Open data is a strategic opportunity for municipalities that can offer efficiencies, enhance service delivery, and spur economic development. As more citizens seek online services from their municipal governments, open data is becoming an important tool to enable transparency and self-service applications. A new study will examine open data use in Canadian municipalities of different sizes to provide insights on priorities, spending intentions, expected benefits, and best practices to help more municipalities leverage open data.

1. Open Data
- a Strategic Opportunity for
Municipalities
Fawn Annan, President
IT World Canada
Jury Konga,
Open Data Research Advisory
Council

2. What is Open Data
• Open Data is about access, transparency
& leveraging municipal government data
– it’s a strategic asset
• Accessible as digital data via web &
mobile
• Open data is pervasive – from World Bank
to all levels of government … municipal
government are leaders

3. Where is Open Data?

4. Where is Open Data?

5. Why Open Data in Municipalities?
• Open Data can offer efficiencies, enhanced
service delivery & economic development
opportunities
• Municipalities are the front line for service and
must be more proactive & innovative
• Majority of citizens, all living in municipalities,
are looking for government to enhance their e-
service delivery (web, smart phones, sensors),
intelligent systems & communities

6. Why Open Data in Municipalities?
• Government efficiencies & effectiveness
o Cross-departmental access to internal data, reduced
costs related to data requests, assists systems
integration
• Enhanced service delivery
o Direct access to government information – self
service model, new software applications for citizens
• Economic development opportunities
o Technology start-ups, Data VARs,
Sector innovation & jobs

7. Why Open Data in Municipalities?
• “The market for mobile apps … its growth will
accelerate in the future to reach $ US 35 billion in
2015. It is to be one of the fastest growing segments in
the information technology market. “ European
Commission Pricing Of Public Sector Information Study,
October 2011
• What feeds these apps -> open data

8. Some Public facing views of Open Data
Open Data portal & data catalogue Hackathons/Codefests …. Building apps
Citizen & Community Engagement – Unconferences, Govcamps,
Changecamp, Citycamps … defining the issues, identifying opportunities to
improve

9. Active Open Data Community

10. Open Data & Intelligent Communities
&
A
OPEN D
DATA feeds V
O
C
A
C
Y

11. Open Data
Meets Community Development
• The 1st syndicated study to examine ‘Open
Data for Municipalities’ in Canada
• Six of the ten largest Canadian cities have
open data portals today
• This Executive Study will canvass 2
municipal groups - over & under 50,000
in population

12. Key Features of Executive Study
• Municipal priorities
• IT & Service Spending Intentions
• Quantification of Expected Efficiencies
• Uses & Applicability to Municipal
Operations
• Buyer Motives
• Citizen-Led Motives
• Snapshot + Trending (Who is doing
what?)

13. Study Strategic Insights
• Community Expectations: from the Public
about the use of systems and data;
• Municipal Needs: the kinds of systems that
are expected to be on the priority purchase list;
• Decisions: The reason some systems are
chosen and others not;
• Best Practices: Municipal best practices in the
use of the systems
• Municipal Profiles: municipal buyers and the
services they seek.

14. Some Concluding thoughts …
• By 2050, there will be 70% of people living in
urban municipalities, representing 9 billion
humans.
• The need to respond to increasing public
pressure for services is not going away.
• Open Data is becoming one of the critical tools
for service alignment and engagement with
citizenry, and good government.
• We need this study. We need your participation.
• Help us, help you.

15. Our Ask
• Mayors to sit on Advisory Council
• Industry support to raise $190,000 to
properly support the research and expose
the findings throughout Canada, and to all
identified stakeholders.
Thank you,
fannan@itwc.ca berryv@kitchener.ca