City of Mesa Open Data Portal > Have You Seen It? Does It Deliver?

Lots of talk and promotions in media and press releases and official statements - yes there is a open data portal for the City of Mesa, but it's remarkably different from those of other cities ... please take the time to take a look and provide comments. So far there's a so-called "Leadership Board" with no action taken to expand to include members of the public.

Here's what the official site on the City of Mesa website has to say

Open Data Program and Policy
Mesa's Open Data Program
“Data is the fuel that powers our efficient and innovative services. open.mesaaz.gov makes that data available to our residents, providing a greater level of transparency and
fostering the creation of new ideas and applications”
-  Mayor John Giles

QUESTION: Does this deliver on what John Giles says?
Are you better informed?
More importantly, is there a higher level of civil engagement and public feedback?
[Image to the left City Manager Chris Brady signing contract]

About the Initiative

The City is committed to creating a formal open data program which includes the creation of open.mesaaz.gov where the City's data will be publicly available online.
We believe providing the data behind key City priorities and decisions brings

• better informed decision-making,
• enhances collaboration among City departments
• partners and brings higher level of civic engagement and public feedback on local issues.

The short version of the policy is:

1. Data will be provided following established open standards of digital, freely available, openly licensed data. 
2. Our Policy ensures review processes that preserve the public trust in regards to personal, sensitive and confidential data that we possess. 
3. Where possible, data will not only be provided in machine readable data sets but also in visual formats that help analysis and understanding.

If you would like the full version, it’s here!

This initiative is guided by an Open Data Leadership Board comprised of executive City leaders from Mayor/Council, City Manager, Information Technology, City Attorney, Office Of Management and Budget, Development Services, Police, and Economic Development departments.
Information about expanding the board to include public members will be posted here when available.
If you would like to know more, please email us!  
Please feel free to suggest a data set.