edits
[tools.git] / index.md
Alex Sadleir 1 Welcome to the GovHack toolkit. This page provides all the information you need to prepare hackfest entries.
Maxious 2 These tools can be used to make entries like: mobile apps, web apps, data visualisations/infographics
Alex Sadleir 3
4
5 # General Data Hacking and Programming References {#general-data-hacking-and-programming-references}
Maxious 6 ## The basics of being a data scientist
Maxious 7
Alex Sadleir 8 * Have a hypothesis - even if you're making a tool/api that helps people with their questions too, remember what the objective of that is.
9 * Find the people and tools you need to prove/show/find. This rest of this page will help with the latter.
Maxious 10 * Analyse and present results - were they what you expected? Do they help explain to others what you have found out? Can present as a interactive data visualisation or a web/mobile application or just a infographic/motion graphics video that tells a story.
Alex Sadleir 11 Please note, there are a combination of Analysis and Visualisation tools in each of the major categories below.
Maxious 12
Maxious 13
Maxious 14 [![](http://www.govhack.org/wp-content/uploads/How-to-participate-in-GovHack_html_m6a65720f-300x199.gif "Data Journalism Diagram")](http://www.govhack.org/wp-content/uploads/How-to-participate-in-GovHack_html_m6a65720f.gif)</dt>
Maxious 15 Illustration from Data Journalism Handbook, CC BY-SA 3.0</dd>
Maxious 16
Maxious 17
Maxious 18 The best high level reference is the 'Understanding Data' and 'Delivering Data' chapters of the Data Journalism Handbook which is available online for free at
Maxious 19
20 [datajournalismhandbook.org](http://datajournalismhandbook.org/)
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Maxious 22 You can learn the technical skills from scratch in Visualize This: The FlowingData Guide to Design, Visualization, and Statistics by Nathan Yau or for more advanced
Maxious 23
Maxious 24 practical advice check out Data Analysis with Open Source Tools by Philipp K. Janert
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maxious 26 For further reading in this space
Maxious 27
Maxious 28 [http://flowingdata.com/2012/04/27/data-and-visualization-blogs-worth-following/](http://flowingdata.com/2012/04/27/data-and-visualization-blogs-worth-following/)
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Maxious 30
Alex Sadleir 31 **Statistics**
Maxious 32
33 [http://greenteapress.com/thinkstats/html/index.html](http://greenteapress.com/thinkstats/html/index.html)
maxious 34
Maxious 35 **Programming**
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37 Programming is valuable skill for manipulating and displaying data.
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39 Basic tutorials for a variety of languages are available for free online or you can learn
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41 interactively with websites like [http://www.codecademy.com/](http://www.codecademy.com/#!/exercises/0). for JavaScript or [http://www.learnpython.org/ ](http://www.learnpython.org/)or [http://tryruby.org](http://tryruby.org/)
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43 [https://developer.mozilla.org/en/JavaScript](https://developer.mozilla.org/en/JavaScript) - especially for web applications and visualisations, you'll need a basic understanding of JS. Common libraries like prototype or jQuery can help
Alex Sadleir 44
45 **Accessibility/User Experience**
46
Maxious 47 WCAG guidelines not only make a web app accessible but make it a better experience for all users! Even if not making an app, good to consider these things to do and not do: [http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG/](http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG/)
48
49 ## Who can be a hack day participant
50 - roles; coder, designer UX/graphics
Alex Sadleir 51
Maxious 52 ## Definitions
Alex Sadleir 53 - definitions, open licence reuse permissive hacker hack data journalism data bis UCX etc.
Maxious 54
55 ## key datasets
56 - key datasets, directory.gov.au gazetter/AEC electorates/suburbs/postcodes/LGAs
Alex Sadleir 57
Maxious 58 ## examples
59
60 ## The Open Budget
Alex Sadleir 61
62 ## WeatherTree weather API
Maxious 63
maxious 64 ## PlanningAlerts
Alex Sadleir 65
Maxious 66 [![Planning Alerts Screenshot](http://www.govhack.org/wp-content/uploads/How-to-participate-in-GovHack_html_2f0199ff1-300x221.png "Planning Alerts Screenshot")](http://www.govhack.org/wp-content/uploads/How-to-participate-in-GovHack_html_2f0199ff1.png)Description: Planning Alerts takes data from local government development applications and sends alerts to users based on what applications are lodged in their area.
