2-2 Elements for Developing Civic Tech Communities

--- title: 2-2 Elements for Developing Civic Tech Communities tags: jothon, NDI --- :::success :book: Return to the homepage of the handbook: https://g0v.hackmd.io/@jothon/ctpbook_en "g0v Civic Tech Project & Community Handbook" is licensed under CC BY-NC. ::: # 2-2 Elements for Developing Civic Tech Communities｜g0v Civic Tech Project & Community Handbook ### Chapter 2: Community Partnerships and Network Development ## Elements for Developing Civic Tech Communities Roles within civic tech communities can primarily be categorized into public and private sectors, including civic participants, NPOs, social enterprises, various issue-based civic groups, technical communities, other civic tech communities, businesses, investors, beneficiaries, educational institutions, government entities, researchers, research units, etc. These roles collaborate within civic tech communities to leverage technology for innovation and to address social issues. Each role plays a unique part within its domain, contributing to the building of a stronger civic community. We can evaluate the potential and maturity of building a civic tech community from four perspectives, including (1) the level of open data from public and private entities, (2) the presence of platforms for exchanges within relevant domains that gather community participants, (3) an active civic engagement culture, and (4) the potential for public-private collaboration. The first three are essential elements for developing civic tech communities while achieving the fourth, public-private collaboration, can enhance the community's impact. ### 1. Evaluating the Potential for Developing Civic Tech Communities from Four Perspectives #### Perspective 1: Degree of Open Data from Public and Private Sectors To assess the potential for developing a local civic tech community, one primary perspective to consider is the level of open data availability. Applications of 'Open Data' span across multiple domains, including government governance, economic development, social innovation, scientific research, environmental protection, and more. Through open data, the public can gain better insights into government operations, participate in policymaking, drive innovative applications, enhance transparency, and promote accountability. Simultaneously, open data can foster collaboration and cooperation among the public sector, private sector, and various segments of society, thereby promoting sustainable social and economic development by generating additional value through interactive use. Key characteristics of open data include: (1) **Availability**: It should be freely or low-costly accessible to anyone without restrictions. (2) **Accessibility**: Data provided should be complete and open for modification, provided in standardized formats for ease of access, download, use, and integration. (3) **Re-use and Redistribution**: When released, it should allow anyone to reuse the data in different ways, such as for commercial purposes, academic research, social innovation, etc. (4) **Interoperability**: Data should be "mix and matchable," allowing different systems and combinations (interoperability) to work together. This means a dataset can be combined and transformed with other "open" materials to create additional innovative value. :::info #### | Case | Open Political Donations Project The degree of open data availability from both public and private sectors directly impacts the feasibility of initiating civic tech projects. The more data that becomes accessible, the easier it is for participants to access relevant information and utilize it to develop innovative solutions. Public-private collaboration can shift away from the top-down governance approach and better align with people's data usage needs. By adopting a more flexible and cooperative model, it empowers citizens to oversee the government and enhance their quality of life. A classic case within g0v is the "Open Political Donation" project, which serves as an example of bottom-up civilian-driven efforts that pushed for public sector data openness. In the past, political donation data was only stored on a computer at the Control Yuan, and one had to apply to access it in person. The data could not be taken out, analyzed, or monitored. After the Sunflower Movement in 2014, Ronny, a contributor of g0v, initiated the “Open Political Donations Project” during the g0v hackath8n. Through OCR (Optical Character Recognition) technology, nearly 10,000 netizens completed the digitization of 300,000 data cells within 24 hours, digitizing the political donations of seven politicians. With the spirit of “saving the country with a keyboard,” the netizens participated in one of the largest crowdsourcing actions in the history of Taiwan’s open-source community. Furthermore, in 2017, successful efforts were made to amend certain provisions of the Political Donations Act, and the Legislative Yuan passed the amendment after three readings. The amendment stipulated that future details of political donations would be publicly available online. In 2019, the original supervisory agency, the Control Yuan, launched the “Political Donations Public Inquiry Platform,” which was officially online. For the general public, having the right to access this data enables them to understand government operations and decision-making processes, which, in turn, allows them to supervise the government effectively. ::: #### Perspective 2: Presence of Community Exchange Platforms in Relevant