The Database of Databases project (http://www.ryerson.ca/~ricarc/pchome.htm) is aimed at jump-starting computer-assisted reporting in Canada. Visitors to the site will find lists that may be searched by agency, database or city. Searches reveal, among other things, an agency's address, telephone number, whether the agency maintains a database, and information on access.
This ongoing project aims to:
Provide lists of government, association, foundation and private sector databases not only to journalists but to the academic community as well. Complete the "Canadianization" of CAR exercises for Canadian students. Begin the liaison between the journalistic community and the people who run the databases, so they will understand the needs of journalists and other researchers.
It's estimated that 80 percent to 90 percent of government information will soon be on computer.
In the United States, much of this material is available to the public and the news media through open records laws. Other material is often pried from government through Freedom of Information requests.
In Canada, we are facing a number of problems.
A tradition of greater government secrecy. Crown Copyright - information belongs to "the crown" rather than "the people." Higher costs. The government sees data, collected at taxpayers' expense, as a profit center in an age of cost-cutting. There have been only a few requests, so far, for data.
CAR reporters in the United States say you must start with a good story idea, then find the database. The Database of Databases will make this easier.
If a reporter has a story idea, he or she can then look up the Database of Databases and see if the data is available.
In addition, the simple knowledge that those databases exist could suggest story ideas to reporters as well as new, publishable research projects to academics.
How it started
For the past two years, students at Ryerson School of Journalism have completed an assignment on finding what's "out there."
Almost always, the bureaucrats have been astonished that anyone would call and ask for this information. Often they have refused to give more than bare-bones information to the students. And Canadian bureaucrats have been equally surprised that the United States generally makes this information easily available.
So far, the Database of Databases project has identified 60 databases used by federal, provincial and municipal governments, police forces, fire departments, industry and professional associations, research foundations and the private sector.
This is just scratching the surface. There is a lot more out there.
Objective
The objective will be to create a foundation for an ongoing Database of Databases project created by the Ryerson School of Journalism as a service to journalism and academia. Among other things, the project would like to:
Identify as many databases across Canada as possible. Identify U.S. databases that contain Canadian data. Create a Database of Databases in the industry standard .dbf format, as well as comma separated values and AskSam formats. Identify and obtain databases that can could be used for student training and research. Create a foundation for the project to continue using students as researchers. The database could then be updated on a regular basis.
Robin Rowland can be reached by e-mail at eridani@inforamp.net