Region’s Open Data Program ranks 17th in Canada; earns title of most improved

Whitby, Ontario – Durham Region’s Open Data Program was recently ranked 17th in Canada by the Open Cities Index (OCI). By jumping 25 spots from the previous survey, Durham Region also earned the title of 2019’s Most Improved.

“We recognize the importance of making data freely available to the public—it allows our local industry and research organizations to make even larger contributions to economic development and innovation within our borders,” said Don Beaton, Commissioner of Corporate Services. “It’s about making sure that people have the resources they need to get around more easily, relax more often, and enjoy this region even more.”

The Open Data Program was first launched in 2016, as part of the Region’s commitment to accountability and transparency. It’s a philosophy and practice that requires certain data to be made freely available to the public, in machine-readable format, without any restrictions from copyright, patents or other mechanisms of control. For Durham, what began as a basic website, and only a few datasets, has grown to a robust portal and a significant amount of information. It also led to the formation of an Open Data Team in 2017.

Moving forward, the Region hopes to provide modifications to the portal, release a public survey to collect public feedback, and to outline ways to ensure that Durham Region is transparent and accountable to its citizens.

OCI is a public sector benchmarking initiative, designed to measure the maturity of public sector organization’s open data programs. It is maintained by Public Sector Digest (PSD)—a research, consulting and software company—in consultation with open data leaders, to ensure the survey is relevant for today’s open data programs.

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For more information, please contact Corporate Communications.