Domains Locally In addition to assessing the degree of open data, the second perspective to consider is the presence of community exchange platforms in relevant domains in the local area. The significance of these exchange platforms includes: **(1) Facilitating the flow of knowledge and information:** Participants can share their insights, research findings, and best practices, enriching the community's knowledge base, inspiring each other, and promoting learning. **(2) Fostering collaboration and innovative cooperation:** Participants can engage in discussions and collaboration, forming interdisciplinary and inter-organizational partnerships to brainstorm and implement civic tech solutions. For instance, in g0v, bi-monthly hackathons, and occasional small-scale hackathons or project gatherings bring interested participants together to collaborate. **(3) Helping to establish trust and consensus within the community:** In the early days of the g0v community, a group of founding participants collectively drafted the g0v community Code of Conduct (CoC), which became the fundamental guidelines for maintaining the community and setting its atmosphere. Members engage in dialogues and debates within a culture of respect and inclusiveness, understanding and respecting different opinions, thereby strengthening the cohesion and sustainability of the community. In Taiwan, there are diverse groups from both the public and private sectors continuously promoting the development of civic tech communities: #### Private Sector: The g0v community was established in 2012, with many participants from open-source communities transitioning from social concerns and government oversight to practical action. The community's core values are "open-source," "civic activism," and "public spirit," which have been instrumental in sustaining the community. To this day, projects initiated within the g0v community follow open-source practices, encouraging project initiators to share their outcomes and invite more participants to join, improve, and even develop further applications based on open data. In the open-source community and open-source code domain, apart from g0v, there are many other significant communities and events in Taiwan. These include the Open Source Developers' Conference (OSDC) which focuses on open-source software development, the large-scale Conference for Open Source Coders, Users & Promoters in Taiwan (COSCUP), the Mobile Open Platform Conference (MOPCON), MozTW, Taipei Open Source Software User Group (TOSSUG), Data Science in Taiwan Conference, LASS, and other active communities. #### Public Sector: The Open Government Partnership (OGP) is a significant international organization that promotes the concept of open government. It was co-founded in 2011 by eight countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States, Brazil, Indonesia, and more. The core values of OGP emphasize transparency, accountability, participation, and inclusion. Although Taiwan is not a member of the United Nations and therefore unable to obtain OGP membership, it has aligned with international OGP standards. In 2020, Taiwan planned action programs based on these standards, including the "Taiwan Open Parliament Action Plan" led by the Legislative Yuan, and the "Open Government National Action Plan" promoted by the Executive Yuan. :::info #### | Case | Taiwan Open Parliament Action Plan The "The Open Government Partnership (OGP)," established in 2011, is an essential international organization for official exchanges among nations. Since its inception, it has facilitated cross-country communication, knowledge sharing, and progress evaluation through standardized assessments, reviews, and annual conferences. Based on the experiences of various countries, OGP has discovered that without legislative participation, advancing open government initiatives can be challenging, as many of these initiatives often involve new legislation or amendments. Although Taiwan is not a member of the United Nations and is therefore unable to join the OGP, it still adheres to international OGP standards. In late 2019, the National Development Council announced during the year-end press conference that Taiwan would promote the National Action Plan of the Open Government Partnership (OGP) and released a draft plan in February of the following year. Additionally, the Legislative Yuan officially passed the "Legislative Yuan and Civil Society Cooperation to Promote Taiwan Open Parliament Action Plan," which has a core focus on transparency, openness, participation, digitalization, and literacy. The "Taiwan Open Parliament Action Plan" aims not only to facilitate the current operations of the Legislative Yuan and enhance the level of information transparency but also to incorporate effective models of collaboration with the public when formulating mechanisms. Therefore, when the Taiwan Open Parliament Action Plan was initiated, legislative members from the Legislative Yuan and civilian representatives began discussions on various mechanisms for involving the public. These mechanisms include live broadcasts of Multistakeholder Forum (MSF) meetings, a public opinion platform, and the release of the National Action Plan (NAP) draft for public input. Taiwan Open Parliament Action Plan exemplifies the importance of public-private collaboration in democratic governance. It not only grants civil society genuine decision-making power but also enables direct communication of ideas and execution methods through official and civil society committees. This