From 8370d336b6704e02478f0e1400b2bb6829a8e59d Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Jim Hafner <58757419+JimHafner@users.noreply.github.com> Date: Tue, 11 Feb 2020 20:51:07 -0500 Subject: [PATCH 01/29] Update README.md --- README.md | 4 ++-- 1 file changed, 2 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-) diff --git a/README.md b/README.md index 8ae9aa7..deb7033 100644 --- a/README.md +++ b/README.md @@ -4,9 +4,9 @@ ## About the project -GovLens is a government transparency project developed by MuckRock and Code for Boston engineers. Our mission is to create a more open, accessible, and secure democracy through examining the technical elements of government agency websites. We use algorithms to score thousands of federal and state agencies based on their transparency, security, privacy, and accessibility. We then publish our findings and help communicate to government agencies possible improvements to their infrastructures that would better the agency as a whole. +GovLens is a government transparency project developed by MuckRock and Code for Boston engineers. Our mission is to create a more open, accessible, and secure democracy by examining the technical elements of federal and state government websites and scoring them based on their transparency, security, privacy, and accessibility. We then publish our findings and help communicate to those government agencies possible improvements to their infrastructures. -![A screenshot of what a GovLens Scorecard looks like](README_images/scorecard.png ) +![A screenshot of what a GovLens Scorecard looks like](README_images/scorecard.png) ## Why? From c52b7c5614d17669ad9140275ad5801d0ec1129c Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Jim Hafner <58757419+JimHafner@users.noreply.github.com> Date: Tue, 11 Feb 2020 21:19:10 -0500 Subject: [PATCH 02/29] Update README.md --- README.md | 2 +- 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-) diff --git a/README.md b/README.md index deb7033..f90f6c9 100644 --- a/README.md +++ b/README.md @@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ GovLens is a government transparency project developed by MuckRock and Code for ## Why? -We get reminders all the time of how well our physical civic infrastructure is doing: Did my car hit a pothole? Are the swing sets covered in rust? It can be harder to see how well our digital civic infrastructure is holding up, however, particularly when it comes to the parts of the web that can be invisible to many people: How accessible is a site to people who rely on screen readers or who have reduced vision? Which third-party trackers have access to visitor data, and how is that data being guarded? Are government websites following basic best practices in utilizing secure connections? +We get reminders all the time of how well our physical civic infrastructure is doing: Did my car hit a pothole? Are the swing sets covered in rust? However, it can be harder to see how well our digital civic infrastructure is holding up, particularly when it comes to the parts of the web that can be invisible to many people: How accessible is a site to people who rely on screen readers or who have reduced vision? Which third-party trackers have access to visitor data, and how is that data being guarded? Are government websites following basic best practices in utilizing secure connections? While we have a [National Bridge Inventory](https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/bridge/nbi.cfm) that monitors dangerous bridges and other federal agencies that monitor other core infrastructure issues, we do not have similar insights into how strong or weak much of our digital infrastructure is. From 99a1cfbc4671ff5ce2360e7af917bd4fb21cb2da Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Jim Hafner <58757419+JimHafner@users.noreply.github.com> Date: Tue, 3 Mar 2020 20:30:39 -0500 Subject: [PATCH 03/29] Update README.md --- README.md | 15 +++++++-------- 1 file changed, 7 insertions(+), 8 deletions(-) diff --git a/README.md b/README.md index f90f6c9..95c1a6c 100644 --- a/README.md +++ b/README.md @@ -25,14 +25,6 @@ This site has three core planned audiences: * __Government decision makers__, so that they can understand why they need to invest in better adhering to web standards as well as see where their sites stand compared to their peers. * __Local and national media outlets__, so as best to reach and influence the above categories. - -## Getting started basics - -- [ ] Make sure [you've registered for the Code for Boston Slack](https://communityinviter.com/apps/cfb-public/code-for-boston-slack-invite). -- [ ] Join the #MuckRock channel on Slack. -- [ ] Ask a current member to be added to our Github organization ([They'll need to click here](https://github.com/codeforboston/GovLens/settings/collaboration)). After they've sent you an invite, you'll need to either check your email or notifications in Github (the alarm icon on the top right of your Github page) to accept the invite. -- [ ] If you're interested in working on the backend of the site, [try following the instructions](#installation-instructions) - ## Project goals The goal is to create an automatically updated database that tracks, over time, how well government agencies websites at the state, local, and federal levels follow best practices when it comes to HTTPS security, mobile friendliness, reader accessibility, and other key areas. @@ -43,6 +35,13 @@ Over time, we hope to show whether both individual agencies are improving or wor The project is currently in testing stages, as we work to both develop usable, accurate data and build a pipeline for regularly populating it. The site currently can run locally, but several of the data categories are filled with randomized testing data and any report cards generated are for **demonstration purposes only**. These scores do not represent actual scores for agencies. +## Getting started basics + +- [ ] Make sure [you've registered for the Code for Boston Slack](https://communityinviter.com/apps/cfb-public/code-for-boston-slack-invite). +- [ ] Join the #MuckRock channel on Slack. +- [ ] Ask a current member to be added to our Github organization ([They'll need to click here](https://github.com/codeforboston/GovLens/settings/collaboration)). After they've sent you an invite, you'll need to either check your email or notifications in Github (the alarm icon on the top right of your Github page) to accept the invite. +- [ ] If you're interested in working on the backend of the site, [try following the instructions](#installation-instructions) + ## Installation instructions Install python3 if you haven't installed it yet. From 958a0e8b439ee027477200c597fba8ca3a82d267 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Jim Hafner <58757419+JimHafner@users.noreply.github.com> Date: Tue, 3 Mar 2020 20:34:59 -0500 Subject: [PATCH 04/29] Update README.md --- README.md | 92 ------------------------------------------------------- 1 file changed, 92 deletions(-) diff --git a/README.md b/README.md index 95c1a6c..38961ce 100644 --- a/README.md +++ b/README.md @@ -41,95 +41,3 @@ The project is currently in testing stages, as we work to both develop usable, a - [ ] Join the #MuckRock channel on Slack. - [ ] Ask a current member to be added to our Github organization ([They'll need to click here](https://github.com/codeforboston/GovLens/settings/collaboration)). After they've sent you an invite, you'll need to either check your email or notifications in Github (the alarm icon on the top right of your Github page) to accept the invite. - [ ] If you're interested in working on the backend of the site, [try following the instructions](#installation-instructions) - -## Installation instructions - -Install python3 if you haven't installed it yet. -```bash -python3 --version -``` -If you do not see a version you will need to visit [Python](https://www.python.org/downloads/) or google how to install it for your operating system. You want python3 as well as pip3. - - -Create a developer account on Github if you don't have one: [Github](https://github.com/) - -Fork the repository on Github, see: [Fork a Repo](https://help.github.com/en/github/getting-started-with-github/fork-a-repo) - -Clone your forked repository from the command line (this will create a GovLens directory): -```bash -git clone https://github.com/--your-github-name--/GovLens.git -``` - -Navigate to the base directory of the reposistory and prepare to install depedencies. - -To start, it is recommend to create a -[virtual environment](https://virtualenv.pypa.io/en/stable/userguide/). If you have not -used `virtualenv` before, install it with: `pip3 install virtualenv`. - -```bash -# Create a virtual environment to manage dependencies -virtualenv venv -source venv/bin/activate -``` - -Now install the dependencies with pip: - -```bash -# Install requirements.txt -pip3 install -r requirements.txt -``` - -After the dependencies have installed, we want to prepare the database. - -```bash -# Perform data migrations -python3 manage.py migrate -``` - -Then, we need to import a CSV file containing existing agency information. Start by -running a Django shell: - -```bash -python3 manage.py shell - -# From within the shell ->>> from apps.civic_pulse.utils.load_models import * ->>> fill_agency_objects() ->>> exit() -``` - -The following steps are needed in order to connect the api with the scrapers. If you do not wish to do that, then this may be skipped. We need to create a dummy user for the scraper to be able to access the api. The api is part of the Django projet. -Note: The scrapers live in an independent environment not neccessarily in the same server as the Django website. The scrapers read and write data to the website using api endpoints. - -- create an admin user to be able to login to the admin portal of the website: /admin - -```bash - python3 manage.py createsuperuser --username admin --email admin@admin.com - - # enter the password when prompted. It can be any password that you wish to use. - # It is used for login to the admin website. - ``` -- Start up the webserver so we can create a user for the scraper. -```bash -python3 manage.py runserver -``` -- Visit localhost:8000/admin and follow the UI to add a new user named "scraper", set the password to whatever you would like but make note of it. - -- In a new terminal tab, create a token for the scraper user using the following command -```bash -python3 manage.py drf_create_token scraper -``` -Finally, the database is ready to go! We are now ready to run the server: - -Navigate in your browser to `http://127.0.0.1:8000/admin`. Log in with the new admin user you just created. Click on Agencys and you should see a list of -agencies. - -## Code formatting -GovLens enforces code style using [Black](https://github.com/psf/black) and pep8 rules using [Flake8](http://flake8.pycqa.org/en/latest/). -To set up automatic code formatting for black standards, perform the following steps: -- `pip install -U black pre-commit` -- `pre-commit install` - -To manually run Flake8 from project root: -- `pip install -U flake8` -- `flake8 . --ignore E501,W503,E203` From 96a27ea834bcc09a141456e5bef09e77a9be47ec Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Jim Hafner <58757419+JimHafner@users.noreply.github.com> Date: Tue, 3 Mar 2020 20:44:25 -0500 Subject: [PATCH 05/29] Update README.md --- README.md | 6 ++++++ 1 file changed, 6 insertions(+) diff --git a/README.md b/README.md index 38961ce..2b7b3dc 100644 --- a/README.md +++ b/README.md @@ -35,6 +35,12 @@ Over time, we hope to show whether both individual agencies are improving or wor The project is currently in testing stages, as we work to both develop usable, accurate data and build a pipeline for regularly populating it. The site currently can run locally, but several of the data categories are filled with randomized testing data and any report cards generated are for **demonstration purposes only**. These scores do not represent actual scores for agencies. +## Want to Help Out? + +If you'd like to contribute or learn more, please visit our [wiki page](https://github.com/JimHafner/GovLens/wiki). There, +you will find more information about development and instructions on setting up a local version of the project that you can +experiment with. + ## Getting started basics - [ ] Make sure [you've registered for the Code for Boston Slack](https://communityinviter.com/apps/cfb-public/code-for-boston-slack-invite). From d48cb1c53054c05e6c264764780dbb1a57bec10a Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Jim Hafner <58757419+JimHafner@users.noreply.github.com> Date: Tue, 3 Mar 2020 21:05:53 -0500 Subject: [PATCH 06/29] Update README.md --- README.md | 2 +- 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-) diff --git a/README.md b/README.md index 2b7b3dc..1a0b5c3 100644 --- a/README.md +++ b/README.md @@ -46,4 +46,4 @@ experiment with. - [ ] Make sure [you've registered for the Code for Boston Slack](https://communityinviter.com/apps/cfb-public/code-for-boston-slack-invite). - [ ] Join the #MuckRock channel on Slack. - [ ] Ask a current member to be added to our Github organization ([They'll need to click here](https://github.com/codeforboston/GovLens/settings/collaboration)). After they've sent you an invite, you'll need to either check your email or notifications in Github (the alarm icon on the top right of your Github page) to accept the invite. -- [ ] If you're interested in working on the backend of the site, [try following the instructions](#installation-instructions) +- [ ] If you're interested in working on the backend of the site, try following the [installation instructions](https://github.com/JimHafner/GovLens/wiki/Installation-Instructions) From 05d02569d5699888f4677d1b5aeadedf9a0ea84f Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Jim