News Release --Mayor Launches DataROC Open Data Portal

City of Rochester

News Release

(Thursday, Aug. 20, 2020) – Mayor Lovely A. Warren today launched DataROC, an online clearinghouse for City data, with more than 100 datasets, maps, documents, data stories and applications.

“Rochester has long been a leader in government transparency and DataROC improves accessibility to City information,” said Mayor Warren. “It’s our priority to proactively provide information to the public to demonstrate how we are working to creating more jobs, safer neighborhoods, and better educational opportunities.”

Accessible from any device at data.cityofrochester.gov, the portal features assessment records, historical maps, housing market data, nuisance points by property and more. DataROC also incorporates and centralizes the location of existing data that has already been available elsewhere online, including the RPD Open Data Portal; links to regional open data portals, and easy-to-access datasets from the federal Census Bureau’s demographics surveys.

Open data portals allow citizens to access government data on demand – reducing the need for open records requests and increasing community engagement; trust and understanding of government operations. Universities, think tanks and other interested stakeholders often use publicly available data to gain deeper understandings of issues and design innovative approaches to addressing civic and public policy challenges. Community based organizations will have quick access to a variety of data tools through the portal, thereby increasing their ability to leverage City information for grant applications and strategic planning efforts.

The Mayor’s Office of Data Analytics and Performance will work with City departments and external partners to evolve the DataROC portal over time. New applications, maps, stories and datasets will be released over time, guided in part by public feedback and requests. Non-spatial data, like policy documents and key performance indicators will also be hosted on the portal.

The Office is interested in collaborating with other interested parties, such as student groups and local non-profits on the development of additional content to contextualize these rich collections of information about Rochester and its people.

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