Delawareans now have a new way to access public information online.
In his weekly address, Gov. Jack Markell (D) touted the release of his new open data portal, which lets users browse everything from toxic release reports to a map of restaurant health inspections.
Markell says it’s a necessary step forward to increase the public’s trust in government.
“Most simply, it means better access to government data – data on health, the environment, population trends and more. All of this has value to entrepreneurs coming up with new business ideas, as well as researchers, data scientists and people in academic institutions,” he said.
The state is also open to suggestions on new datasets to be included in the package.
Last week’s rollout also included an updated version of the state’s online checkbook showing how taxpayer money is spent.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZDT5FEEsuY&feature=youtu.be
Below is the full transcript of the governor's weekly address:
To be effective, government must be transparent. That’s why within the first 6 months of my administration, we launched the Delaware Checkbook website which gave unprecedented access to state spending information.
We also enacted the most comprehensive updates ever to Delaware’s Freedom of Information Act, making it easier for the public to get access to government documents. And we expanded disclosure of campaign donations because the public has a right to know which groups support a candidate for public office.
Earlier this year, we took another important step when I signed Executive Order 57, which established an Open Data Council, and laid the groundwork for an open data portal.
As we celebrate this week's launch of that portal, we know it will only be effective if citizens understand what's in it and how it works. Most simply, it means better access to government data - data on health, the environment, population trends and more.
All of this has value to entrepreneurs coming up with new business ideas, as well as researchers, data scientists, and people in academic institutions.
Government can’t expect, and shouldn’t try to anticipate, all of the uses of open data. Instead, we are shifting our focus – instead of trying to anticipate the demand from the public and businesses, we are committing to make as much data as possible available to the public. And we actively encourage the private sector to work with the data we're posting to help us solve challenge issues.
In addition, I’m proud that we're relaunching a revamped state checkbook, which is searchable, sortable, and interactive.
By providing more information through interactive formats we'll improve public trust in our government and engage new stakeholders to meet our challenges through better public policy. Please visit data.delaware.gov to check it out. And together, we will keep Delaware moving forward.
