Other cities may potentially follow suit in the very near future.
It will be a place to easily find government collected data and facts about the different communities within the city of San Francisco in formats that are easily accessible and downloadable. Just to name a few, the website will offer updated crime, health and other statistics for a variety of uses.
Newsom envisions this data being used to help renters or house hunters find a perfect location based on the given statistics or an iPhone application that lists restaurant health code ratings and really the possibilities are endless.
As of right now, DataSF includes 100 datasets with departments ranging from MTA (Municipal Transportation Agency) to Public Works to the Police and more will eventually be added as time passes on.
So, what does this accomplish?
Well for one, it should open the doors for more transparency not only within the city itself, but with the city government. Newsom is also hoping that developers use this data in positive ways as a way to engage the citizens of San Francisco, with, well, their city.
This is a pretty amazing concept that honestly, every single city in the United States should consider. However, before that happens, we’ll have to wait to see if this initiative succeeds. If you head over to the city, the information listed there is incredibly rich and detailed and really, it will be hard not to find a use for it.
So even if you didn’t agree with SF MUNI’s plans to open up bus stops with solar-powered Wi-Fi, the fact that the government, in this day and age, is opening up like this to its citizens is a big step in the right direction.
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