collaborative approach fosters mutual understanding of the practical challenges faced by both sides, builds trust, and provides a reference model for the policymaking processes of other countries in the future. ::: #### Perspective 3: Activeness of Civic Participation in Society A mature civil society is built upon the principles of civic engagement, organizational diversity, public participation, social justice, civic education, and social cooperation. It encourages and supports civic participation in diverse issues and enables different organizations and groups to collaborate to address societal challenges. To assess whether a society can develop a civic tech community, diverse issue projects and teams are crucial, including NGOs, social movements, foundations, communities, and more. These organizations play a role at different levels and domains to promote the resolution and improvement of various social issues. Take g0v as an example. Since its establishment, the community has gathered participants who care about social issues and combined innovative technological approaches to address the current challenges faced by Taiwanese society. Projects such as combating misinformation, government budget oversight, illegal factories on agricultural land, rental housing, and democratic education are all developed by the g0v community's open-source projects. The gradual accumulation of participants in these projects is also based on a civil society that continuously focuses on social justice and civic engagement. Through the education system and the efforts of different groups, there is an active cultivation of citizen participation awareness and skills, along with the encouragement of collaboration among diverse sectors of society to solve complex social problems and promote common interests and consensus. :::info #### | Case | Disfactory (g0v x Citizen of the Earth, Taiwan) g0v is a polycentric community that not only reflects its diversity in project types but also emphasizes collaboration with interdisciplinary organizations to collectively address social issues. For example, the Citizen of the Earth, Taiwan (CET), a long-time advocate for environmental sustainability and climate change, collaborated with the g0v community on the "Disfactory" project since 2019. This project serves as an indicative case of cross-organizational collaboration and innovation. In Taiwan, there has been a long-standing issue of illegal factories built on agricultural land, and local governments lack the capacity to proactively inspect and enforce regulations. Therefore, it relies on voluntary reporting by citizens. However, due to the vast extent of agricultural land and the prevalence of illegal factories, there was a need to mobilize a larger citizen action force and design a more user-friendly reporting system. In July 2019, CET first presented the project at the g0v Hackathon. Through multiple g0v Hackathons, CET recruited web engineers, programmers, Geographic Information System experts, and project managers to collaborate with g0v in developing the "[Disfactory - Illegal Factory Reporting System](https://disfactory.tw/)." This system provides an anonymous channel for reporting illegal constructions. Disfactory, in turn, verifies and submits the data to government agencies, alleviating the psychological burden on citizens who fear retaliation for reporting. As of September 2023, the official website has accumulated 6085 reports, 755 complaint documents, and 507 factories have been penalized. ::: #### Perspective 4: Smoothness of Public-Private Collaboration Achieving the first three perspectives is generally sufficient for the development of a civic tech community. However, if the aim is to expand influence, public-private collaboration is a crucial component of civic tech development. Public-private collaboration refers to the public sector and the private sector working together in a partnership-like relationship. When the government is willing to open up its "relationships" with various stakeholders and groups, it helps harness collective intelligence to respond to a variety of civic needs. Through public-private partnerships, public and private entities can work together to launch programs, provide resources and support to each other, facilitate the flow of knowledge and information, innovate and improve public services, and turn civic tech initiatives into policies that will enhance the overall effectiveness of society. Common forms of public-private collaboration include open data initiatives, open decision-making processes, and government collaboration with private entities through contracts or proactive invitations to execute specific projects. Here are three aspects to consider when evaluating whether a region has mechanisms and opportunities for public-private collaboration: #### (1) Personnel The term "personnel" refers to whether there are individuals in both the public and private sectors who can collaborate, making it crucial to facilitate the exchange of information among these individuals. * Whether the public sector has designated personnel: - It usually refers to whether the public sector has a designated correspondent whom other agencies and the public can access relevant contact information from. For example, in Taiwan, according to the “Directions for Implementing the Role of Participation Officers in the Executive Yuan and Subordinate Agencies”, each second or third-level agency shall assign at least one person as an “Open Government Liaison.” These individuals typically come