Province Making Advances in Open Data

Government announced today, June 19, it is looking for a partner to develop and host an open-data portal.

The virtual warehouse of non-sensitive government data will be stored in standard searchable formats people, businesses and academics can use to stimulate economic growth. There are more than 300 open-data portals around the world.

Open data offers a number of opportunities such as giving business leaders information to help make decisions or supporting new businesses that package or interpret public data.

"Open data is good for society, for democracy and for the economy," said Mike Smit, a professor at Dalhousie University's school of information management. "It's the ingenuity of those who give us new ways to use information, and to make evidence-based decisions, that deliver the full potential of open data."

The province already shares data by request, on websites and through initiatives such as GeoNova and NovaRoc, which offer geology information and mineral and petroleum title data. But offering such information in common formats, in one place, will make it easier to use.

"Government is excited by the opportunities that open data provides and it is another example of how we are being open and accountable to all Nova Scotians," said Internal Services Minister Labi Kousoulis.

Last year, Halifax Regional Municipality and IBM co-sponsored a competition for people to recommend and develop apps for local activities and users of services like transit and parks.

The goal is to have the provincial open-data portal online by the end of the year.

For more information, visit novascotia.ca/tenders .