Citizens' Services
The B.C. government's open data website, DataBC, has released its 3,000th dataset today. This is a significant milestone, as it brings the number of datasets released to 3,041, announced Minister of Labour, Citizens' Services and Open Government Margaret MacDiarmid.
Contributing to this milestone is data on natural resource production, including gold, going back to the 1850s. The datasets posted today will give researchers, citizens and industry a virtual time machine, allowing them to look, in some cases, all the way back to 1858. This type of natural resource data can help identify trends in production and demand across the last 150 years and is invaluable in creating accurate statistical models for future development.
The success of the DataBC website continues to define B.C. as a leader in Canada.
The website gives British Columbians access to one of the most comprehensive sources of government data in the country. Today's release, including the mining data and public accounts data from the Ministry of Finance, means the B.C. Government has now released more datasets than any other province.
Posting these datasets to DataBC is part of the continuing effort to make comprehensive government data available to the public under the open government license for research, analysis or whatever other imaginative uses people can think of.
Last month marked the first anniversary of open government in B.C. On July 19, 2011, under direction from Premier Christy Clark, the B.C. government launched a redesigned government homepage, the Open Information site and DataBC. More recently, the launch of the GovTogetherBC website kept the momentum going by creating an online space that gathers all of the B.C. government's engagement initiatives into one place. This makes it easier for citizens to get involved with their community and their government.
Quotes:
Dr. Margaret MacDiarmid, Minister of Labour, Citizens' Services and Open Government -
"We challenged public servants a year ago to open their minds and change their approach to how they provide services to British Columbians. I am very proud that in such a short period we are able to celebrate having 3,000 datasets available online. It's truly exciting that we can give people rich resources right at their fingertips to connect and engage with the government of B.C. The conversation is continuing - and we are listening."
Herb Lainchbury, director of the Open Data Society of BC -
"The more we can open up public data, the more effectively citizens can create additional value and engage with their government to find solutions to issues that face us as a province. I am pleased to see the B.C. government continuing its efforts to make public data available to citizens, and I congratulate them on this milestone."
Quick Facts:
- The principles of open government were written into law in fall 2011 through amendments to the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.
- Since its launch on July 17, 2011, DataBC has published an average of one new dataset every day.
- B.C. has already earned multiple awards for its open government efforts, including the Institute of Public Administration in Canada's 2011 Public Sector Leadership Award, the Esri Special Achievement award in geographic information systems (GIS) and the Stratford Institute's number-one ranking in Canada for eGovernment in April.
- With the launch of DataBC last year, British Columbia became the first province in the country to create a catalogue of open data; it's free, searchable and available for anyone to use.
- In March 2012, British Columbia became the first province in Canada to release its provincial budget data as open data.
A backgrounder follows.
Contact:
Jason Macnaughton
Communications Director
Ministry of Labour, Citizens' Services and Open Government
250 387-3134
BACKGROUNDER
Go online to experience open government in B.C.
Over the last year, several new online services have been created to help the public learn, engage and connect with government.
Government of B.C.
The new "front door" of the B.C. government website is now mobile friendly and has been designed to focus on the needs of British Columbians. It is now easier to contact government, find the right forms and learn about government programs - without having to search through different ministries trying to guess where things are.
DataBC
British Columbia became the first province in the country to create a site like DataBC, a catalogue of government-held datasets that are free, searchable and available for anyone to use. There are currently more than 3,000 datasets available to the public.
Open Information
Responses to general Freedom of Information requests, along with ministers' and deputy ministers' expenses, are posted online. Tens of thousands of pages of requested documents have already been posted there, and the website is updated as FOI requests are released (as frequently as daily).
GovTogetherBC
www2.gov.bc.ca/govtogetherbc
GovTogetherBC makes it easier for people to get involved in government and their community by bringing together all of government's public engagement projects, as well as volunteer and leadership opportunities throughout B.C.
Newsroom
Read news, view videos and pictures, discover how government works and connect with government via social media. The newsroom puts the latest information at your fingertips.
Contact:
Jason Macnaughton
Communications Director
Ministry of Labour, Citizens' Services and Open Government
250 387-3134
