Azavea Releases Free Source Code for OpenDataPhilly.Org

After launching OpenDataPhilly.org, a Philadelphia-centric catalog of online data, applications and APIs, three months back, Azavea, a geospatial analysis (GIS) software development company has now released the source code of the OpenDataPhilly.org project.

In a press release, Azavea announced that the codes are now available as open source software under the name Open Data Catalog. Any interested user is invited to get a free download of the code at: https://github.com/azavea/Open-Data-Catalog.

The release of Open Data Catalog, according to the company, is intended to encourage organizations to build their own catalogs in order to enable tech communities to transform mere numbers into applications that will be capable of informing the public and inspire action.

It often becomes difficult for the researchers to access data relating to their areas of activities or interest, as the datasets exist in disparate formats and locations. Technically Philly, WHYY Radio, the City of Philadelphia’s Open Access Philly task force collaborated to create OpenDataPhilly.org, and Azavea was launched to connect people with data pertaining to the Philadelphia region. The initial version of the database encompasses a catalog of over 100 datasets providing information about zoning, mortgages and deeds, campaign finance records, polling places, locations of schools and libraries, bicycle networks, crime, local and regional train routes, and many other metrics about the Philadelphia region.

Free for anyone or any agency to use Open Data Catalog makes the search even easier, Azavea claimed in the release. Written using Django, Python and PostgreSQL, Open Data Catalog is intended to display information and links to publicly available data in an easily searchable format, the company sources explained.

The code allows data owners to submit datasets for consideration, registered public users to request datasets that do not currently exist, and vote on their favorites. Open Data Catalog will help make the governmental actions even more transparent. Following the footsteps of Data.gov, Data.london.gov.uk, The World Bank, Openly Local, Toronto.ca/open and NYC Data Mine, which made it evident that government transparency is not just about giving access to data, but it is also about being able to share, reuse and transform this data in order for people to analyze and understand it better, Azavea introduced its Open Data Catalog and expressed is hope that the project will give easier access to a broader range of agencies, organizations and citizens.

 “Raw data is not meaningful on its own. With Open Data Catalog, we want to encourage organizations or municipalities to build their own catalogs in order to enable technology communities throughout the world to transform rows of text, numbers and shapes into applications and visualizations that inform the public, inspire action, and contribute to more dynamic communities,” says Robert Cheetham, President and CEO of Azavea.

Few months back Azavea announced the launch of PhillyTreeMap, as part of Philly Tech Week’s Green Tech Showcase, Arbor Day. A wiki-inspired web application, PhillyTreeMap was designed to enable the public to collaborate with the project partners -- City of Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS), and the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission – to map, inventory, and preserve the Philadelphia urban forest.