Taylor, journalist & communications consultants, tells us about the collaborative power of hackathons and how Open Data can help drive a story, solve challenges, and bring the unusual suspects to the table.

Louisa Taylor
https://twitter.com/louisaINK

Sameer Vasta
https://twitter.com/vasta

Richard Pietro
https://twitter.com/richardpietro

Music: Sheryl's Crush
http://sherylscrush.com/


Louisa Taylor - Data is Scary

Manjit Basi tells us that it that people don’t care or apathetic, it is that they want to create change but feel disconnected from those they feel have the power to make change. Her work with Ottawa’s Citizen Academy is all about creating that connection.

Manjit Basi
https://twitter.com/manjitbasi

Citizens Academy
https://twitter.com/CA_Ottawa

GottaGo Campaign
http://ottawapublictoilets.ca/author/gottagocampaign/

Sameer Vasta
www.twitter.com/vasta

Richard Pietro
www.twitter.com/richardpietro

Music: Sheryl's Crush
www.sherylscrush.com/


Manjit Basi - Create Your Tribe

Mark Gayler of Microsoft Canada explains the opportunities for value-added services to raw data and how large corporations can fit into the social perspective of Open Government & Open Data.

Mark Gayler
https://twitter.com/magayler

Microsoft Openness Team
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/openness/default.aspx

Make Web Not War
http://www.webnotwar.ca/

Sameer Vasta
www.twitter.com/vasta

Richard Pietro
www.twitter.com/richardpietro

Music: Sheryl's Crush
www.sherylscrush.com/

Mark Gayler - Peace and Harmony

Josh McDougall tells us how Bitcoin is an example of how sensitive private information can be protected the principles of "privacy by design."

Josh McDougall
https://twitter.com/Abstr_ct

History of Bitcoin
http://historyofbitcoin.org/

Schemaverse
https://schemaverse.com/

Privacy by Design
http://www.privacybydesign.ca/index.php/about-pbd/7-foundational-principles/

Sameer Vasta
www.twitter.com/vasta

Richard Pietro
www.twitter.com/richardpietro

Music: Sheryl's Crush
www.sherylscrush.com/


Josh McDougall - Huge Open Ledger

This is special dispatch of the OGTpod where we are interviewing the Sherpa of the Community Knowledge Exchange Summit. How did the summit come about and what should participants should expect? Plus, Lee shares with us a few surprises he has in mind of the Summit!

Lee Rose
https://twitter.com/thisLeeRose

CKX Summit
http://live.ckx.org/

Sameer Vasta
www.twitter.com/vasta

Richard Pietro
www.twitter.com/richardpietro

Music: Sheryl's Crush
www.sherylscrush.com/

Dispatch - CKX Summit

Moncton City Councillor, Daniel Bourgeois, tells us the difference between municipal and professional politics, and how that dynamic affects Open Government.

Daniel Bourgeois
http://www.moncton.ca/Government/City_Council/Councillor_Daniel_Bourgeois.htm

Sameer Vasta
www.twitter.com/vasta

Richard Pietro
www.twitter.com/richardpietro

Music: Sheryl's Crush
www.sherylscrush.com/


Daniel Bourgeois - Community Development Officer

Dan Scott, Laurentian University Systems Librarian, explains how we can provide context to data.

Dan Scott
https://twitter.com/denials

Sameer Vasta
www.twitter.com/vasta

Richard Pietro
www.twitter.com/richardpietro

Music: Sheryl's Crush
www.sherylscrush.com/

Dan Scott - Red Flag In Front Of A Bull

Veronique Dryden works with the Region of Peel Open Data Portal team, and that comes with it a very unique perspective on Open Government & Open Data.

Veronique Dryden
https://www.linkedin.com/pub/veronique-dryden/3/899/536

Sameer Vasta
www.twitter.com/vasta

Richard Pietro
www.twitter.com/richardpietro

Music: Sheryl's Crush
www.sherylscrush.com/

Veronique Dryden - Sharing Everything

David Wrate from British Columbia's Open Data team shares his secrets on creating a leading Open Data portal, and how it goes beyond just the Data.

David Wrate
https://twitter.com/David_R8

Data B.C.
https://twitter.com/Data_BC

Sameer Vasta
www.twitter.com/vasta

Richard Pietro
www.twitter.com/richardpietro

Music: Sheryl's Crush
www.sherylscrush.com/

David Wrate - Taking A Flyer

Anne Marie Aikins shares the approach on how Metrolinx has chosen to communicate with the public about "The Big Move" ...and it goes well beyond just a handful of tweets!

