The State of Illinois today announced the move to a new open data management platform bringing a more functional and straightforward system that will deliver significant cost savings to Illinois, resulting in $1.2 million in savings over five years.
“The new open data portal is a key component to the overall digital transformation of the state.” said Kirk Lonbom, Acting Secretary at the Illinois Department of Innovation & Technology (DoIT). “Open data provides for more government transparency, but perhaps more importantly, puts data into the hands of innovative citizens and the research community to help generate improvements in government and even find ways to address critical social and economic issues.”
Open data supports Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner’s commitment to require transparency within state and local government and is detailed in Executive Order 15-10. Data access became a requirement in Illinois after the Illinois General Assembly unanimously passed Public Act 98-0627, a bill introduced to increase accountability and savings in government by establishing a new State Open Operating Standard. The open data portal is a vital element to the implementation of the Illinois Transparency and Accountability Program, which serves as a centralized information resource for the general public, including FOIA requests.
The new open data portal platform is built in Comprehensive Knowledge Archive Network (CKAN), the world’s leading open source system for open data and offers a robust set of features and functionality . The platform is established at over 140 organizations including the U.S. federal government’s open data portal (data.gov), and in other states, cities and municipalities.
“The City of Rockford is very reliant on the state’s open data platform,” commented Glenn Trommels, Information Technology Director for the City of Rockford. “As an early adopter and supporter of the state’s initial transparency efforts, our citizens have grown accustomed to the data we provide. Without the state’s support, we most likely would not have an open data portal for our citizens.
Following the initial release of the new open data portal, the Illinois state data practice will deliver further enhancements, with several releases planned over the next several months including a tool to track frequency for types of data requests. The Illinois open data portal is available as a repository for information from all public entities in the state. Upcoming demonstrations will be offered for interested municipalities and local governments.
