Questions and Answers
- Why is the City opening up its data now?
- Are there any limitations in my use of the data?
- Why can’t I find Transit data (or other data that I want)?
Why is the City opening up its data now?
In 2007 the Mayor's eGovernment Taskforce released their report that highlighted the need to provide the public and business sector with machine-readable content that can be tailored to their needs.
Further to the taskforce report, the opening up of municipal data sets (as well as other levels of government) is a growing trend. To date, the cities of Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton, Washington D.C. and San Francisco, among others have opened up datasets for public use. Part of the reasons for this recent trend is the realization of the economic benefit associated with providing easily reusable data to the public and businesses, the desire to demonstrate greater transparency, and growth in the number of web-based tools which allow for the reuse of such data.
Are there any limitations in my use of the data?
The intent of the Open Data Ottawa initiative is to provide information and data that is easily reusable and can be used by the user as they wish. The limitations around the re-use of this data are dictated by the Terms of Use, which essentially state that:
- users are free to re-use the data
- recognition should be given to the City of Ottawa
Why can’t I find Transit data (or other data that I want)?
The City’s Open Data Ottawa project has been designed as a multi-phased approach. The first phase included the release of readily available datasets and a beta launch of the website; subsequent phases will include an invitation to the public to let the City know which additional datasets should be added. Please provide us with your feedback or join the community led discussion at dataottawa.org.