Thursday, November 14, 2024

Open-data portal to increase transparency in Norfolk

NORFOLK — Soon you won’t have to be a journalist or a Freedom of Information Act expert to access public records in Norfolk, thanks to an open-data portal the city plans to launch this fall.

The portal will aim to bring more residents to the Norfolk website and teach them how they can use public information to improve their lives and neighborhoods. The information will also be used by city leaders to make better, data-driven decisions, according to a news release.

Norfolk Chief Information Officer Steven DeBerry will lead the creation of the portal. He will enlist the help of a yet-to-be-created “Open Data Advisory Committee” that will include city council representatives, the release states.

The committee will decide what data sets take priority and what information will be available considering privacy and security.

The information will be free and downloadable. It is part of a national Bloomberg Philanthropies initiative called “What Works Cities.” The program was launched in April 2015 and helped created an open-data portal in Virginia Beach in October 2016.

“This program will not only improve staff efficiency, it is also another way we can engage our residents and allow them to share their input regarding the work we are doing in Norfolk,” Mayor Kenneth C. Alexander wrote in a news release.

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