What is the Open Data Review Board? How Can I Get Involved?

Cambridge’s Open Data Review Board (ODRB) was established in 2015 by the Open Data Ordinance to guide how the City makes data accessible to the public. The ODRB’s primary role is to recommend rules, standards, and guidelines to the City Manager, aimed at enhancing transparency and community engagement while balancing the need to protect private, confidential, and sensitive information. The board advises on identifying which datasets are suitable for public release, the timeline for making data available, and improving data quality and usability. Additionally, every three years, the board plays a key role in helping to update the City’s strategic plan for open data.

The ODRB is composed of at least three residents and four or more City of Cambridge employees. Members are appointed by the City Manager and confirmed by the City Council to serve a 2-year term and may be eligible for reappointment. New openings for public seats are posted when they become available, and Cambridge residents with relevant expertise and passion for open data are encouraged to apply.

The board’s current members are:

• Eric Belford, City employee, Information Technology
• Christina Giacobbe, City employee, Emergency Services
• Lee Gianetti, City employee, Communications
• Scott Walker, City employee, Community Development
• Cathy Chute, Harvard Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and co-founder of Women in Data Science Cambridge
• Anna Decker, data science and machine learning, Moderna
• Dennis Jen, lead software engineer, MIT Center for Constructive Communication
• Avanti Tilak, data scientist and co-organizer of Cambridge Families of Asian Descent

Meetings are run by Reinhard Engels and Alexandra Epstein of the Open Data Department

The ODRB meets quarterly at City Hall; these meetings are open to the public and all are welcome. Zoom webinar links are available for those who wish to attend remotely.

At these meetings, the Open Data Department shares new data sets and other news from the everyday operation of the department. The Board discusses ways to help ensure that the program balances its goals of transparency and accessibility with the City of Cambridge’s obligation to protect private, confidential, and sensitive information, and works on ways to answer questions like these:

• What privacy and security standards should Cambridge adopt as it assesses potential open datasets?
• What data quality and standards should be in place to ensure the accuracy of its own open datasets in order to improve city operations?
• How might Cambridge align open data initiatives with the city's other strategic initiatives?
• How should Cambridge engage and educate the broader community— including residents, businesses, and research institutions—to maximize use of the city's open data?
• How might Cambridge partner with other municipalities, government entities, and institutions in the open data space?
• How should Cambridge market the open data program internally to improve participation among city departments?
• How should the Open Data department define and measure its success?

At some meetings, a guest speaker presents on a topic relevant to the ODRB’s work. Our most recent speaker discussed data on the use of artificial intelligence in hiring systems and the biases these systems can introduce. The Board also explores how the Open Data department will handle new datasets and emerging technologies, such as large language models (LLMs), as they become available. Past agendas and meeting notes are available here.

The next ODRB meeting will be Tuesday, September 24, 5:30-8:00pm, in the Ackermann Room at City Hall. Chris Kenny, a PhD candidate at Harvard University and founding member of the Algorithm-Assisted Redistricting Methodology (ALARM) Project, will present on his research into redistricting reforms. His talk will explore how political actors manipulate redistricting processes and how institutional reforms, such as map-drawing commissions, can positively impact democratic outcomes by increasing the number of competitive districts. Please join us!