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   City DATA ; Seoul daily expenditure     

Can public data describe our city?

Data shows us a much bigger story than our naked eyes can grasp. Social networking sites tell us what we are interested in and who we are close to, even when we are unaware of such information ourselves. Public data raises our understanding of the cities and societies in which we live to an unprecedented level. Public transit data tells us about the movements and daily lives of our fellow urbanites, and also the state of the natural environment surrounding us today. Data may look like mere numbers, but it can reveal something truthful about us as individuals, as communities, and as societies.


Open To the Public? Deliver to the public as comprehensible content

Due to open government data movement around the world, the Korean Government started to open its data to the public in 2010. As a result, large quantities of government data became available online from National Information Association (NIA) and Seoul Government websites. It is a fascinating step into becoming an open and transparent system. However, the general public is unaware of their accessibility to the data or even of its existence. Even with access, it can be difficult to understand.

Having said this, how can we make the public data comprehensible and more easily accessible?



Seoul's open data as XML format



Expenditure data depicts our city.

Seoul publishes an openAPI of daily expenditure data including its undertakings and amounts. To understand our city, expense data could be one of the main resources. Through this visualization, the masses can read what Seoul is focusing on now and where it is headed.

The most interesting aspect of the current project is identifying what projects Seoul as a city is embarking on today. Visualization of Seoul’s undertakings by day, item, and expenditure, can show where money is being spent each day and the effect is has on people’s daily lives. Being aware of Seoul’s projects and spendings can significantly alter how its citizens view the city.



embarken projects (in English) of 2014/08/14



[ Three Visuals ]

1. A list of daily expenditure undertakings and amounts


full list of every day to picture ‘today’s Seoul’


2. Single data rather than a set


Sometimes, showing single data works better than a set

After reviewing data, we realized expenditure data was interesting as an individual form rather than a set because of its undertaking title. Some businesses are significant enough to stimulate citizens’ curiosities, which might lead to further civic action.


3. 100 days expenditure landscape



One of the visual experiments is creating a landscape out of 100 day expenditure data.
This landscape would stream Seoul’s expenditure tendencies in real-time.



Full version video [KO version]




Public Screen for Public Awareness

By definition, public data must come to the public first. This information should be ubiquitous and not something that one has to make an effort to obtain. The most fitting medium to communicate public data and information is therefore the public screen.

Public screens are commonplace sights throughout major cities like Seoul. As citizens wait wait for subway trains to arrive on station platforms or as they walk past tall buildings with large screens in urban districts, they should be able to view what their city has done for them today, and how much of their tax money was spent to that end.

        


Feedback From People
Many viewers commented, “Seoul embarks on more interesting projects than I thought.” Before prejudging others, seeing data could let us face what there really is.