City Launches Open Data Portal

Mayor Dwight C. Jones announced a new measure to advance transparency by launching the City's new Open Data Portal, accessible at data.richmondgov.com. The Open Data Portal features tools which allow users to combine data sets to build their own views of information. The portal includes several data sets such as the City’s payment register, real estate assessments, community survey data, neighborhood statistics, motor vehicle accident information and much more. The data sets are organized into the City's focus areas of Unique, Healthy and Inclusive Neighborhoods and Communities; Economic Growth; Community Safety and Well-Being; Transportation; Education and Workforce Development; Sustainability and the Natural Environment; Well Managed Government.

“We are making this data available to advance transparency in government,” said Mayor Jones. “This online research tool will provide residents with information to help them understand how public money is being spent.”

The Payment Register is a record of City non-payroll payments. The register currently displays payments made in May 2015 and will be updated on a monthly basis going forward. Payment data that would reveal the identity of social services providers has been redacted to protect the identities of social service program participants. All data appearing on the Portal will be vetted and approved by an Open Data Workgroup and the directors of the departments that own the data.

“The City’s Departments of Information Technology and Finance have been working for more than a year to provide this tool to residents to advance the Mayor’s objective of a well-managed government,” said Doug McCollough, Director of the City’s Information Technology Department.

In January, Richmond City Council passed an ordinance (No. 2014-257-2015-9) to publish the City’s payment register on www.Richmondgov.com