New Policy Makes City Data Available to Boston Residents

In an effort to increase transparency and accountability by opening more city data to the public, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh announced the release of the Open and Protected Data Policy on Thursday.

The policy fulfills a commitment made by the Mayor in his Executive Order on Open and Protected Data last year. The policy calls for city agencies to publish data sets on the city’s open data portal. It will also provided guidance for protecting sensitive information.

“The city’s Open and Protected Data Policy builds on my commitment to openness and transparency in government,” said Mayor Walsh. “This new policy will make more data available to the public, encourage business to build useful applications with City data, and increase collaboration between the City and the research community.”

The city of Boston has announced the current availability of a number of new datasets:

• Usage information from the City’s ParkBoston meter parking payment program
• Boston Police Department firearm recovery data
• Usage information for the City’s Wicked Free WiFi initiative
• Residential recycling/waste tonnage
• Active user counts from the Boston Public Libraries