Alex Sadleir 67
Maxious 68 Programming Language: Ruby
Maxious 69
70 Source Control: [Git](https://github.com/openaustralia/planningalerts-app)
Maxious 71
72 Issue Tracking: [Atlassian JIRA](http://tickets.openaustraliafoundation.org.au/browse/PA/)
Alex Sadleir 73
Maxious 74 ## LobbyLens
75
76 [![](http://www.govhack.org/wp-content/uploads/129-Screenshot-LobbyClue_-_Chromium-300x180.png "LobbyLens screenshot")](http://www.govhack.org/wp-content/uploads/129-Screenshot-LobbyClue_-_Chromium.png)
77
78 Description: Displays connections between government contracts, business details, politician responsibilities, lobbyists, clients of lobbyists, political donors and the location of these entities.
Maxious 79
80 Programing Language: PHP
Alex Sadleir 81
Maxious 82 Source Control: SVN (Subversion)
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Alex Sadleir 84 Issue Tracking: A whiteboard
85
86 ## Bus.lambdacomplex.org
87
88 [![](http://www.govhack.org/wp-content/uploads/How-to-participate-in-GovHack_html_3789acae-300x253.jpg "Bus.lambda screenshot")](http://www.govhack.org/wp-content/uploads/How-to-participate-in-GovHack_html_3789acae.jpg)
89
90 Description: Online Canberra Bus Timetables and Trip Planner.
91
92 Programing Language: PHP/Ruby
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94 Source Control: Git
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96 Issue Tracking: Github
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98
Alex Sadleir 99 ## Developer Tools For Your Computer {#developer-tools-for-your-computer}
100
101 server admin / technical tools
Maxious 102 many projects will require some kind of internet presence, webpage etc.
103 - css framework like bootstrap or zurb foundation
maxious 104 video tools, youtube video editor/slideshow, FOSS video editing tools
105 - http://ubuntu-tutorials.com/2008/11/11/relaying-postfix-smtp-via-smtpgmailcom/
106 - amon
107
108 ### Source Control
109 Git / Subversion
110
111 [![](http://www.govhack.org/wp-content/uploads/Screenshot-at-2012-04-29-172132-300x235.png "Git Screenshot")](http://progit.org/book/)
112
113 [http://progit.org/book/](http://progit.org/book/)
114
115 [http://svnbook.red-bean.com/](http://svnbook.red-bean.com/)
116
117 [http://tortoisesvn.net/](http://tortoisesvn.net/)
Maxious 118
119 [http://code.google.com/p/tortoisegit/](http://code.google.com/p/tortoisegit/)
Maxious 120
Alex Sadleir 121 ### Task Tracking -
Maxious 122
123 Issue/task trackers allow you to outline the tasks required for your project and assign them to people to do.
maxious 124
Maxious 125 [Trello](https://trello.com/) and [Workflowy](https://workflowy.com/) are free, lightweight project management tools suitable for a rapid project!
126
Alex Sadleir 127 ## Hosted Developer Tools {#hosted-developer-tools}
Maxious 128
Alex Sadleir 129 Can get many tools (source control, issue tracking) combined into one service cloud hosted so no setup required.
Alex Sadleir 130
Maxious 131 ### Github
132 Git obviously but svn/hg interfaces are possible. Provide their own GUI for Windows/OSX or use the variety of Git capable tools
Alex Sadleir 133
Alex Sadleir 134 ### Sourceforge
135
136 Subversion, Git, Mercurial, Bazaar, CVS, issue tracker, wiki, release file downloads. Unlimited free use for open source projects.
137
138 You can create your own Sourceforge project at [http://sourceforge.net/](http://sourceforge.net/)
maxious 139
140 ### Google Code Project Hosting
Maxious 141
142 Git, Mercurial, and Subversion code. Issue tracker, wiki, release file downloads. Unlimited free use for open source projects.
143
144 You can host your Google Code project and get access to developer tools, APIs and documentation at [http://code.google.com/](http://code.google.com/)
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Maxious 148 # API Development {#api-development}
Maxious 149
Alex Sadleir 150
Maxious 151 So an API isn't just an XML file ![;)](http://www.govhack.org/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_wink.gif)
Alex Sadleir 152
maxious 153 A good web based data API:
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