City of Vancouver updates open data catalogue, adding more data, formats, maps

The City of Vancouver has released a major update of its open-data catalogue.

Launched yesterday (January 20), version 2 offers more data and more formats.

For nongeeks, many of the data sets are conveniently linked to Google and Bing maps.

So, visitors to the site can now easily view, for example, the city’s bikeways, graffiti incidents, homeless shelters, Olympic lanes, and Olympic venue closure areas with one click.

Vancouver’s GIS manager, Jonathan Mark, sent yesterday a message to the city’s open-data e-mail list that described the “major improvements”:

Ӣ There is now significantly more data available, approximately 100 layers of data in all (plus several packages of data). Almost all of the data is already available for viewing in public VanMap

Ӣ The data is now available in more formats. Almost all of the GIS data is available in three formats (DWG, SHP, KML), while some is available in CSV and XLS.

Ӣ Much of the data can be displayed in Google Maps or Bing Map with a single mouse click.

Ӣ The data is now more current. Routines have been set up so most of the data is extracted for the Open Data website on a weekly basis (noting that some of it never or rarely changes).

Ӣ The site is now easier to use and data can be downloaded with fewer clicks.

”¢ The City’s RSS and GeoRSS feeds are now easier to find.

”¢ In support of the ICIS (the Integrated Cadastral Information Society) as requested in Council’s Open3 motion, two data packages have been created specifically for ICIS to meet their specifications. This will make it much easier for them to accept and further distribute our data.

Vancouver originally launched its open-data catalogue in beta in September 2009, following the lead of cities such as Nanaimo, New York, and Washington, D.C.

Developers have spun the city’s data into maps and other applications.

You can follow Stephen Hui on Twitter at twitter.com/stephenhui.