Connecticut moved to join the growing list of states offering an open data portal for residents and interested developers. The open data portal will allow raw state data to be collected and posted online. The Governor made the announcement at SeeClickFix, a New Haven firm that has created a communications platform for citizens to report non-emergency issues, and governments to track, manage, and reply.
The portal is the result of two Executive Orders – 38 & 39 which established the portal and instructed state agencies to supply data. Notably the website will also include economic development data which makes it a standout from those offering limited financial information, or financial PDFs.
Executive Order 38 requires the state Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) to create a searchable electronic database on the DECD website containing information regarding certain economic assistance and tax credits that were utilized for the purpose of recruitment or retention of business. To create the Connecticut Open Data Portal, the State of Connecticut has signed a contract with Socrata, Inc. The portal is managed and administered by Tyler Kleykamp of the Office of Policy and Management (OPM), who is the portal’s Chief Data Officer (CDO). Kleykamp previously served as the coordinator of state geospatial information systems (GIS) at OPM.
The Chief Data Officer will be responsible for working with an Agency Data Officer (ADO) designated by the commissioner at each state agency covered by the order. ADOs will work within their agencies to regularly identify new data suitable for the portal and share that list of data with the CDO. The CDO will work with the ADOs to identify data and upload it to the portal. The CDO will be advised by an advisory panel created by this executive order and appointed by the Governor.
State agencies are required to keep information on the portal up-to-date but also stipulates that data may be held back if sharing it would violate state or federal law or would endanger the public health, safety or welfare, hinder the operation of government or impose and undue financial, operational or administrative burden on a state agency.