from departments related to public relations, department of planning, control and evaluation, or information. * Whether there is a mechanism for matching public and private entities: - For example, through initiating relevant projects, organizing events, establishing online platforms, etc., enabling private entities to understand which public sector units correspond to specific issues. Furthermore, when the public sector requires cooperation from private entities, it should be easier to identify suitable candidates. For instance, within g0v, there are already several public sector employees involved. Additionally, many g0v participants eventually enter public sector positions. Therefore, if there is a need for public-private collaboration, relevant contact information can be obtained through inquiries on community communication platforms or by presenting projects at hackathons. Furthermore, the Executive Yuan organizes initiatives such as the Presidential Hackathon and the Digital Social Innovation Ecosystem Incubator to provide co-creation opportunities for public-private collaboration. #### (2) Establishing Consensus Objectives After identifying the correspondents on both sides, the ability to establish consensus becomes a crucial factor in determining whether the project can proceed smoothly. The formation of consensus objectives requires the following conditions: * Involvement of civil society in the policy formation process, such as joint meetings and brainstorming for proposals. * Understanding the needs of various stakeholders to identify the real pain points. * While the government primarily serves the public, sometimes the most important users for effective public-private collaboration may not necessarily be the general public but public servants. Therefore, it's essential to understand the needs of different roles and identify the actual problems that need to be solved. * Understanding the points of concern for both sides, such as key performance indicators (KPIs), and coordinating and reaching consensus without compromising the objectives. * The consensus objectives formed should also enable the public sector to improve administrative efficiency or address operational challenges. #### (3) Completing Project Execution After consensus is reached, the project enters the execution phase. Public-private collaboration is developed as a partnership rather than an employer-employee relationship. Therefore, even if civil society organizations initiate public-private collaboration through procurement, it's not suitable for a top-down interaction or situations where they only provide funding without additional support. In a partnership, "mutual trust" is particularly important. Ways to build mutual trust include: delivering results, establishing effective working methods, and achieving a partnership based on equality. When executing the project, the following considerations are essential: * Clearly define project tasks, timelines, and how collaboration works. * Establish mechanisms for smooth communication and ongoing progress, such as regular but flexible meetings. * Create working practices that are friendly to both the public and private sectors, such as office hours. * Share meeting records and contact lists openly to facilitate smoother communication and collaboration. * Confirm budget allocation and items eligible for reimbursement. * Define Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and reporting formats for project closure. :::info #### | Case | Presidential Hackathon The annual Presidential Hackathon, hosted by the Executive Yuan, invites government agencies and civil organizations to propose solutions for specific public issues by harnessing the spirit of public-private collaboration and utilizing open data and information technology solutions. In 2018, the Executive Yuan released the "Directions on the Presidential Hackathon," which explicitly outlines the competition evaluation process and proposal guidance methods. This framework establishes a mechanism for public-private collaboration, making it easier for volunteers interested in initiating policy innovations to develop relevant proposals and plans. It also connects with the annual hackathon event, collectively driving innovation in public policy. The annual hackathon competition spans three months, and through the competition process, it encourages substantive discussions among the public and private sectors involved in the relevant issues, fostering consensus and building collaborative partnerships. This process helps participating teams accelerate adjustments and refinements to the "issue context-technical solution" framework. The interim results of each team are evaluated by a committee comprising members from the private sector and government representatives. Each year, five "Outstanding Teams" are selected. Their project proposals can apply for ongoing funding and deepening or be incorporated into the policy plans of relevant government agencies. Since its inception in 2018, the annual hackathon event has been held for six consecutive years, accumulating over a thousand proposals and forming 30 "Outstanding Teams." Half of these projects have undergone verification and have been integrated into government operations, while the rest are still in progress. The proposal topics span various areas of public policy, including social welfare promotion, resource and environmental sustainability, strategies for achieving net-zero transformation, and disaster prevention and rescue enhancements. ::: ### 2. Taiwan's