Contact: Christina Fleps (202) 727-0619
(Washington, DC) District of Columbia Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Rob Mancini today announced that the Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO) has launched a new technology program to advance Mayor Vincent Gray’s citywide Open Data Initiative.
The District has long been a leader in open data, with robust data catalog and government performance sites and a broad Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) that calls for the posting and release of extensive data to the public.
“With our Open Data program, we will vigorously support Mayor Gray’s commitment to government transparency and expand the District’s leadership in open data,” said CTO Rob Mancini. “I’m proud of what we have already accomplished with our new Open Data portal and excited about what we will deliver to the public as we prepare to drive this program forward.”
Under the leadership of Interim Chief Data Officer (CDO) Dervel Reed, OCTO has already created an Open Data portal that serves as a central, easily accessible repository for a wide and growing array of District government data.
For example, information available on the Open Data portal today includes:
- Budget and revenue data from the Office of the Chief Financial Officer in several different formats;
- Online dashboards to share agency operational data and monitor agency performance;
- Map data--several online mapping applications that map a wide range of information ranging from crime statistics and public school profiles to detailed property information and more;
- Public safety data from several agencies in multiple formats—including emergency response data, crime data, and more;
- Real property data including property tax records, land records, deeds, zoning regulations and maps, and more;
- School performance and facility data in multiple formats from DC Public Schools, the DC Public Charter School Board, and other District education agencies; and
- Mobile applications that allow the public to obtain District data from virtually any device.
As part of its Open Data program, OCTO will work with District agencies to expand the data available through the Open Data portal, keep it up to date and provide it in open formats that can be retrieved, downloaded, indexed, sorted, searched and reused by commonly used search applications and software.
In addition to creating and maintaining the District’s Open Data portal, OCTO’s Open Data program will:
- Work with the technology community to develop a world-class open government initiative;
- Facilitate data governance and open data exchange across all District agencies;
- Partner with governments in the national capital region to promote open government standards across local jurisidictions;
- Establish a unified open data architecture;
- Help agencies designate and train agency open government coordinators to lead agency open data initiatives;
- Pursue standardization of District government terms and names to enhance the District engagement experience for the public and create a seamless environment for information sharing;
- Serve as a data ombudsman for the public, fielding public feedback to help guide long-term open data strategy; and
- Foster an open data culture throughout the District government.
For more information on District technology initiatives, visit octo.dc.gov.