Hafner <58757419+JimHafner@users.noreply.github.com> Date: Tue, 3 Mar 2020 21:06:53 -0500 Subject: [PATCH 07/29] Update README.md --- README.md | 2 +- 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-) diff --git a/README.md b/README.md index 1a0b5c3..c52c6ab 100644 --- a/README.md +++ b/README.md @@ -46,4 +46,4 @@ experiment with. - [ ] Make sure [you've registered for the Code for Boston Slack](https://communityinviter.com/apps/cfb-public/code-for-boston-slack-invite). - [ ] Join the #MuckRock channel on Slack. - [ ] Ask a current member to be added to our Github organization ([They'll need to click here](https://github.com/codeforboston/GovLens/settings/collaboration)). After they've sent you an invite, you'll need to either check your email or notifications in Github (the alarm icon on the top right of your Github page) to accept the invite. -- [ ] If you're interested in working on the backend of the site, try following the [installation instructions](https://github.com/JimHafner/GovLens/wiki/Installation-Instructions) +- [ ] If you're interested in working on the backend of the site, try following the [installation instructions](https://github.com/JimHafner/GovLens/wiki/Installation-Instructions). From cbaf01dbebe7a49252ec5406fa19a4be3de5e309 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Jim Hafner <58757419+JimHafner@users.noreply.github.com> Date: Tue, 3 Mar 2020 21:09:23 -0500 Subject: [PATCH 08/29] Update README.md --- README.md | 5 +---- 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 4 deletions(-) diff --git a/README.md b/README.md index c52c6ab..61fd5b5 100644 --- a/README.md +++ b/README.md @@ -39,11 +39,8 @@ The project is currently in testing stages, as we work to both develop usable, a If you'd like to contribute or learn more, please visit our [wiki page](https://github.com/JimHafner/GovLens/wiki). There, you will find more information about development and instructions on setting up a local version of the project that you can -experiment with. - -## Getting started basics +experiment with. Then: - [ ] Make sure [you've registered for the Code for Boston Slack](https://communityinviter.com/apps/cfb-public/code-for-boston-slack-invite). - [ ] Join the #MuckRock channel on Slack. - [ ] Ask a current member to be added to our Github organization ([They'll need to click here](https://github.com/codeforboston/GovLens/settings/collaboration)). After they've sent you an invite, you'll need to either check your email or notifications in Github (the alarm icon on the top right of your Github page) to accept the invite. -- [ ] If you're interested in working on the backend of the site, try following the [installation instructions](https://github.com/JimHafner/GovLens/wiki/Installation-Instructions). From 44b405155376f935e006964d0411d34fb8024171 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Jim Hafner <58757419+JimHafner@users.noreply.github.com> Date: Tue, 3 Mar 2020 21:17:21 -0500 Subject: [PATCH 09/29] Update README.md --- README.md | 2 +- 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-) diff --git a/README.md b/README.md index 61fd5b5..b9a4e3a 100644 --- a/README.md +++ b/README.md @@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ ## About the project -GovLens is a government transparency project developed by MuckRock and Code for Boston engineers. Our mission is to create a more open, accessible, and secure democracy by examining the technical elements of federal and state government websites and scoring them based on their transparency, security, privacy, and accessibility. We then publish our findings and help communicate to those government agencies possible improvements to their infrastructures. +GovLens is a government transparency project developed by MuckRock and Code for Boston engineers. Our mission is to create a more open, accessible, and secure democracy by examining the technical elements of federal and state government websites, scoring them based on their transparency, security, privacy, and accessibility, and then publishing our findings to help communicate to those government agencies possible improvements to their infrastructures. ![A screenshot of what a GovLens Scorecard looks like](README_images/scorecard.png) From 7ea6db0ed52d86eef50ce588f9c8dc99502c2fb1 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Jim Hafner <58757419+JimHafner@users.noreply.github.com> Date: Tue, 3 Mar 2020 21:34:02 -0500 Subject: [PATCH 10/29] Update README.md --- README.md | 2 +- 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-) diff --git a/README.md b/README.md index b9a4e3a..ebc2fe8 100644 --- a/README.md +++ b/README.md @@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ ## About the project -GovLens is a government transparency project developed by MuckRock and Code for Boston engineers. Our mission is to create a more open, accessible, and secure democracy by examining the technical elements of federal and state government websites, scoring them based on their transparency, security, privacy, and accessibility, and then publishing our findings to help communicate to those government agencies possible improvements to their infrastructures. +GovLens is a government transparency project developed by MuckRock and Code for Boston engineers. Our mission is to create a more open, accessible, and secure democracy by examining the technical elements of federal and state government websites, scoring them based on their transparency, security, privacy, and accessibility, and then publishing our findings to help communicate to those government agencies possible ways to improve their infrastructures. ![A screenshot of what a GovLens Scorecard looks like](README_images/scorecard.png) From 29feb9d94bc0cbef2773a333986d16d0be1d951c Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Jim Hafner <58757419+JimHafner@users.noreply.github.com> Date: Tue, 3 Mar 2020 21:39:20 -0500 Subject: [PATCH 11/29] Update README.md --- README.md | 2 +- 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-) diff --git a/README.md b/README.md index ebc2fe8..2d92815 100644 --- a/README.md +++ b/README.md @@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ ## About the project -GovLens is a government transparency project developed by MuckRock and Code for Boston engineers. Our mission is to create a more open, accessible, and secure democracy by examining the technical elements of federal and state government websites, scoring them based on their transparency, security, privacy, and accessibility, and then publishing our findings to help communicate to those government agencies possible ways to improve their infrastructures. +GovLens is a government transparency project developed by MuckRock and Code for Boston engineers. Our mission is to create a more open, accessible, and secure democracy by examining the technical elements of federal and state government websites, evaluating