Mayor Garcetti today announced the Los Angeles has been ranked #1 by the US City Open Data Census for its open data. The Census, administered by Code for America, the Sunlight Foundation, and the Open Knowledge Foundation– leaders in open data and transparency–ranks cities’ data on the availability, quality, and accessibility of its open data. Just one year after Mayor Garcetti launched the City’s first-ever open data portal, LA tops the list, beating New York, San Francisco, Boston, and Philadelphia.
Mayor Garcetti also announced that LA has received platinum status for its open data from the World Council on City Data (WCCD), the certification body responsible for implementing the first international standard for cites, ISO 37120: Sustainable development of communities — Indicators for city services and quality of life. With 100 indicators, based on 17 themes, ISO 37120 certifies the quality and availability of city data, ensuring a global standard for data, enabling comparability and best practice sharing for cities around the world through the WCCD Open City Data Portal.
“There’s no longer any doubt: our number one ranking on the US City Open Data Census and our WCCD platinum status prove that LA is leading the nation– and the globe– in best practices in making our city data open, accessible, and useful for Angelenos, organizations, and leaders around the world,” said Mayor Eric Garcetti. “But this isn’t just good data for data’s sake– I’m invested in harnessing the power of our open data to make city hall run better, provide better services to Angelenos, and improve quality of life here in LA.”
“Los Angeles is leading the way in defining what it means to be a world-class digital city, especially in the realm of open data. In just under a year, the city has launched and developed its data program, leading to over 300 open data sets and now a #1 ranking for US Cities,” said Mayor Garcetti’s Chief Data Officer, Abhi Nemani. “But in the end, it’s not how much data you put out, it’s how you put that data to work. Now with the launch of the WCCD Standard and Open City Data Portal, we have a new tool at our disposal for data-driven decision-making, and can closely assess how those decisions affect the quality of life for all Angelenos.”
“Under the leadership of Mayor Garcetti, Los Angeles has become a shining example of the importance of city data in planning for sustainability, resiliency, transparency and inclusive prosperity,” said WCCD President and CEO, Dr. Patricia McCarney.
“The WCCD is very pleased to welcome Los Angeles as a WCCD ISO 37120 Platinum certified city, and I look forward to working with Mayor Garcetti as a member of the WCCD Global City Leaders Advisory Board,” said Senator Art Eggleton, Chair of the WCCD Global City Leaders Advisory Board and former Mayor of Toronto. (Full Story at LA Mayor)
