Open Data portal

Open by design

The County’s Open by Design initiative encourages us to be transparent and accountable by sharing municipal operations data in a timely manner. This data is available license free, in a digital format, to be used by the public to analyze, download or connect to data sets creating applications and services for the benefit of all members of the County.

The county also encourages collaboration and innovation to enhance and expand the data available on the Open Data Portal through user feedback. However, it is important to note that the data published on the portal is subject to various constraints, such as financial, legal, legislative, privacy, and retention requirements. For more information, please refer to our Open Data policy.

History

Strathcona County has made its data available to the public in license-free digital formats as part of its Open by Design initiative since 2014. This resulted in working relationships with local universities and school boards, where data was used for classroom projects that aligned with the curriculum. The Open Data Portal has supported multiple hackathons that were hosted by local high schools.

Recognitions

Strathcona County’s Open by Design initiative has been recognized with the following awards:

• 2016 Open Data Value Award, presented at the Canadian Open Data Summit 2016
• 2016 Small City, Big Impact Award, ranking highest in the 2016 Open Cities Index among cities with a population under 100,000. Strathcona County placed 6th overall out of 68 municipalities in 2016, moving up three positions from the 2015 Index.

Privacy and license

Open by Design does not mean that a municipality releases all of its data to the public. Within the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIP), we respect an individual’s privacy and are committed to protect personal information. No personal or private information is released in the Open Data Portal.

All information distributed via the Open Data Portal is shared under the Open Government License - Strathcona.