M00022 November 2016
3
Mississauga
Mississauga Increases Open Data Program By Publishing The 2016 Budget Data Set The City of Mississauga stayed true to its commitment to be an open, tech friendly municipality and increased its Open Data base by publishing the 2016 Budget data set.
By Amanda Lee This brings the total of open data sets for the municipality of Mississauga to 32, with local leadership working to further increase Open Data sets and the rate at which they are added in future years. Gary Kent, Commissioner of Corporate Services and Chief Financial Officer said that the release of the City’s 2016 Budget data set is a “modern way to show our commitment to being open and accountable.” Mr Kent added that the City and his office will continue to find new ways to connect with citizens and allow them to understand all the decisions that are being made at the city level and how they are being made. The 2016 Budget data set allows all those interested the opportunity to use and publish the information in new, creative and innovative ways.
What Data To Expect From the 2016 Council Approved Budget The 2016 Council approved Budget provides a collection of financial data that works to implement the City’s Business Plan and Budget. It includes: the 2016 Approved Budget Changes including all Council changes to the budget; 2016 Approved Operating, which details the full City budget and the individual budget for each service area; 2016 Approved Capital, which details the City’s capital projects along with their budget, impact and funding sources; 2016 Approved FTE Summary, which details the number of full time equivalent (FTE) employees approved by the local Council as well as projected FTEs for the
upcoming two years. This November’s addition to the City’s data sets marks the first time Mississauga published its financial data sets. There are plans to publish this information annually, increasing transparency, while also joining other large municipalities throughout
North America that have made their budget data available and accessible to anyone on Open Data portals. Shawn Slack, Director of Information, Technology and Chief Information Officer said that his office and all City services that deal with data are always looking for opportunities to include new data sets that are valuable and useful. He added that the data sets currently published by Mississauga are available for public research, analysis, reporting as well as the development of mobile applications. Mr. Slack also said that open data is about collaborating with the community and “sharing information in meaningful ways with different audiences.”
City Open Data Policy from 2015 Onwards Last year, local Council approved a new corporate policy and procedure for the City’s Open Data program. Those changes have allowed new data sets to be added regularly in such areas as Arts, Culture and Tourism, Business and Economy, Local Government, Infrastructure, Environment, Land Use and Development, Transportation and Parks and Recreation to name just a few. More information on the City’s data sets, on Mississauga’s open data policy and on other areas where residents can find open data can be found on the City’s official website at data. mississagau.ca.