Public-Private Collaboration Experience :::info This section includes information partially from the panel discussion on “Public-Private Collaboration is an Ideal and a Challenge - The Bitter History of Cross-Departmental Cooperation” (March 22, 2022). This panel discussion was formed by representatives from various public and private sectors in Taiwan to share the challenges and experiences they encountered in past cross-departmental collaborations. They also provided reflections and recommendations concerning implementation and institutional aspects. ::: The Taiwan civic tech community and projects have been introduced in the preceding sections. This paragraph will focus on sharing collaboration experiences between civic tech organizations and the government. Taiwan employs various models of public-private collaboration, including the government releasing open data for civilian use and oversight, providing platforms for citizens to express their opinions or participate in decision-making, inviting civilian experts and scholars to jointly develop or implement policies, and civil organizations bidding for government projects. The following key points summarize the content shared by representatives from the public and private sectors during the panel discussion titled “Public-Private Collaboration is an Ideal and a Challenge - The Bitter History of Cross-Departmental Cooperation.” #### A. Core Elements of Public-Private Collaboration a. Believe that there are always individuals within every system who are willing to make the change. b. Openness: This includes openly sharing meeting minutes, contact information, and other relevant data. c. Tangibility: Creating prototypes for proposed solutions. Tangibility not only helps both parties stand at the same starting point in discussions but also encourages greater commitment and creativity with prototyping. #### B. Key Points in the Process of Public-Private Collaboration **a. Find Public Sector Personnel Who Are Open to Collaborating with Private Entities** Increase visibility and advocacy momentum. Raise the profile and enthusiasm for your advocacy efforts. Prepare a compact version of your proposal. When opportunities arise, approach senior officials directly with your suggestions. Comprehensive preparation, a clear focus on the key points of your advocacy, and effective storytelling are crucial for success. **b. Gain a Comprehensive Understanding of the Needs and Find the Pain Points of All Stakeholders Through Multiple Perspectives** While the government primarily serves the public, sometimes the most critical factor in public-private collaboration may not necessarily be the people but government officials. Therefore, it is essential to understand the needs of different roles and identify the actual pain points. RR, a g0v participant, who previously served as the executive secretary of the Tainan City Government Smart City Office, shared insights from a government perspective. Using the example of the COVID-19 vaccination project in Tainan, when the pandemic hit, most policies were geared toward the general public. However, this project shifted its focus to healthcare workers and discovered numerous challenges in the registration process. The first successful step in this project was to engage with personnel from the local health agency in person, understand their needs, and design a system accordingly. Whenever a large-scale vaccination site was set up, RR went on-site as registration personnel, identifying problems and where digitization was needed. Once they reached a consensus, the functions were integrated into the system. This process also built trust and a collaborative model. RR pointed out that government leaders were initially hesitant about “new ideas,” but seeing the positive response from Health Bureau colleagues, they eventually recognized the value and continued to support the efforts. After optimization, with connections to various databases, vaccination appointments could be completed in just 30 seconds, and the registration process required minimal time for data entry. This not only made it more convenient for the elderly but also reduced the cluster risks. **c. Communication and Meetings** Using the experience of collaboration between LASS and the Water Resources Agency (WRA) as an example, LASS founder, Hsu Wuulong, emphasized that the most crucial aspect of cooperation is communication. He believed that for any challenging issue, the key to a solution is meetings. He stated, “To address any difficulties, you must have meetings; it often takes several meetings to resolve matters. Public-private collaboration is essentially an ongoing and progressive series of meetings.” Meetings are not the end goal; the objective is to reach conclusions and make progress. Important elements of public-private collaboration meetings include: - Open Enrollment and Real Names: Anyone can register for collaboration meetings with real-name registration. - Advocacy Opportunities: Give citizens the opportunity to advocate during meetings. For example, NGOs attending for the first time must have a five-minute slot to share their advocacy content. - Agreement on Meeting Themes and Procedures: Meeting themes and processes must be agreed upon by both public and private sectors. - Fixed but Flexible Meetings: Meetings occur at regular intervals, approximately every two months, but the schedule is not rigid. - Open Data: - Contact List: After registration, participants receive a contact list of attendees. The foundation of collaboration is