OpenGov's New Open Data Solution Is Up And Running in Denton, Texas

"It's vital to our community and to the growth of Denton that anyone can easily access government information to enable civic developers and lay-users alike to gain value from public data," said Justin Mercier, data system architect for the City of Denton. "The new open data platform works seamlessly, whether you want to run a hackathon or run a business, the data is easily usable and allows us to get vital city information quickly and efficiently."

In addition to Denton, a Dallas-Fort Worth suburb with a population just over 100,000, several other cities and states across the country are looking to OpenGov Open Data to bring greater collaboration, transparency and innovation to governance. The tool is designed to work for governments of all sizes, and these additional governments - both big and small - will be implementing the solution in the coming months.

"Open access to government information is critical to the health of our states, cities and towns," said OpenGov CEO and Co-Founder Zac Bookman. "Data is a foundation on which to build stronger and more sustainable governments. Leveraging OpenGov's many tools, including Open Data, Denton and other cities can better understand trends, coordinate budgets, empower their citizens, and present a holistic view of the state of the city."

Denton had previously released its data in PDFs and other formats that were hard to read and repurpose. As a result, the city's tech community could not build applications; residents could not easily access a central location to search for data; and potential businesses could not quickly assess Denton's economic condition The Open Data tool builds trust and shows elected officials and citizens how government agencies are performing in real-time. Open Data can also empower journalists with instant access to the data they need to tell accurate stories.

Working with OpenGov's open data experts, Denton has uploaded numerous datasets that span a wide array of metrics to its data portal. Today, the city empowers residents and businesses with 71 machine-readable datasets, that range from the city's demographic indicators to its upcoming building projects.

OpenGov Open Data is powered by CKAN, the industry open source standard for open data used by the federal government, the European Union, and hundreds of other agencies around the world. Earlier this year, OpenGov acquired Ontodia, the leading provider of open data and performance management solutions using CKAN, which allows governments of all sizes including cities like Denton to use OpenGov to connect budget and performance data with Census data, FBI crime data, and financial data from over 3,000 counties and 36,000 cities. In other words, it simplifies the ability to collaborate with other governments and agencies.

"Denton is leading the way in embracing the power of technology to improve our cities," said Bookman. "We look forward to working with more cities across the country to make governments more transparent, accessible, and efficient through our toolkit of invaluable solutions."

About OpenGov
OpenGov's Smart Government Platform is the world's first integrated cloud solution for public sector budgeting, reporting, and open data. Used by over 1,200 public agencies in the rapidly growing OpenGov Network™, OpenGov's industry-leading technology streamlines the budget process, improves outcomes, and builds trust with the public. Founded in 2012 with headquarters in Silicon Valley, OpenGov works with leading governments of all sizes including the State Treasurer of Ohio, Minneapolis, MN; Maricopa County, AZ; and Washington, DC. OpenGov is backed by leading investors including Andreessen Horowitz, 8VC, and Thrive Capital.  Learn more at www.opengov.com.

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