Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has appointed Abhi Nemani as Los Angeles’ first Chief Data Officer. The Mayor says the effort is part of his push to create a data-driven culture in Los Angeles. Nemani will work with city departments to collect and analyze data, and will lead the operation of the city’s new open-data portal at https://data.lacity.org/.
Los Angeles’ open data initiative began with Mayor Eric Garcetti’s third executive directive issued on December 18th, 2013. The directive states: “To promote transparency and accountability, the City of Los Angeles (“City”) will make publicly available raw data in easy-to-find and accessible formats. Open Data is raw data generated or collected by government agencies made freely available for use by the public, subject only to valid privacy, confidentiality, security, and other legal restrictions.”
Previously, Nemani served as Co-Executive Director of the non-profit Code for America, a technology organization dedicated to reinventing government for the 21st century.
Nemani will join Mayor Garcetti’s Office of Budget and Innovation, headed by Deputy Mayor Rick Cole, and will work closely with Chief Technology Officer Steve Reneker, Chief Innovation Technology Officer Peter Marx, and the Mayor’s Innovation Performance Technology Unit. Nemani will start on September 2.
Other cities like Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania have also recently appointed Chief Data Officers in an effort to coordinate open data projects and ensure updates.