Anne Marie Aikins
https://twitter.com/femwriter

Metrolinx
https://twitter.com/Metrolinx

The Big Move
http://www.metrolinx.com/en/regionalplanning/bigmove/big_move.aspx

Sameer Vasta
www.twitter.com/vasta

Richard Pietro
www.twitter.com/richardpietro

Music: Sheryl's Crush
www.sherylscrush.com/

Anne Marie Aikins - We Can Do Better

Jean-Noé Landry explains the roots of Open North and how they've been able to become one of the World's most respected Open Data/Government Organization.

Open North
https://twitter.com/opennorth

CitizenBudget
http://www.citizenbudget.com/

Sameer Vasta
www.twitter.com/vasta

Richard Pietro
www.twitter.com/richardpietro

Music: Sheryl's Crush
www.sherylscrush.com/

Jean-Noé Landry - Hacking Corruption

Tracey Lauriault is one of the most respected voices in the Open Government & Data community and in this episode she shares the stories of Canada's early days in Data Management.

Tracey Lauriault
https://twitter.com/TraceyLauriault

CivicAccess Listserv
http://civicaccess.ca/

Sameer Vasta
www.twitter.com/vasta

Richard Pietro
www.twitter.com/richardpietro

Music: Sheryl's Crush
www.sherylscrush.com/

Tracey Lauriault - Institutional Memory

Rob Giggey with the City of Ottawa explains how something as simple as a random blog can lead to monumental change.

Rob Giggey
https://twitter.com/rob_giggey

Ottawa Open Data Portal
http://ottawa.ca/en/mobile-apps-and-open-data/open-data-ottawa

Sameer Vasta
www.twitter.com/vasta

Richard Pietro
www.twitter.com/richardpietro

Music: Sheryl's Crush
www.sherylscrush.com/

Rob Giggey - Really Great Timing

Dennis Lewycky is Executive Director of the Social Planning Council of Winnipeg and he explains how information plays a role for civic leaders.

Dennis Lewycky
https://www.linkedin.com/pub/dennis-lewycky/53/739/405

Social Planning Council of Winnipeg
http://www.spcw.mb.ca/

Sameer Vasta
www.twitter.com/vasta

Richard Pietro
www.twitter.com/richardpietro

Music: Sheryl's Crush
www.sherylscrush.com/

Dennis Lewycky - Currency of Democracy

Co-hosts, Sameer and Richard, look back at Season 1 of the Open Government Podcast...our expectations, favourite moments, and what to expect for Season 2!

Sameer Vasta
www.twitter.com/vasta

Richard Pietro
www.twitter.com/richardpietro

Music: Sheryl's Crush
www.sherylscrush.com/

Season 1 Recap

Michael Lenczner is the CEO of Ajah, a software company that uses open and public data to help funders and non-profits better understand the patterns, and specifically the risks and opportunities in their funding environment.

Michael Lenczner
www.twitter.com/mlenc

Ajah
www.ajah.ca

Sameer Vasta
www.twitter.com/vasta

Richard Pietro
www.twitter.com/richardpietro

Music: Sheryl's Crush
www.sherylscrush.com/

Michael Lenczner - The New Momentum

Mary Agnes Welch, Journalist with the Winnipeg Free Press, talks about how the Access to Information Act is failing Canadians.

Mary Agnes Welch
https://twitter.com/mawwelch

Sameer Vasta
www.twitter.com/vasta

Richard Pietro
www.twitter.com/richardpietro

Music: Sheryl's Crush
www.sherylscrush.com/


Mary Agnes Welch (Winnipeg Free Press) - It's All Paper Documents

Jonathan Reichental (Part 1), CIO for the City of Palo Alto, tells us how an evolving culture of government innovation and “lean” methods helped them launch an Open Data Portal in only six weeks.

Jonathan Reichental
https://twitter.com/Reichental

Sameer Vasta
www.twitter.com/vasta

Richard Pietro
www.twitter.com/richardpietro

Music: Sheryl's Crush
www.sherylscrush.com/


Jonathan Reichental (City of Palo Alto) - Part 1 - Do Something Bigger

Howard Tam, Principal and Founder of the ThinkFresh Group, takes part in a roundtable discussion about the City of Toronto’s Web Revitalization consultation session that took place on January 29, 2015

Howard Tam
https://twitter.com/htamTO

Sameer Vasta
www.twitter.com/vasta

Richard Pietro
www.twitter.com/richardpietro

Music: Sheryl's Crush
www.sherylscrush.com/


Howard Tam (Part 1) - Consultation Time

Ric Marrero, Director of Marketing, Communications, and Membership for the Association of Canadian Pension Management, tells us how individuals citizens have very little input in the creation of regulations.

Association of Canadian Pension Management
http://www.acpm.com/

Sameer Vasta
www.twitter.com/vasta

Richard Pietro
www.twitter.com/richardpietro

Music: Sheryl's Crush
www.sherylscrush.com/


Ric Marrero - People Get Surprised

Jean-Francois Gauthier, Founder of the Institute on Digital Governance, talks about why governments at all level need a sound digital plan in order to better service their citizens.

