The Tory cuts won’t just affect the economy and people’s lives, they represent a mountain of information. What sectors are being cut and how? How does it affect your area? What are the figures involved?

More specifically, what can be done with this information? There is a tidal wave of information and data that everyone is struggling to process and make use of.

But we need more collaboration between technically minded people and those collecting this information. So Netroots is organising a mini-event called ‘APIs Against the Cuts’.

The recently launched False Economy website is trying to build a comprehensive picture of the cuts taking place across the country: by sector, amount and job cuts. It is collecting a mine of information.

Similarly, other sites such as the Guardian have a Data blog which has variously attempted to mine Cuts related data. Other single-issue websites have also sprung up.

The problem
But the information that is being collected by False Economy cannot be accessed except by visiting the website. Similarly, others are replicating information or building databases of cuts to libraries, police numbers, local council budgets and the NHS.

This information is neither freely accessible and available in standardised formats, nor can external parties use it and manipulate it. This is a problem and we need to work towards resolving it.

The tools
Imagine if you could easily embed on your website a widget that updates with information on cuts to local NHS jobs. What if you want to automatically import upcoming events from UKuncut, False Economy and Coalition of Resistance into your Google Calendar?

Or how about if you want to find out how many libraries have been cut in a ten mile radius? Or how much money has been cut from public services in your region?

All this information is out there somewhere. But it is not easily available, and so coders cannot easily produce widgets or tools that can display that information in a more accessible way.

This is the task ahead of us: to collate that data, to store it in open formats and to make it accessible for others.

Our plans
APIs Against the Cuts will be a half-day event in mid-April. The aim is to bring together activists, bloggers, and technologists who are interested in collating, using and mining cuts related information.

The event won’t be long enough for people to create tools right there (maybe) but at least use it as a starting point for future collaboration.

It would need to discuss:
• What data is currently out there and in what format
• What standardisation might be necessary to ensure others can also feed into and use this information?
• Current efforts to make this data useful and accessible and what tools could be developed going forward.

Some of these could perhaps be done online before the event takes place, making it easier to move forward quickly.

I’m interested in your thoughts on how the event might work. Also, who would be good to include as part of the discussions? Also, what tools are already out there which would be useful for anyone planning tools for cuts data?

This is just a draft idea at the moment, we would like your feedback on what could work and what probably wouldn’t…

Reader comments

1. Liberal Conspiracy

   APIs Against the Cuts: calling techies and activists http://bit.ly/hVfFFd

2. False Economy

   RT @libcon APIs Against the Cuts: calling techies and activists http://bit.ly/hVfFFd

3. Jonathan Davis

   RT @libcon: APIs Against the Cuts: calling techies and activists http://bit.ly/hVfFFd

4. glittrgirl

   RT @FalseEcon: RT @libcon APIs Against the Cuts: calling techies and activists http://bit.ly/hVfFFd

5. sunny hundal

   'APIs Against the Cuts' – upcoming event to collate and manipulate data on the cuts we're organising. Techies invited! http://bit.ly/hVfFFd

6. Tim Hardy

   Geek call out! APIs Against the Cuts: calling techies and activists to help share vital data http://t.co/b5wUsTn via @libcon

7. Alex

   RT @bc_tmh: Geek call out! APIs Against the Cuts: calling techies and activists to help share vital data http://t.co/b5wUsTn via @libcon

8. Wonko Grime

   RT @bc_tmh: Geek call out! APIs Against the Cuts: calling techies and activists to help share vital data http://t.co/b5wUsTn via @libcon

9. threadme

   RT @bc_tmh: Geek call out! APIs Against the Cuts: calling techies and activists to help share vital data http://t.co/b5wUsTn via @libcon

10. Tony Hardwick

    RT @bc_tmh: Geek call out! APIs Against the Cuts: calling techies and activists to help share vital data http://t.co/b5wUsTn via @libcon

11. Noxi

    RT @libcon: APIs Against the Cuts: calling techies and activists http://bit.ly/hVfFFd

12. Double.Karma

    RT @bc_tmh: Geek call out! APIs Against the Cuts: calling techies and activists to help share vital data http://t.co/b5wUsTn via @libcon

13. If Not Then What?

    RT @FalseEcon: RT @libcon APIs Against the Cuts: calling techies and activists http://bit.ly/hVfFFd

14. Kelvin John Edge

    RT @libcon: APIs Against the Cuts: calling techies and activists http://bit.ly/hVfFFd

15. Kelvin John Edge

    RT @FalseEcon: RT @libcon APIs Against the Cuts: calling techies and activists http://bit.ly/hVfFFd

16. The Dragon Fairy

    “@bc_tmh: Geek call out! APIs Against the Cuts: calling techies and activists to help share vital data http://t.co/b5wUsTn via @libcon”

17. APIs Against the Cuts: calling techies and activists | Netroots UK

    [...] (cross post from Liberal Conspiracy) Tags: APIs against the cuts, cuts, data, False Economy, Guardian [...]

18. okuncut

    RT @bc_tmh: Geek call out! APIs Against the Cuts: calling techies and activists to help share vital data http://t.co/b5wUsTn via @libcon

19. Pucci Dellanno

    RT @libcon: APIs Against the Cuts: calling techies and activists http://bit.ly/hVfFFd

20. Enrique Valera

    Mola: APIs Against the Cuts: calling techies and activists http://bit.ly/hg5iDg

21. Staffordshire UNISON

    RT @FalseEcon: RT @libcon APIs Against the Cuts: calling techies and activists http://bit.ly/hVfFFd

22. DisabledPeople

    RT @libcon: APIs Against the Cuts: calling techies and activists http://bit.ly/hVfFFd

23. Pete Birkinshaw

    RT @libcon: APIs Against the Cuts: calling techies and activists http://bit.ly/hVfFFd

24. Paul Evans

    Just run into @sunny_hundal who is organising a 'APIs against the cuts' event http://tinyurl.com/645ecrg – what data should he be mining?

25. sunny hundal

    RT @Paul0Evans1: Just run into @sunny_hundal who is organising a 'APIs against the cuts' event http://tinyurl.com/645ecrg – what data sh …

26. Dominic Campbell

    APIs Against the Cuts: calling techies and activists http://t.co/Yf5oeZ0 via @paul0evans1 @sunny_hundal

27. Rachel

    APIs Against the Cuts: calling techies and activists | Liberal Conspiracy http://t.co/HtiGm1v via @libcon

28. Rachel

    RT @Paul0Evans1: Just run into @sunny_hundal who is organising a 'APIs against the cuts' event http://tinyurl.com/645ecrg – what data sh …

29. Rachel Evans

    RT @dominiccampbell: APIs Against the Cuts: calling techies and activists http://t.co/Yf5oeZ0 via @paul0evans1 @sunny_hundal

30. Dennis North

    RT @dominiccampbell: APIs Against the Cuts: calling techies and activists http://t.co/Yf5oeZ0 via @paul0evans1 @sunny_hundal

31. Owen Blacker

    RT @dominiccampbell: APIs Against the Cuts: calling techies and activists http://t.co/Yf5oeZ0 via @paul0evans1 @sunny_hundal

32. Edward Crompton

    APIs Against the Cuts: calling techies and activists | Liberal Conspiracy http://t.co/GDG8lif via @libcon

33. Felicity Alwell

    APIs Against the #Cuts: bring together activists, bloggers, and technologists to collate & mine cuts related info http://t.co/YfDCcIG

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