their transparency, security, privacy, and accessibility, and publishing our findings to help communicate to those government agencies possible ways they could improve their infrastructures. ![A screenshot of what a GovLens Scorecard looks like](README_images/scorecard.png) From 5f97c3e32faef2ca81831c92c13ab09dfda90cf2 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Jim Hafner <58757419+JimHafner@users.noreply.github.com> Date: Tue, 3 Mar 2020 21:48:00 -0500 Subject: [PATCH 12/29] Update README.md --- README.md | 4 ++-- 1 file changed, 2 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-) diff --git a/README.md b/README.md index 2d92815..f98dca9 100644 --- a/README.md +++ b/README.md @@ -10,9 +10,9 @@ GovLens is a government transparency project developed by MuckRock and Code for ## Why? -We get reminders all the time of how well our physical civic infrastructure is doing: Did my car hit a pothole? Are the swing sets covered in rust? However, it can be harder to see how well our digital civic infrastructure is holding up, particularly when it comes to the parts of the web that can be invisible to many people: How accessible is a site to people who rely on screen readers or who have reduced vision? Which third-party trackers have access to visitor data, and how is that data being guarded? Are government websites following basic best practices in utilizing secure connections? +We get reminders all the time of how well our physical civic infrastructure is doing: Did my car hit a pothole? Are the swing sets covered in rust? However, it can be harder to see how well our digital civic infrastructure is holding up, particularly when it comes to the parts of the web that may be invisible to many users: How accessible is a site to persons who rely on screen readers or who have reduced vision? Which third-party trackers have access to visitor data, and how is that data being guarded? Are government websites following basic best practices in utilizing secure connections? -While we have a [National Bridge Inventory](https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/bridge/nbi.cfm) that monitors dangerous bridges and other federal agencies that monitor other core infrastructure issues, we do not have similar insights into how strong or weak much of our digital infrastructure is. +We have a [National Bridge Inventory](https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/bridge/nbi.cfm) that monitors dangerous bridges, and there are federal agencies that monitor other elements of core infrastructure, but we do not have similar monitoring of the strengths and weaknesses of much of our digital infrastructure. GovLens helps to provide at least the start of an answer to that, by making those oftentimes overlooked aspects of digital infrastructure more visible via public report cards for each agency in our database as well as collated data for each jurisdiction and state, letting us see which areas of the country are leading the way and which might need a little more prodding. From 648af65c47992c1cbcb91527e1ce191a68f037a1 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Jim Hafner <58757419+JimHafner@users.noreply.github.com> Date: Tue, 10 Mar 2020 20:05:39 -0400 Subject: [PATCH 13/29] Update README.md --- README.md | 2 +- 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-) diff --git a/README.md b/README.md index f98dca9..b8e702d 100644 --- a/README.md +++ b/README.md @@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ ## About the project -GovLens is a government transparency project developed by MuckRock and Code for Boston engineers. Our mission is to create a more open, accessible, and secure democracy by examining the technical elements of federal and state government websites, evaluating their transparency, security, privacy, and accessibility, and publishing our findings to help communicate to those government agencies possible ways they could improve their infrastructures. +GovLens is a government transparency project developed by MuckRock and Code for Boston engineers. Our mission is to create a more open, accessible, and secure democracy by 1) examining the technical elements of federal and state agency websites, 2) scoring them for transparency, security, privacy, and accessibility, and 3) publishing our findings to help communicate to those government agencies possible ways they could improve their infrastructures. ![A screenshot of what a GovLens Scorecard looks like](README_images/scorecard.png) From e6f6b101c1b7ddd0cd37a739510dbf33c5a354c5 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Jim Hafner <58757419+JimHafner@users.noreply.github.com> Date: Tue, 10 Mar 2020 20:06:50 -0400 Subject: [PATCH 14/29] Update README.md --- README.md | 2 ++ 1 file changed, 2 insertions(+) diff --git a/README.md b/README.md index b8e702d..f51997e 100644 --- a/README.md +++ b/README.md @@ -6,6 +6,8 @@ GovLens is a government transparency project developed by MuckRock and Code for Boston engineers. Our mission is to create a more open, accessible, and secure democracy by 1) examining the technical elements of federal and state agency websites, 2) scoring them for transparency, security, privacy, and accessibility, and 3) publishing our findings to help communicate to those government agencies possible ways they could improve their infrastructures. +Here is a screenshot of what a GovLens Scorecard will look like: + ![A screenshot of what a GovLens Scorecard looks like](README_images/scorecard.png) ## Why? From b9100ef8b7bce7815b836c724c08d0271be0a756 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Jim Hafner <58757419+JimHafner@users.noreply.github.com> Date: Tue, 10 Mar 2020 20:47:19 -0400 Subject: [PATCH 15/29] Update README.md --- README.md | 28 +++++++++++----------------- 1 file changed, 11 insertions(+), 17 deletions(-) diff --git a/README.md b/README.md index f51997e..daeff35 100644 --- a/README.md +++ b/README.md @@ -6,36 +6,30 @@ GovLens is a government transparency project developed by MuckRock and Code for Boston engineers. Our mission is to create a more open, accessible, and secure democracy by 1) examining the technical elements of federal and state agency websites, 2) scoring them for transparency, security, privacy, and accessibility, and 3) publishing our findings to help communicate to those government agencies possible ways they could improve their infrastructures. -Here is a screenshot of what a GovLens Scorecard will look like: +Our goal is to create an automatically updated database that tracks, over time, how well government agency websites at the federal, state, and local levels are adhering to best practices when it comes to HTTPS security, mobile friendliness, reader accessibility, and other key areas. With this, we hope to show whether individual agencies are improving or worsening and to highlight national shifts along the metrics we monitor. Individual agency