What is the City of Sioux Falls doing with our Data?

I’ve asked this question many times from city officials, never get an answer. You would think the city would share with the citizens what they are doing with the data? Because as you can see, it can be VERY useful for city government;

It can be very helpful to the public collecting and analyzing that data. In fact the city thinks it is so helpful the salary budget for the department is around $1 Million a year;

First off, the obvious. If the city is collecting data on citizens, that needs to be shared quarterly on the city website. Secondly, we need to be told what the data was used for and how it has improved our lives or made the city more efficient. I don’t think the city is using it for that. When you have corporate executive raises and over $100 million in no bid contracts, it seems to me the city isn’t depending on the data to much, because if they were, things would be a lot more efficient and fiscally responsible.

So why the secrecy and what do I speculate the data is being used for? I think ‘certain’ folks in the city are siphoning the data in some kind of quasi legal way. What could you use that data for? Well, any business owner that provides a service in town would eat that stuff up, so it could be sold, but not sure how they could get away with that. I do know the data is shared with other communities, which is good, and it could be siphoned off that way also. But my bigger concern is that a political campaign consultant got their hands on the data, it could be VERY beneficial when cross-referencing voter lists. I am NOT making any accusations, but it sure seems curious to me that the city spends a million a year to collect data on us and never shares it (accept on this terrible search engine that reminds me of Yahoo, 2003). Somebody is using it, while we are paying to collect it.

What is the City of Sioux Falls doing with our Data?

By l3wis

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