October 3, 2017
For the third year in a row, Edmonton has secured the top spot in a comprehensive evaluation of open data programs in 61 Canadian municipalities. The Open City Index Report 2017 was released yesterday, and traces the evolution of the open data movement in Canadian cities as well as Edmonton’s performance relative to the other municipalities that made the top 20 list.
Edmonton scored 98% overall for its open data programs, with a raw score of 147.72 points compared to the national average of 54.16 points. The nearest competitor is Toronto at 90%.
The ranking was carried out by Public Sector Digest, which explained in its news release, “Edmonton… remains at the top of the list, once again demonstrating excellence across all three Open Cities Index categories -- readiness, implementation and impact. As the host of the 2017 Canadian Open Data Summit (CODS), Edmonton continues to lead Canadian cities into uncharted open data waters, exploring new approaches to old problems and finding innovative ways to build community engagement in its open data program.”
“As a City, we have been at the forefront of the open government movement in both Canada and the United States” says Wendy Gnenz, Branch Manager of Open City and Innovation at the City of Edmonton. “Data is an essential resource in the world today, and we are only starting to see the potential benefits of opening up more and more data to new perspectives and creative analytics.”
In 2017, Edmonton also became the first organization in Canada and the United States to adopt the International Open Data Charter -- a commitment to rigorous and formal evaluation of open data performance. Open data is raw, machine readable data that is made available, free of charge, to individuals, business or anyone who is interested in research and analysis. Local developers have used City of Edmonton open data to create innovative apps, inform business ventures and study social issues.