pages will show the most recent snapshot ranking, but our API will make historical data available. + +Here is a screenshot of what a GovLens Scorecard for an individual government agency will look like: ![A screenshot of what a GovLens Scorecard looks like](README_images/scorecard.png) ## Why? -We get reminders all the time of how well our physical civic infrastructure is doing: Did my car hit a pothole? Are the swing sets covered in rust? However, it can be harder to see how well our digital civic infrastructure is holding up, particularly when it comes to the parts of the web that may be invisible to many users: How accessible is a site to persons who rely on screen readers or who have reduced vision? Which third-party trackers have access to visitor data, and how is that data being guarded? Are government websites following basic best practices in utilizing secure connections? - -We have a [National Bridge Inventory](https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/bridge/nbi.cfm) that monitors dangerous bridges, and there are federal agencies that monitor other elements of core infrastructure, but we do not have similar monitoring of the strengths and weaknesses of much of our digital infrastructure. +We get reminders all the time of how well our _physical_ civic infrastructure is doing: Did my car hit a pothole? Are the swing sets covered in rust? We have a [National Bridge Inventory](https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/bridge/nbi.cfm) that monitors dangerous bridges, and there are federal agencies that monitor other elements of core infrastructure. However, it can be harder to see how well our _digital_ civic infrastructure is holding up, particularly when it comes to the parts of the web that may be invisible to many users: How accessible is a site to persons who rely on screen readers or who have reduced vision? Which third-party trackers have access to visitor data, and how is that data being guarded? Are government websites following basic best practices in utilizing secure connections? -GovLens helps to provide at least the start of an answer to that, by making those oftentimes overlooked aspects of digital infrastructure more visible via public report cards for each agency in our database as well as collated data for each jurisdiction and state, letting us see which areas of the country are leading the way and which might need a little more prodding. +GovLens will provide at least the start of a solution to this problem, by making those oftentimes overlooked aspects of digital infrastructure more visible via public report cards for each agency in our database as well as by collating data for each jurisdiction and state, letting us see which areas of the country are leading the way and which might need a little more prodding. -This is partially inspired by the work of Pulse.CIO.Gov, an official federal government website that monitored the adoption of HTTPS compliance among federal websites, as well as [SecureThe.News](https://securethe.news), which did the same thing for news websites. Both of these projects brought wider visibility to the issue and provided natural and effective peer pressure for website operators to improve. Our hope is we can do the same for local government, while also compiling a rich research data set for future analysis. +This project is inspired in part by the work of Pulse.CIO.Gov, an official federal government website that monitored the adoption of HTTPS compliance among federal websites, as well as [SecureThe.News](https://securethe.news), which did the same thing for news websites. Both of these projects brought wider visibility to the issue and provided natural and effective peer pressure for website operators to improve. We hope to do the same for government agencies at all levels, while also compiling a rich research data set for future analysis. ## Who is this site for? -This site has three core planned audiences: - -* __The general public__, so that they’re better educated about the state of government digital infrastructure and why it matters. -* __Government decision makers__, so that they can understand why they need to invest in better adhering to web standards as well as see where their sites stand compared to their peers. -* __Local and national media outlets__, so as best to reach and influence the above categories. - -## Project goals - -The goal is to create an automatically updated database that tracks, over time, how well government agencies websites at the state, local, and federal levels follow best practices when it comes to HTTPS security, mobile friendliness, reader accessibility, and other key areas. +This site has three planned core audiences: -Over time, we hope to show whether both individual agencies are improving or worsening, as well as help highlight national shifts along the metrics we monitor. Individual pages show the most recent snapshot ranking, but our API will make historical data available. +* __The general public__, so that they are better educated about the state of government digital infrastructure and why it matters. +* __Government decision makers__, so that they can understand why they need to invest in adhering to web standards as well as see where their sites stand compared to their peers. +* __Local and national media outlets__, so as best to reach and influence the above groups. ## Current status -The project is currently in testing stages, as we work to both develop usable, accurate data and build a pipeline for regularly populating it. The site currently can run locally, but several of the data categories are filled with randomized testing data and any report cards generated are for **demonstration purposes only**. These scores do not represent actual scores for agencies. +The project is currently in the testing stage, as we work to develop usable, accurate data and to build a pipeline for regularly populating it. The site currently can run locally, but several of the data categories are filled with randomized testing data and any report cards generated are for **demonstration purposes only**. These scores do not represent actual scores for agencies. ## Want to Help Out? From 4d2d0f8035237abe426896a7f94358f7c1cac0d2 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Jim Hafner <58757419+JimHafner@users.noreply.github.com> Date: Tue, 10 Mar 2020 20:51:34 -0400 Subject: [PATCH 16/29] Update README.md --- README.md | 2 +- 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-) diff --git a/README.md b/README.md index daeff35..ee691a1 100644 --- a/README.md +++ b/README.md @@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ GovLens will provide at least the start of a solution to this problem, by making This project is inspired in part by the work of Pulse.CIO.Gov, an official federal government website that monitored the adoption of HTTPS compliance among federal websites, as well as [SecureThe.News](https://securethe.news), which did the same thing for news websites. Both of these projects brought wider visibility to the issue and provided natural and effective peer pressure for website operators to improve. We hope to do the same for government agencies at all levels, while also compiling a rich research data set for future analysis. ## Who is this site for? -This site has three planned core audiences: +This site is planned for three core audiences: * __The general public__, so that they are better educated about the state of government digital infrastructure and why it matters. * __Government decision makers__, so that they can understand why they need to invest in adhering to web standards as well as see where their sites stand compared to their peers. From 7e0e0b8d625f91f0db914a2dd362dab3fbced20d Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Jim Hafner <58757419+JimHafner@users.noreply.github.com> Date: Tue, 10 Mar 2020 20:52:41 -0400 Subject: [PATCH 17/29] Update README.md --- README.md | 2 +- 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-) diff --git a/README.md b/README.md index ee691a1..2cac509 100644 --- a/README.md +++ b/README.md @@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ This project is inspired in part by the work of Pulse.CIO.Gov, an official feder This site is planned for three core audiences: * __The general public__, so that they are better educated about the state of government digital infrastructure and why it matters. -* __Government decision makers__, so that they can understand why they need to invest in adhering to web standards as well as see where their sites stand compared to their peers. +* __Government decision makers__, so that they can understand why they need to invest in adhering to web standards as well as see where their sites stand compared to those of their peers. * __Local and national media outlets__, so as best to reach and influence the above groups. ## Current status From 61d3c8593196f79ab6b6e17dfe25ccc5fbab5da2 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Jim Hafner <58757419+JimHafner@users.noreply.github.com> Date: Tue, 10 Mar 2020 20:56:37 -0400 Subject: [PATCH 18/29] Update README.md --- README.md | 4 +++- 1 file changed, 3 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-) diff --git a/README.md b/README.md index 2cac509..04d00eb 100644 --- a/README.md +++ b/README.md @@ -12,10 +12,12 @@ Here is a screenshot of what a GovLens Scorecard for an individual government ag ![A screenshot of what a GovLens Scorecard looks like](README_images/scorecard.png) -## Why? +## The Problem We get reminders all the time of how well our _physical_ civic infrastructure is doing: Did my car hit a pothole? Are the swing sets covered in rust? We have a [National Bridge Inventory](https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/bridge/nbi.cfm) that monitors dangerous bridges, and there are federal agencies that monitor other elements of core infrastructure. However, it can be harder to see how well our _digital_ civic infrastructure is holding up, particularly when it comes to the parts of the web that may be invisible to many users: How accessible is a site to persons who rely on screen readers or who have reduced vision? Which third-party trackers have access to visitor data, and how is that data being guarded? Are government websites following basic best practices in utilizing secure connections? +## The Solution + GovLens will provide at least the start of a solution to this problem, by making those oftentimes overlooked aspects of digital infrastructure more visible via public report cards for each agency in our database as well as by collating data for each jurisdiction and state, letting us see which areas of the country are leading the way and which might need a little more prodding. This project is inspired in part by the work of Pulse.CIO.Gov, an official federal government website that monitored the adoption of HTTPS compliance among federal websites, as well as [SecureThe.News](https://securethe.news), which did the same thing for news websites. Both of these projects brought wider visibility to the issue and provided natural and effective peer pressure for website operators to improve. We hope to do the same for government agencies at all levels, while also compiling a rich research data set for future analysis. From 84cfcde99943839e7be3f2dfd37bbb8898ea2893 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Jim Hafner <58757419+JimHafner@users.noreply.github.com> Date: Tue, 10 Mar 2020 20:56:47 -0400 Subject: [PATCH 19/29] Update README.md From 8e3b575e6610a9d159197a2a8d3906ed6835e2dd Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Jim Hafner <58757419+JimHafner@users.noreply.github.com> Date: Tue, 10 Mar 2020 20:59:28 -0400 Subject: [PATCH 20/29] Update README.md --- README.md | 2 +- 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-) diff --git a/README.md b/README.md index 04d00eb..1f99cf3 100644 --- a/README.md +++ b/README.md @@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ GovLens will provide at least the start of a solution to this problem, by making This project is inspired in part by the work of Pulse.CIO.Gov, an official federal government website that monitored the adoption of HTTPS compliance among federal websites, as well as [SecureThe.News](https://securethe.news), which did the same thing for news websites. Both of these projects brought wider visibility to the issue and provided natural and effective peer pressure for website operators to improve. We hope to do the same for government agencies at all levels, while also compiling a rich research data set for future analysis. ## Who is this site for? -This site is planned for three core audiences: +The site is planned for three core audiences: * __The general public__, so that they are better educated about the state of government digital infrastructure and why it matters. * __Government decision makers__, so that they can understand why they need to invest in adhering to web standards as well as see where their sites stand compared to those of their peers. From 891f3f4de93d3477857aed53767c8428c4db3576 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Jim Hafner <58757419+JimHafner@users.noreply.github.com> Date: Tue, 10 Mar 2020 21:00:20 -0400 Subject: [PATCH 21/29] Update README.md --- README.md | 6 +++--- 1 file changed, 3 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-) diff --git a/README.md b/README.md index 1f99cf3..a9fcaac 100644 --- a/README.md +++ b/README.md @@ -12,11 +12,11 @@ Here is a screenshot of what a GovLens Scorecard for an individual government ag ![A screenshot of what a GovLens Scorecard looks like](README_images/scorecard.png) -## The Problem +## The problem We get reminders all the time of how well our _physical_ civic infrastructure is doing: Did my car hit a pothole? Are the swing sets covered in rust? We have a [National Bridge Inventory](https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/bridge/nbi.cfm) that monitors dangerous bridges, and there are federal agencies that monitor other elements of core infrastructure. However, it can be harder to see how well our _digital_ civic infrastructure is holding up, particularly when it comes to the parts of the web that may be invisible to many users: How accessible is a site to persons who rely on screen readers or who have reduced vision? Which third-party trackers have access to visitor data, and how is that data being guarded? Are government websites following basic best practices in utilizing secure connections? -## The Solution +## The solution GovLens will provide at least the start of a solution to this problem, by making those oftentimes overlooked aspects of digital infrastructure more visible via public report cards for each agency in our database as well as by collating data for each jurisdiction and state, letting us see which areas of the country are leading the way and which might need a little more prodding. @@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ The site is planned for three core audiences: The project is currently in the testing stage, as we work to develop usable, accurate data and to build a pipeline for regularly populating it. The site currently can run locally, but several of the data categories are filled with randomized testing data and any report cards generated are for **demonstration purposes only**. These scores do not represent actual scores for agencies. -## Want to Help Out? +## Want to help out? If you'd like to contribute or learn more, please visit our [wiki page](https://github.com/JimHafner/GovLens/wiki). There, you will find more information about development and instructions on setting up a local version of the project that you can From 06769d9dd43dfbae3f7e976ecc5991246bff2bca Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Jim Hafner <58757419+JimHafner@users.noreply.github.com> Date: Tue, 10 Mar 2020 21:02:36 -0400 Subject: [PATCH 22/29] Update README.md --- README.md | 2 +- 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-) diff --git a/README.md b/README.md index a9fcaac..4c408e8 100644 --- a/README.md +++ b/README.md @@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ ## About the project -GovLens is a government transparency project developed by MuckRock and Code for Boston engineers. Our mission is to create a more open, accessible, and secure democracy by 1) examining the technical elements of federal and state agency websites, 2) scoring them for transparency, security, privacy, and accessibility, and 3) publishing our findings to help communicate to those government agencies possible ways they could improve their infrastructures. +GovLens is a government transparency project developed by MuckRock and Code for Boston engineers. Our mission is to create a more open, accessible, and secure democracy by 1) examining the technical elements of the websites of federal, state, and local government agencies, 2) scoring them for transparency, security, privacy, and accessibility, and 3) publishing our findings to help communicate to those government agencies possible ways they could improve their infrastructures. Our goal is to create an automatically updated database that tracks, over time, how well government agency websites at the federal, state, and local levels are adhering to best practices when it comes to HTTPS security, mobile friendliness, reader accessibility, and other key areas. With this, we hope to show whether individual agencies are improving or worsening and to highlight national shifts along the metrics we monitor. Individual agency pages will show the most recent snapshot ranking, but our API will make historical data available. From 4d52b25d277b8441d8b34b64d3efeed26e987f90 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Jim Hafner <58757419+JimHafner@users.noreply.github.com> Date: Tue, 10 Mar 2020 21:07:18 -0400 Subject: [PATCH 23/29] Update README.md --- README.md | 2 +- 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-) diff --git a/README.md b/README.md index 4c408e8..9b4be07 100644 --- a/README.md +++ b/README.md @@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ GovLens is a government transparency project developed by MuckRock and Code for Boston engineers. Our mission is to create a more open, accessible, and secure democracy by 1) examining the technical elements of the websites of federal, state, and local government agencies, 2) scoring them for transparency, security, privacy, and accessibility, and 3) publishing our findings to help communicate to those government agencies possible ways they could improve their infrastructures. -Our goal is to create an automatically updated database that tracks, over time, how well government agency websites at the federal, state, and local levels are adhering to best practices when it comes to HTTPS security, mobile friendliness, reader accessibility, and other key areas. With this, we hope to show whether individual agencies are improving or worsening and to highlight national shifts along the metrics we monitor. Individual agency pages will show the most recent snapshot ranking, but our API will make historical data available. +Our goal is to create an automatically updated database that tracks, over time, how well government agency websites are adhering to best practices when it comes to HTTPS security, mobile friendliness, reader accessibility, and other key areas. With this, we hope to show whether individual agencies are improving or worsening and to highlight national shifts along the metrics we monitor. Individual agency pages will show the most recent snapshot ranking, but our API will make historical data available. Here is a screenshot of what a GovLens Scorecard for an individual government agency will look like: From 68969981b612875ee5d9ae2dc97034772e752c13 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Jim Hafner <58757419+JimHafner@users.noreply.github.com> Date: Tue, 10 Mar 2020 21:11:22 -0400 Subject: [PATCH 24/29] Update README.md --- README.md | 3 ++- 1 file changed, 2 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-) diff --git a/README.md b/README.md index 9b4be07..ac7853c 100644 --- a/README.md +++ b/README.md @@ -41,4 +41,5 @@ experiment with. Then: - [ ] Make sure [you've registered for the Code for Boston Slack](https://communityinviter.com/apps/cfb-public/code-for-boston-slack-invite). - [ ] Join the #MuckRock channel on Slack. -- [ ] Ask a current member to be added to our Github organization ([They'll need to click here](https://github.com/codeforboston/GovLens/settings/collaboration)). After they've sent you an invite, you'll need to either check your email or notifications in Github (the alarm icon on the top right of your Github page) to accept the invite. +- [ ] Ask