Scottsdale’s new open data portal offers public access to many of the same datasets that the city uses to monitor performance and make decisions.
The site currently hosts more than 30 datasets – from map-based data like street centerlines, trails and trolley routes to service-level data like graffiti reports, police and fire calls, code violations and building permits.
These datasets provide another window into the services Scottsdale provides and their impact, but they also allow people and organizations an opportunity to use the data to create civic-minded applications, visualizations and insights.
“This portal is not just about making Scottsdale government more transparent,” said Mayor W.J. “Jim” Lane, “We hope it will make us more effective, too, through the insights and applications that may result.”
Launching the portal is part of a work plan approved by the City Council in May 2016 when the city was selected to participate in What Works Cities, a national program that helps cities evaluate how they are using data and evidence to engage residents, make government more effective and improve lives.
Making city data more consumable, readily available and useful for decision-making was a key focus area in that plan. The city’s open data portal, developed with guidance from the Sunlight Foundation Open Data Policy Guidelines, is a key component of that effort.
Scottsdale’s open data portal was developed in-house with open source software at no out-of-pocket cost to the city.