(R-2014-381)
RESOLUTION NUMBER R-308684
DATE OF FINAL PASSAGE: JAN 2, 2014
A RESOLUTION OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SAN DIEGO SUPPORTING AN OPEN DATA POLICY
WHEREAS, the City of San Diego is committed to open, transparent, and accessible government; and
WHEREAS, Open Data is defined as data produced or commissioned by government that can be easily and freely used, reused and redistributed by anyone, for any purpose; and
WHEREAS, Open Data can be used for various purposes, including enabling participatory govemance, as a means of ensuring transparency, and as a catalyst for economic development; and
WHEREAS, the City of San Diego is currently one of the largest cities in the country without an Open Data policy; and
WHEREAS, disclosing City data is a foundational element of open government, is consistent with residents’ right to public information, and promotes engagement with the potential benefit of civic development of technology products and infrastmcture to improve service delivery through expanded and innovative applications, among other things; and
WHEREAS, by creating an Open Data policy, the City of San Diego seeks to develop opportunities for civic engagement, economic development, commerce, and increased investment; and
WHEREAS, an Open Data policy must include a robust cyber security element to reduce the potential for cyber attacks; and
WHEREAS, open and accessible data must be delicately balanced with privacy protections for the City and its citizens to reduce legal risk to the City of San Diego; and
WHEREAS, making data open and accessible must be done in a manner that satisfies the legal requirements contained in any software license or other legally binding agreement to which the City is a party; and
WHEREAS, valuable infonnation pertaining to Open Data was presented to the Rules and Economic Development Committee (now the Economic Development and Intergovemmental Relations Committee) by both Code for America and the Office of the Independent Budget Analyst; and
WHEREAS, while an Open Data policy has the potential to benefit the community and consideration must be given to how to equitably bridge the “digital divide” for the greatest number of citizens; and
WHEREAS, the Independent Budget Analyst noted that the potential benefits associated with Open Data will need to be weighed against the potential public benefits of open government strategies; and
WHEREAS, one goal of an Open Data policy is to decrease the number of Public Records Act requests submitted to various City departments as public infonnation is more readily accessible; and
WHEREAS, the use of Open Data exchange standards improves transparency, access to public information, and improved coordination and efficiencies among organizations across the public, non-profit and private sectors, including within internal city departments; NOW THEREFORE,
BE IT RESOLVED, that the City Council of the City of San Diego supports the creation of an Open Data policy.
APPROVED: JAN I. GOLDSMITH, City Attorney
By Prescilla Dugard, Chief Deputy City Attorney