Open Data Review Board Vacancy

Cambridge City Manager Yi-An Huang is seeking to fill a vacancy on Cambridge’s Open Data Review Board and is looking for representatives from public, private, academic, or nonprofit sectors with expertise in or relevant experience with Open Data. Members serve a 2-year term and may be eligible for reappointment.

The city’s Open Data Program makes government data easily available in useful formats, and is intended to increase transparency, foster engagement among residents, and create new opportunities for collaboration between the City of Cambridge and the public.

The Open Data Review Board, comprised of at least three residents and four or more city employees, will meet quarterly to help ensure that the program balances its goals of transparency and accessibility with the city’s obligation to protect private, confidential, and sensitive information. It is a City of Cambridge goal to expand and deepen community engagement with a focus on strengthening the diversity and inclusion of its various boards and commissions.

The Board will make recommendations to the City Manager and the Data Analytics & Open Data Program Manager on policies, rules, and standards related to Cambridge’s Open Data Program, including methods for determining the appropriate level of accessibility for new datasets and timelines for making new datasets available. Specifically, the Review Board will help answer the following questions:

• What privacy and security standards should Cambridge adopt as it assesses potential Open 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?

Open Date Board meetings are usually hybrid and held quarterly on a Wednesday or Thursday from 5:30-8 p.m., in the Ackermann Room of Cambridge City Hall, 795 Massachusetts Avenue.

The deadline for submitting applications is Monday, October 16, 2023. Applications can be submitted using the city’s online application system at Cambridgema.gov/apply. A cover letter and resume or applicable experience can be submitted during the online application process. If you have questions about the application process or need assistance, please contact the City Manager's Office at 617-349-4300 or boardsandcommissions@cambridgema.gov. 

For more information about this board, contact Reinhard Engels, Data Analytics & Open Data Program Manager, rengels@cambridgema.gov.