Gov. John Carney signed Executive Order 18, expanding the Delaware Open Data Council to include members from all Executive Branch agencies to promote data sharing.
Carney was joined by members of his Cabinet, technology entrepreneurs and Open Data advocates at The Mill start-up business in Wilmington for the Executive Order signing.
The Council brings together a team from state government focused specifically on making more data available to members of the public via the state’s Open Data Portal (data.delaware.gov) which streamlines access to public information.
Established by an executive order by Gov.. Jack Markell in October 2016, the Open Data Portal is a centralized website that connects the public with non-identifiable public data across state agencies and provides interactive features that allow users to browse and sort information.
The public can utilize more than 200 data items through maps, charts, and graphs.
Since its launch, the Open Data Portal has had more than 3.5 million page views. Eleven new data sets were added last year, including Delaware business licenses and air quality monitoring
It is hoped that people and organizations using the data can use the information and suggest ways to save money or improve efficiency.
“Expanding the Open Data Council to include members from all Executive Branch agencies will help facilitate the work we’ve begun through the Family Services Cabinet Council, and allow us to share and analyze data to effectively deliver services and allocate resources for Delawareans,” Carney stated.
“Our state agencies have a vast treasure trove of data and we can tap into that potential to help solve real-world problems, improve the delivery of government services and enrich the quality of life for Delaware’s citizens,” said Chief Information Officer James Collins. “Great ideas can come from anyone, anywhere. By making this information available to everyone we create even more opportunities for innovative solutions.”
“Over the past two years, Open Data Delaware has been excited to see the State’s commitment to Open Data grow,” said Ryan Harrington of Open Data Delaware. “In those two years, we have seen Delaware transition to a system that makes it easier than ever for anyone to access critical information about the state, giving advocates the opportunity to improve their communities and entrepreneurs more resources to grow companies. The inclusion of every Executive Branch agency into Delaware’s Open Data Portal furthers the ability for people to gain the information that they need to build upon this work.”