a current member to be added to our Github organization ([They'll need to click here](https://github.com/codeforboston/GovLens/settings/collaboration)). + After they've sent you an invite, you'll need to either check your email or notifications in Github (the alarm icon on the top right of your Github page) to accept the invite. From a31cbfabd0eb90fa453e4176f3de0d09230ae8a8 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Jim Hafner <58757419+JimHafner@users.noreply.github.com> Date: Tue, 10 Mar 2020 21:12:14 -0400 Subject: [PATCH 25/29] Update README.md --- README.md | 7 +++---- 1 file changed, 3 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-) diff --git a/README.md b/README.md index ac7853c..022451b 100644 --- a/README.md +++ b/README.md @@ -39,7 +39,6 @@ If you'd like to contribute or learn more, please visit our [wiki page](https:// you will find more information about development and instructions on setting up a local version of the project that you can experiment with. Then: -- [ ] Make sure [you've registered for the Code for Boston Slack](https://communityinviter.com/apps/cfb-public/code-for-boston-slack-invite). -- [ ] Join the #MuckRock channel on Slack. -- [ ] Ask a current member to be added to our Github organization ([They'll need to click here](https://github.com/codeforboston/GovLens/settings/collaboration)). - After they've sent you an invite, you'll need to either check your email or notifications in Github (the alarm icon on the top right of your Github page) to accept the invite. +- [ ] Make sure [you've registered for the Code for Boston Slack](https://communityinviter.com/apps/cfb-public/code-for-boston-slack-invite). +- [ ] Join the #MuckRock channel on Slack. +- [ ] Ask a current member to be added to our Github organization ([They'll need to click here](https://github.com/codeforboston/GovLens/settings/collaboration)). After they've sent you an invite, you'll need to either check your email or notifications in Github (the alarm icon on the top right of your Github page) to accept the invite. From c70ca04ccb851cf2fa560f5c648c38d7c1eed81c Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Jim Hafner <58757419+JimHafner@users.noreply.github.com> Date: Tue, 10 Mar 2020 21:14:43 -0400 Subject: [PATCH 26/29] Update README.md --- README.md | 6 +++--- 1 file changed, 3 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-) diff --git a/README.md b/README.md index 022451b..9b4be07 100644 --- a/README.md +++ b/README.md @@ -39,6 +39,6 @@ If you'd like to contribute or learn more, please visit our [wiki page](https:// you will find more information about development and instructions on setting up a local version of the project that you can experiment with. Then: -- [ ] Make sure [you've registered for the Code for Boston Slack](https://communityinviter.com/apps/cfb-public/code-for-boston-slack-invite). -- [ ] Join the #MuckRock channel on Slack. -- [ ] Ask a current member to be added to our Github organization ([They'll need to click here](https://github.com/codeforboston/GovLens/settings/collaboration)). After they've sent you an invite, you'll need to either check your email or notifications in Github (the alarm icon on the top right of your Github page) to accept the invite. +- [ ] Make sure [you've registered for the Code for Boston Slack](https://communityinviter.com/apps/cfb-public/code-for-boston-slack-invite). +- [ ] Join the #MuckRock channel on Slack. +- [ ] Ask a current member to be added to our Github organization ([They'll need to click here](https://github.com/codeforboston/GovLens/settings/collaboration)). After they've sent you an invite, you'll need to either check your email or notifications in Github (the alarm icon on the top right of your Github page) to accept the invite. From 77cb53030def402a0e5933f5fecd326844253c90 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Jim Hafner <58757419+JimHafner@users.noreply.github.com> Date: Tue, 10 Mar 2020 21:14:53 -0400 Subject: [PATCH 27/29] Update README.md From 1de582a9c8cdd3fa72a2859b3fa8702b20d3c599 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Jim Hafner <58757419+JimHafner@users.noreply.github.com> Date: Tue, 10 Mar 2020 21:20:14 -0400 Subject: [PATCH 28/29] Update README.md --- README.md | 2 +- 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-) diff --git a/README.md b/README.md index 9b4be07..f35e424 100644 --- a/README.md +++ b/README.md @@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ We get reminders all the time of how well our _physical_ civic infrastructure is GovLens will provide at least the start of a solution to this problem, by making those oftentimes overlooked aspects of digital infrastructure more visible via public report cards for each agency in our database as well as by collating data for each jurisdiction and state, letting us see which areas of the country are leading the way and which might need a little more prodding. -This project is inspired in part by the work of Pulse.CIO.Gov, an official federal government website that monitored the adoption of HTTPS compliance among federal websites, as well as [SecureThe.News](https://securethe.news), which did the same thing for news websites. Both of these projects brought wider visibility to the issue and provided natural and effective peer pressure for website operators to improve. We hope to do the same for government agencies at all levels, while also compiling a rich research data set for future analysis. +This project is inspired in part by the work of Pulse.CIO.Gov, an official federal government website that monitored the adoption of HTTPS compliance among federal websites, as well as [SecureThe.News](https://securethe.news), which did the same thing for news websites. Both of these projects brought wider visibility to the issue and provided natural and effective peer pressure for website operators to improve. ## Who is this site for? The site is planned for three core audiences: From 07eb704d131f9a9acfe4edf464848faf51d4ba4b Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Jim Hafner <58757419+JimHafner@users.noreply.github.com> Date: Tue, 10 Mar 2020 22:01:28 -0400 Subject: [PATCH 29/29] Update README.md --- README.md | 2 +- 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-) diff --git a/README.md b/README.md index f35e424..37b4139 100644 --- a/README.md +++ b/README.md @@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ The project is currently in the testing stage, as we work to develop usable, acc ## Want to help out? -If you'd like to contribute or learn more, please visit our [wiki page](https://github.com/JimHafner/GovLens/wiki). There, +If you'd like to contribute or learn more, please visit our [wiki page](https://github.com/codeforboston/GovLens/wiki). There, you will find more information about development and instructions on setting up a local version of the project that you can experiment with. Then: