WILMINGTON — From traffic/transit data to crime reports and information about licensing and certifications, the state’s Open Data Portal was officially launched this week at an event hosted by Technology Forum of Delaware and Open Data Delaware.
The initiative was established by Gov. Jack Markell earlier this year under Executive Order 57, which gives constituents a centralized resource finding data sets from state agencies. This “central repository” for open data collates information from state agencies and offices with interactive features and visual data like maps and charts, according to the website. It also offers data in machine-readable formats for developers.
The site also offers “Delaware’s New Checkbook,” a portal to the state’s spending data, including expenditures, state employee credit card payments and revenue.
Ryan Harrington, co-organizer for Open Data Delaware, which advocates for open data and promotes civic technology, said the launch is key to transparency in state operations. It also offers easy access for constituents, particularly businesses, leveling the playing field for critical information.
“If I’m a big business I could get information and demographics on my own because I could pay for it,” said Harrington. “But if I was a startup, I couldn’t. Now I can access that data and make business decisions that I wouldn’t have had beforehand.”
Visit the Delaware Open Data Portal at https://data.delaware.gov/.