Jean-Francois Gauthier
https://twitter.com/ignumerique

Sameer Vasta
www.twitter.com/vasta

Richard Pietro
www.twitter.com/richardpietro

Music: Sheryl's Crush
www.sherylscrush.com/


Jean-Francois Gauthier (Institut de gouvernance numérique) - Blood of Democracy

Blair Labelle, General Manager of Technology and Innovation at the City of Guelph, talks about the Open Data positive trends he’s seeing in Open Data.

Blair Labelle
https://twitter.com/Blair_Labelle

Sameer Vasta
www.twitter.com/vasta

Richard Pietro
www.twitter.com/richardpietro

Music: Sheryl's Crush
www.sherylscrush.com/


Blair Labelle (City of Guelph) - Safe "fail" environment

Dan Swislow, Senior Partnership Officer at the National Democratic Institute and Lead for the Open Government Partnership’s Legislative Openness Working Group, explains how Legislatures are often forgotten in the Open Government & Open Data conversation.

Dan Swislow
https://twitter.com/DanSwislow

Sameer Vasta
www.twitter.com/vasta

Richard Pietro
www.twitter.com/richardpietro

Music: Sheryl's Crush
www.sherylscrush.com/


Dan Swislow (National Democratic Institute) - An Equal Seat

Chad Lubelsky, member of the Program Team at the McConnell Foundation, explains why it is important to integrate Open Data plays into post-secondary education.

Chad Lubelsky
https://twitter.com/clubelly

Sameer Vasta
www.twitter.com/vasta

Richard Pietro
www.twitter.com/richardpietro

Music: Sheryl's Crush
www.sherylscrush.com/


Chad Lubelsky (McConnell Institute) - Social Innovation Liaison

We look back at Season 2 of the Open Government Podcast.  Our expectations, favourite moments, and what to expect for Season 3 (which will be spectacular, I might add!).  We also tried something new for this episode:  We recorded live in front of an audience and had people come up to the mic and share their thoughts on the podcast.

Sameer Vasta
www.twitter.com/vasta

Richard Pietro
www.twitter.com/richardpietro

Music: Sheryl's Crush
www.sherylscrush.com/

Season 2 Recap

Sameer Vasta and Richard Pietro are at the Canadian Open Data Summit and sharing their perspectives on the speakers, sessions, and events.

They will also be doing interviews with a few guests!

Dispatch - Canadian Open Data Summit - Morning Session

Dispatch - Canadian Open Data Summit - Closing Session

Sameer Vasta and Richard Pietro are at the Canadian Open Data Summit and sharing their perspectives on the speakers, sessions, and events.

They will also be doing interviews with a few guests!


Dispatch - CODS - Open Data Awards

Sameer Vasta and Richard Pietro are at the Canadian Open Data Summit and International Open Data Conference sharing their perspectives on the speakers, sessions, and events.

Today, we present you Hanna Niemi-Huegaerts who is the Development Manager for the Forum Virium Helsinki

Dispatch - #IODC15 - Opening Local Governments in Helsinki

Sameer Vasta and Richard Pietro are at the Canadian Open Data Summit and International Open Data Conference sharing their perspectives on the speakers, sessions, and events.

Today, we present you Martin Szyszlican and how he is gamifying the legislative process in Argentina.

Dispatch - #IODC15 - Gamifying the legislative process

Sameer Vasta and Richard Pietro are at the Canadian Open Data Summit and International Open Data Conference sharing their perspectives on the speakers, sessions, and events.

Dispatch - #IODC15 - Day 1 Recap

Sameer Vasta and Richard Pietro are at the Canadian Open Data Summit and International Open Data Conference and sharing their perspectives on the speakers, sessions, and events.

Today, Tariq Khokhar, an Open Data Evangelist from the World Bank, provides us with an International perspective on this conference and movement.

Dispatch - #IODC15 - An International Perspective

The Open Government Podcast features 10-12min interviews with voices from the Open Government, Open Data, and Civic Engagement communities. You will hear from public servants, technologists, and engaged citizens on how they are working towards creating a more accountable, transparent, and collaborative government.

About the Hosts

Richard Pietro considers himself as a Fanboy of Open Government & Open Data, is a founding member of www.citizenbridge.org and was the host for the Open Government Tour (#OGT14), a 20,000km Motorcycle Tour that introduced Open Government & Data to Canadians.

https://twitter.com/richardpietro

Sameer Vasta is a flâneur, storyteller, letter-writer, egg-whisperer, hugger extraordinaire. He’s interested in how the private sector and public sector can work together to make the world a better place for all of us.
 
https://twitter.com/vasta

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