Public records portal launched

JERSEY CITY- Mayor Fulop and Jersey City’s Office of Innovation launched, on Oct. 13, the next generation of the city’s open data portal. The portal, accessible on http://data.jerseycitynj.gov, makes public data on Jersey City transportation, operations, demographics, housing and more. As of today, the site has been revamped to include enhanced data mapping and visualization features and a more advanced software platform.
“Data has transformed how we think about everything from presidential elections to baseball. We need to bring a data-driven approach to our cities, as well,” said Mayor Fulop.
“That’s what we’re doing today,” Fulop added, “We’re opening the data to everyone – urban planners, developers, business owners, journalists and citizens – so they can better understand our city and help chart its future.”
The first version of Jersey City’s open data portal was launched in 2014 to provide better public access to city-wide data. Since then, the team has worked to increase the number and variety of data sets available, as well as the tools to access and visualize them. The updated version provides users with a more advanced platform for tracking basic city operations, mapping city assets and landmarks and analyzing important city collected data.
“Our mission is to make Jersey City more transparent by providing access to data and information on our resources, operations, and activities” said Office of Innovation Director Brian Platt. “We strive to provide a platform that supports data-based decision making, promotes public use of data, and strengthens citizen engagement in the democratic process.”
Since the start of the Fulop administration, the Mayor’s Office and the recently formed Office of Innovation has collaborated with all city departments and agencies to create streamlined processes for collecting and sharing data. The variation in data files across departments led to the creation of customized data gathering templates for each in order to ensure accuracy and efficiency in the recording process.
For more information on the Jersey City open data portal, please visit http://data.jerseycitynj.gov. The original data portal is available at www.jerseycitynj.gov/data.