The city of Long Beach, California has launched a new open data portal that puts city data on the map – literally. The portal, called DataLB, visualizes information about the city using maps so that users can see patterns or locate services.
The portal is a follow-up to the open data policy approved by the city council on December 20, 2016.
“Long Beach’s DataLB portal is making the vast amount of City data useful for a wider variety of purposes,” said Mayor Robert Garcia. “Not only will people be able to use DataLB and new apps available online to chart information like crime rates, but businesses can see the best areas to establish themselves and grow.”
The city worked with Esri to craft its maps-based open data portal. Mayor Garcia said in a statement that he wanted to help users make open data actionable by taking it out of spreadsheets.
DataLB is just the latest step in a multi-faceted effort to improve the city’s use of technology. In October, CivSource spoke extensively with the Mayor on efforts that include reimagining procurement, collaborating with other cities to create regional partnerships and finding new ways to attract technology companies to Long Beach.
“Long Beach has the benefit of being in California and near Los Angeles, so we can work regionally to take advantage of those resources. But we also have to look nationally to understand what’s working and see if we can implement it here. Our City Council understands that and our residents expect it,” Mayor Garcia said.