knowing who is attending and being able to establish contact, as collaboration relies on cooperation. - Meeting Minutes: Meeting minutes are collaborative documents, and at the end of each meeting, they are collectively reviewed and subsequently made public once confirmed. - Presentations: Presentation materials should be submitted before the meeting and provided to everyone beforehand. Attendees are expected to review the presentations before entering the meeting, as meetings are held to reach conclusions. :::info #### Introduction to LASS LASS (Location Aware Sensing System) is an open-source and nonprofit “environmental sensor network system” initiated by Wuulong Hsu. Through an open-source approach, LASS mobilizes makers from all over Taiwan to build and deploy sensor devices for environmental monitoring. This initiative aims to make it easy for anyone to set up these devices, and understand and share environmental condition data. LASS has developed device models like the “Air Box” for real-time monitoring of PM2.5 concentrations, allowing individuals to independently monitor the air quality in their living areas, complementing official air quality monitoring stations. Additionally, LASS connects communities and shares achievements through platforms such as Facebook, collaborative tools, and GitHub, forming the LASS community. Starting in 2020, LASS engaged in a public-private collaboration with the Water Resources Agency in the “Touqian River Demonstration Project.” This collaboration involves cross-agency cooperation between the public and private sectors and the implementation of a smart water network to manage the Touqian River in Hsinchu. This public-private collaboration not only created a model for public-private cooperation but also assessed the data needs of the community and the resources the government could provide, leading to data exchange between government departments. Through multi-stakeholder cooperation, the Toucian River, originating from the Xueshan Mountains and flowing through Hsinchu County and City, will have a comprehensive and open convergence point, basic hydrological data, GIS, and more. It serves as a potential case study for future inter-agency collaboration. ::: #### C. Challenges **a. When encountering an indifferent government department with less will to cooperate, which subsequently affects the effectiveness of public-private collaboration and the project execution, the following suggestions are made:** - Understand that public servants often have limited resources, time, and space to comprehend and execute the project. Try to see things from their perspective and assist in advocating for cooperation, fostering a better understanding. - Connect with individuals within the department or office to gather more information. - Identify trusted contacts within the government, such as NGOs/NPOs or experts who have collaboration experiences, to discuss ideas or even have them propose initiatives. - It’s not recommended to involve high-ranking officials or legislators in coordination, as it may lead to resentment within the department due to the unexpected workload and pressure. **b. Challenges arise in communicating with government personnel due to limited training and specialization:** Due to restrictions in the training of public servants, some are skilled at thinking and communicating within specific contexts but lack diverse management and communication experiences. Additionally, many job categories may not adequately address the changing demands of modern society, such as design-related roles beyond visual design. **c. The ever-changing work models do not align with government bureaucracy:** Public-private collaboration requires flexible work models that accommodate each other’s working styles. When facing urgent situations, like the COVID-19 vaccination effort in Tainan, public servants may need to investigate and assist at vaccination sites in the morning and collaborate with engineers in the evening. How to mitigate the problem of overload and adapt related policies to the changing environment is worth exploring. **d. The private sector often needs to adapt to rapidly changing policies:** Trust in relationships is crucial, but abrupt policy changes necessitate frequent adjustments in implementation, increasing pressure and workload on contracting entities. This can lead to unhealthy practices in supplier-client relationships. **e. Meeting the real-time demands of public-private collaboration is challenging within public procurement processes:** Urgent collaboration needs may not align with public procurement procedures. Starting cooperation and then resorting to emergency procurement processes may result in the project being awarded to other parties, leaving the initiating unit with no reward. Maintaining a database of strong partnerships and relationships with private entities can allow for more diversified collaboration. **f. Convincing superiors about the importance of infrastructure to reduce relatively unimportant demands:** Encourage open discussions and maintain accessible meeting minutes for reference. Repeating and constant communication can help establish essential knowledge among superiors. **g. Dealing with data confusion and difficulty in organizing information:** Structured data collection is essential before data processing. Public servants need to develop data-driven thinking and project management skills and consider the possibility of making data usable for other systems.

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