Grad student Josh Sulkin invited to first International Open Government Data Conference

ECE graduate student Josh Sulkin has been invited by the United States Data.gov team to present at the first International Open Government Data Conference (IOGDC) in Washington, DC, on November 16.

At the three-day conference he will be among leading experts in open government data. IOGDC is hosted by the U.S. Department of Commerce and sponsored by the U.S. General Services Administration. The conference is a product of President Obama’s 2009 Presidential Memorandum on Transparency and Open Government with a push to launch data.gov, a website that allows public access to datasets provided by the government. According to data.gov, IOGDC will bring together policy makers, developers, and data owners from around the globe to collaborate, share, and demonstrate the power of democratizing data.

Sulkin will have the opportunity to present as part of the panel, “On the Road Again: Data Available Anytime, Anywhere through Mobile Apps.”

“I was very surprised that they wanted to hear what I had to say,” said Sulkin. “I think they appreciated the work I did with their data and think it’s an example of the kind of stuff they want to see. I was very pleased that they recognized my effort.”

Sulkin was first recognized for his website FlyOnTime.us, which he developed during his free time using data provided through data.gov. FlyOntime.us allows the public to access on-time data performance for major commercial carriers. This will help travelers plan ahead for their trips and will also provide them information on which flights or airlines are normally delayed during particular times of the year.

“I wanted to make a demonstration project that shows the usefulness of government opening its data to the public—both in terms of transparency and in terms of giving the public a chance to create resources that could really save the government lots of money in the future,” said Sulkin.

The website has received attention from the Obama administration and has been mentioned in numerous media outlets such as NPR, WhiteHouse.gov, Politico.com, and The Washington Post.

“There is also an important technical aspect in that it is not enough just to release data on a website that’s human readable,” said Sulkin. “But if you really want to do processing on it and learn information, especially if it is massive amounts of data like the government often has, then it should be machine readable.”

Sulkin launched FlyOnTime.us in July of 2009 after working on the project for a month. FlyOnTime.us comprises two sources of data: the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), which provides information for on-time performance data of all commercial flights, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which provides historical records for weather in the U.S.

“By putting those two parts together, I can say that someone flying from Chicago to Los Angeles in the rain, has x percent chance of being late,” said Sulkin. “The point is to predict how long a flight will last from takeoff to landing.”

Sulkin is also integrating crowdsourcing into FlyOnTime.us by giving the public an option to disclose how long it takes to get through airport security. People are able to enter their information through the use of Twitter or the FlyOnTime.us mobile phone application and give real-time information on what wait times are at a particular airport.

“I want to prove that it is both politically and economically valuable for the government to release as much data as they can without breaching security, and that it is important that they release it in bulk formats, unmodified, and machine readable,” said Sulkin.

Sulkin believes that there are alternatives to traditional government contracting without having to spend tax payers’ money. Engaging the public to use open data to create useful products for the public good would be beneficial to the government.

 “It’s a way for individual people to contribute information so that you don’t have to rely on the government to do the most expensive option. This is a cheaper option, not necessarily the best option, but it’s a really good way for the government to save money,” said Sulkin. “It’s all enabled by the government releasing data.”

As for IOGDC, Sulkin has been preparing for his trip to Washington, DC, by working with his adviser, ECE Professor Kent Choquette on his presentation. The conference will last three days, but Sulkin will have to return to Illinois early for his preliminary exam later that week.

“It’s going to be pretty hectic, but this is something that will be worthwhile,” said Sulkin.

Sulkin received his bachelor’s in computer engineering in 2006 and his master’s in electrical engineering in 2007, both from Illinois. He is currently pursuing his PhD in microelectronics and photonics with plans to graduate by next year. In addition to FlyOnTime.us, Sulkin has also developed the website IllinoisTrack.us and currently manages IlliniBookExchange.com.