Government needs to understand the concept of "granularity"

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PTW
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Votes: 62

The level of detail (granularity) in data MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE in whether data is valuable or not.  The number of variables and the level of detail of the data is critical.  Simple data results in simple applications that have limited value.  The world is complex and applications can help us understand the complexity.  So government departments dumping any old data just so they can say they have contributed to open data without making sure it has some value is a waste of time.

Also, there are thousands of apps out there but only a few are really popular because they meet a need.  Building something that meets user needs is the first most important thing to consider when building an app, webpage, software, etc.

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Comments

Submitted by Patti Barrios on February 05, 2023 - 2:24 PM

Hello canada.ca administrator, Your posts are always well structured and easy to follow.

Submitted by Seabass on June 09, 2014 - 2:26 PM

I would add to this comment by saying that government departments & agencies should ensure that their public websites contain accurate and up-to-date information - especially when that information is necessary for industry to comply with regulatory requirements. This is not always the case which becomes an exercise in frustration for but the regulator (who now has to take extra time to provide what should be public information) and the regulated party who may be trying to comply but is not given all the tools needed to do so.