Public Sector Digest partners with Open Data Exchange to benchmark Canada’s municipal open data initiatives

London, ON., October 21, 2015. - Public Sector Digest (PSD) is pleased to announce a partnership with the Canadian Open Data Exchange (ODX) to launch the first comprehensive national study of its kind benchmarking municipal open data initiatives in Canada.

After surveying 32 of Canada’s 40 largest cities to determine the number and quality of municipal data sets available to the public, PSD has launched the first iteration of the Open Cities Index. The Open Cities Index measures the readiness, implementation, and impact of the participating cities’ open data initiatives.

In addition to ranking Canadian cities, the Open Cities Index provides municipalities with access to an online interactive open data benchmarking tool, allowing cities to compare their progress on open data with their peers and identify areas for improvement.

With the first phase of the Open Cities Index, PSD and ODX will work with participating Canadian municipalities and the private sector to improve the standardization of municipal open data benchmarking, as well as facilitate a national virtual roundtable discussion around emerging trends and challenges in municipal open data.

“Canadian municipalities are looking for guidance on how to start or enhance their open data initiatives” said Tyler Sutton, Editor and Research Lead with the Public Sector Digest. “The Open Cities Index provides cities with the opportunity to benchmark against similar communities as they continue to invest resources in their open data work.”

“While the appetite from the private sector to tap into open data sources is strong, a strong value proposition and associated tactics to execute are still evolving,” said Kevin Tuer, ODX Managing Director. "The Open Cities Index will serve to not only bolster the supply of open data, but also assist the entrepreneur and Canadian cities to qualify and quantify the impact of open data driven products and solutions.”

For more information contact:

Tyler Sutton, Research Lead

Public Sector Digest

tsutton@publicsectordigest.com

(519) 690-2565 ext. 2210

About Public Sector Digest

The Public Sector Digest is a monthly digital and quarterly print publication written to advance the managerial capacity of Canada’s public sector. PSD’s research activities and content, including articles, case studies, webinars, and white papers, focus exclusively on topics pertinent to current and future executives across all government levels and disciplines. Its network of researchers and authors spans 20 countries, across six continents, and comprises highly accomplished specialists and academics from hundreds of world-class organizations and government agencies.

About Canada’s Open Data Exchange

ODX is a public-private-academic partnership based in Waterloo Region serving all of Canada. The initiative presents an opportunity for entrepreneurs to multi-national companies to be a global leader in the commercialization of open data. Founding partners include University of Waterloo, D2L (Desire2Learn), CDMN (Canadian Digital Media Network), OpenText and Communitech— with funds matched by the Government of Canada.