Friday, March 3, 2023

Open Data Portal Gets New Look to Celebrate Open Data Day

 

Open Data Day is Sunday, March 5

The Communications & Technology Management Department (CTM) is proud to recognize Open Data Day, on Sunday, March 5, 2023. Open Data Day is an annual opportunity to recognize the value and importance of an open data policy in local government. In conjunction with Open Data Day, CTM has a new homepage design for the City of Austin’s Open Data Portal.

CTM is the principal information technology (IT) department for the City of Austin and administers the City’s Open Data Portal. The Open Data Portal provides easy access to open data and information about City government and is intended to spark innovation, promote public collaboration, increase government transparency, and inform data driven decision making. “Transparency in government is a key goal for Austin and CTM takes that goal seriously. We are proud to be the administrators and custodians of the Open Data Portal,” said Chris Stewart, Chief Information Officer for the City of Austin. “The portal itself is a robust tool, but the data shared from across the City is what makes the tool a valuable resource for residents and businesses.”

The Open Data Portal has been in use since 2011, after Austin City Council approved Resolution No. 20111208-074 affirming the City Council’s commitment to Open Government. The Open Data Portal provides access to City data in the form of datasets (collections of raw data) and visualizations (the interpretation of that data through tables, charts, graphs, or other tools).

The Open Data Portal has gone through multiple iterations and improvements over the last decade. This most recent upgrade includes a new homepage designed to provide a fresh look and feel, improve navigation, and improve the overall user experience. The finished product is an easy-to-navigate site with accessible datasets and helpful resources. Enhancements to the portal’s homepage went live on March 3.

In celebration of Open Data Day, we encourage you to explore the data available through the Open Data Portal.

Some of the most frequently accessed datasets are: