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Vancouver Shares Data Stores
17 Feb, 2010 By: Andrew G. RoeThis Olympic host city has garnered golden results with its efforts to make maps, orthophotos, and other GIS information accessible to everyone.
As Vancouver, British Columbia, opens its arms to Winter Olympics visitors this year, the city is also opening up its GIS data at unprecedented levels. The city launched its Open Data Catalogue last September, and expanded its web-based GIS offerings in January to include more than 100 layers of mapping and other data. GIS professionals and the general public can freely access the data, which is available in a variety of formats.
Vancouver's endeavor to share its data was propelled by a city resolution passed in May 2009 that pledged the city would "freely share with citizens, businesses and other jurisdictions the greatest amount of data possible." The resolution also directed city staff to adopt open data standards and open source software, stating the city "will place open source software on an equal footing with commercial systems during procurement cycles."
Although Vancouver is not the first major city to offer free GIS data, it is a leader in the extent of data being offered. Users can access information about property boundaries, contours, utilities, streets, parks, and numerous other topics, in formats that include DWG, KML, and SHP. Orthophotos, uncommon on other municipalities' open data sites, are also available.
City officials see Open Data as a more beneficial data management strategy than previous methods. "We'd been disseminating data for many years with license agreements," said Jonathan Mark, a GIS manager in the city's IT department. "We gave it away to some people, but the exposure and benefits were not as great."
Sharing Spurs Development
With data more accessible, Mark explained, GIS applications can be developed by a larger community of software developers. As an example, he cited Vantrash.ca, an application that helps citizens monitor neighborhood garbage collection schedules, which change monthly in Vancouver. Visitors to the Vantrash web site can click on a map zone to determine their next trash collection day, and can also request that a reminder be sent to them via e-mail.
According to Mark, the Vantrash application exemplifies how a larger developer community can find niches the city might not otherwise reach. "With little effort on the city's part, citizens now have access to a service that wasn't previously available," he said.
Vantrash allows users to click on a map and determine trash collection days.
David Eaves, an open data advocate who helped envision the Vantrash concept for developers Luke Closs and Kevin Jones, noted that the city's open data catalog has benefited government agencies as well as private citizens. The accessible data improves communication among various government agencies, Eaves explained. For example, managers of the region's transit agency, TransLink, can access city street construction activities and avoid disruptions to bus routes.
For citizens and politicians, Open Data also allows open review of civic activities such as election results. "It turns anyone with access to the data into a policy wonk," added Eaves.
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About the Author: Andrew G. Roe
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