MEASURING OPEN DATA MATURITY
PSD’s open data benchmarking program audits existing municipal open data initiatives and enables participating organizations to track their openness over time based on governance and capacity, dataset infrastructure and quality, and community and organizational impact. Open data is foundational to municipal innovation efforts and is a mechanism to uphold transparency and accountability in government. Through the survey – the Open Cities Index (OCI) – municipalities are able to benchmark their open data maturity against organizations of similar size and type and receive step-by-step recommendations on how to improve their open data work. Participants will also receive access to insight reports and webinars to further develop their open data initiatives, ensure they are supported in the future and allow for collaborative knowledge-sharing.
CALLING ALL NORTH AMERICAN CITIES
Since first launching the Open Cities Index in 2015, PSD’s Benchmarking Program has discovered the most open cities in Canada. In 2020, we want to find out where the most open cities are in North America. If you are a US or Mexican city working on open data initiatives, we want to hear from you! Begin benchmarking your open data maturity and compare your results among your Canadian peers.
CANADA TOP 20
| Rank | Organization | Province | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | City of Edmonton | AB | 98.82% |
| 2 | City of Winnipeg | MB | 74.94% |
| 3 | City of Ottawa | ON | 74.90% |
| 4 | City of Calgary | AB | 74.84% |
| 5 | Ville de Montréal | QC | 71.78% |
| 6 | City of New Westminster | BC | 66.05% |
| 7 | Halifax Regional Municipality | NS | 55.67% |
| 8 | York Region | ON | 53.79% |
| 9 | City of Mississauga | ON | 48.65% |
| 10 | City of Guelph | ON | 48.24% |
| 11 | Niagara Region | ON | 46.74% |
| 12 | City of Brampton | ON | 43.84% |
| 13 | City of Brandon | MB | 43.55% |
| 14 | City of Burlington | ON | 41.15% |
| 15 | City of Victoria | BC | 40.46% |
| 16 | City of Welland | ON | 37.51% |
| 17 | Region of Durham | ON | 37.37% |
| 18 | City of Kitchener | ON | 35.69% |
| 19 | City of Hamilton | ON | 33.24% |
| 20 | City of Prince George | BC | 32.76% |
TOP PERFORMING ORGANIZATIONS
1. Edmonton, AB
Ranking: 1st | Score: 98.82%
The City of Edmonton’s open data program receives guidance from an open data committee that meets monthly and is bolstered by an open data policy, an open data strategic plan equipped with a roadmap for implementation, and an open data portal. The portal publicly hosts 42 of 43 data sets listed in the Implementation section of the OCI. Edmonton has also implemented software to automate the data publishing process – an important tool for the sustainability of open data initiatives.
The City of Edmonton has also taken steps to measure the impact of their open data work. The City is one of only five OCI participants that reported measuring the extent to which municipal staff accesses open data for internal operations, and one of 12 respondents to report that a framework is in place to measure the quality of published data sets. Edmonton continues to exemplify exceptional open data work and their efforts aren’t without acclaim, earning them the coveted first-place ranking.
2. City of Winnipeg, MB
Ranking: 2nd | Score: 74.94%
The City of Winnipeg was one of only 12 organizations reporting having open data personas accompanying their open datasets – these personas help open data users better understand how data may be used based on their particular sector or use case (e.g. researcher vs. entrepreneur). Winnipeg is also one of only 8 organizations that reported implementing other mechanisms to measure the impact of their open data program, namely tracking the usage of their open data by local websites and the internal use of open data by the City itself.
3. City of Ottawa, ON
Ranking: 3rd | Score: 74.90%
The City of Ottawa is one of only 10 organizations who reported releasing a survey to learn how users are using the data they are downloading. Understanding how users use open data remains one of the greatest challenges for governments, but at the same time, is also one of the most valuable pieces of information required to justify funding an open data program. Having an Open Data Master Plan is already a significant achievement for municipalities, and in the case of the City of Ottawa, their plan was created with feedback from both staff and the public, further demonstrating Ottawa’s open data maturity. Finally, with a nod to open data’s role in supporting innovation at the local level, the City of Ottawa has included open data within its Smart City Plan.
SNAPSHOT OF RESULTS
Average Overall Score:
29.4%
Average Readiness Score:
35.2%
Average Implementation Score:
27.2%
Average Impact Score:
32.6%
TESTIMONIALS
“The Open Cities Index has provided Edmonton with an important way to objectively benchmark our Open Data program. It was instrumental in providing us a goal to aspire to and to challenge ourselves with. The City of Edmonton is extremely proud to be ranked #1 in Canada for all four years of the Open Cities Index.”
– Soumya Ghosh, Director of Digital Enablement, City of Edmonton
“The actionable guidance and meaningful feedback we receive through the Open Cities Index is truly valuable. It helps inform our Open Data Program, ensuring the data shared provides maximum value to our stakeholders.”
– Acting Chief Innovation Officer Glen Cottick, City of Winnipeg
“At the City of Ottawa, we have benefitted greatly from our participation in the Open Cities Index survey. This has been a key tool that has allowed our team to identify gaps in our program, benchmark against other leading municipal Open Data programs and supported the development of our departmental Open Data release plans. Since our initial participation in the survey in 2015, OCI has been a crucial asset in growing and enhancing our Open Data program at the City of Ottawa.
– Marc René de Cotret, Director, Service Transformation, City of Ottawa
PREVIOUS OCI RESULTS
2018 OCI RESULTS
| Rank | Organization | Province | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | City of Edmonton | AB | 98% |
| 2 | City of Toronto | ON | 90% |
| 3 | City of Winnipeg | MB | 74% |
| 4 | City of Calgary | AB | 73% |
| 5 | City of Surrey | BC | 72% |
| 6 | City of New Westminister | BC | 71% |
| 7 | Ville de Montreal | QC | 70% |
| 8 | City of Brampton | ON | 62% |
| 9 | Niagara Region | ON | 61% |
| 10 | City of Ottawa | ON | 60% |
| 11 | Strathcona County | AB | 59% |
| 12 | City of Vancouver | BC | 54% |
| 13 | City of Brandon | MB | 50% |
| 14 | York Region | ON | 49% |
| 15 | City of Kamloops | BC | 49% |
| 16 | City of Mississauga | ON | 48% |
| 17 | City of Oakville | ON | 48% |
| 18 | City of Burlington | ON | 48% |
| 19 | Greater Sudbury | ON | 47% |
| 20 | City of Welland | ON | 46% |