Detroit, MI

City of Detroit Open Data Policy: Executive Order 2015-2

Pursuant to the powers vested in me by the 1963 Michigan Constitution and the 2012 Detroit City Charter, I, Mike Duggan, Mayor of the City of Detroit, do hereby establish the City of Detroit Open Data Initiative through the creation of Detroit GO DATA (Government Open Data Access To All).

Detroit GO DATA Initiative

This Initiative, implemented through Detroit GO DATA, will foster and create a more transparent, open, collaborative, participatory and accountable relationship between the City government and the people it serves, fostering a creative culture and innovation-driven economy. In an effort to provide better customer service to the public, it is the purpose of this Executive Order to increase the accessibility and the availability of certain data collected or maintained by the City. Increasing the public’s access to high quality, accurate data and information is critical to this mission and will also improve business functions and prepare for future innovations in City operations.

This open data philosophy will be coordinated and accomplished through Detroit GO DATA. The cornerstone of this major shift in City policy will be that data and information, unless exempt from disclosure under State or federal law, will be available to the public, starting with an open data portal.

Task Force and Advisory Commission

In order to accomplish the above-identified objectives, I am announcing the creation of a Task Force and an Advisory Commission, as more fully described below, to evaluate and determine the best methods for the design, implementation and monitoring of Detroit GO DATA.

1. Task Force. A Task Force is created which shall be chaired by the Chief Information Officer and which shall include the Corporation Counsel and the Chief Financial Officer, and directors of such other Departments or Agencies as the Chief Information Officer deems necessary or may invite from time to time. The designated members of the Task Force may nominate a person from his or her department to serve as his or her representative.
1. The Task Force will be responsible for establishing the internal mechanisms relative to Detroit GO DATA and will be accountable to the Mayor, through the Chief Information Officer, for the operation of Detroit GO DATA.
2. The Task Force, with assistance from the Law Department, will determine:
1. How to structure access to public data and information to ensure public records and other data and information can be easily accessible to the public in an open data format that is readable by humans and processable by machines,
2. The schedule for such release.
3. The Task Force will ensure the Advisory Commission has the opportunity to meet so that its input can be considered, as the Task Force will determine:
1. which information will be presented to the public; and
2. the best method to present it in a high quality fashion that is accessible and searchable.
4. The Chief Information Officer shall convene the first meeting of the Task Force within thirty (30) days from the effective date of this Order.
2. Advisory Commission. An eleven (11) member Advisory Commission is created, in accordance with Sec. 7-103 of the Charter, to advise the Task Force in developing and implementing Detroit GO DATA. In order to assure consideration of the perspectives of various users and subjects of data, the Advisory Commission may include non-Detroit residents who are representative of the business, academic, or non-profit communities, members of the media, or any other individual with relevant expertise or skill. Advisory Commission members shall be appointed to an initial term ending February 14, 2017 and may be re-appointed to 2-year terms.
1. The Advisory Commission will provide the Task Force suggestions and identify potential data types so that those items can be incorporated into the Task Force’s deliberative process.
2. The Advisory Commission will meet at least quarterly for the first year to evaluate and discuss the types of data that would have the most impact and use in an open data portal.

The collaborative efforts of the Task Force with the Advisory Commission will ensure that Detroit GO DATA will serve its purpose to make more information available and easily accessible to the public for their use. The Task Force and the Advisory Commission will jointly release an annual status report on Detroit GO DATA to document the previous year’s progress and provide guidance to the City of Detroit’s future open data efforts.

Cooperation by City Departments and Agencies:

To further accomplish the objectives set forth in this Order, I direct that:

1. Each department, agency, board, and commission of the City shall identify an individual to function as an information/record manager to assist in the implementation of Detroit GO DATA.
2. Each department, agency, board, commission and elected official of the City shall identify and evaluate what information, if any, can be released in an open data portal, with the assistance of the Law Department.

Controlling Effect of this Order; Effective Date

To the extent this Order conflicts with Executive Order No. 15, dated December 26, 2001, or any other Order pertaining to Freedom of Information Act requests, this Executive Order will control.