State Data for Upstate Governments

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Here is a brief list of open data sets that are available in the New York State open data portal that have particular relevance for Upstate municipal governments.

Use these data sets (and others from the state portal to):

  • Identify unlicensed or unpermitted businesses or construction activity.
  • Identify business that are not in compliance with local zoning ordinances (e.g., areas that are not zoned for commercial activities).
  • Validate (or optimize) snow plowing routes, particularly during times of snow or weather related emergencies.
  • Generate macro-level indicators of business activity in an city or region.

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Why Publish Open Data?

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Open data, especially open government data, is a tremendous resource that is as yet largely untapped. Many individuals and organisations collect a broad range of different types of data in order to perform their tasks. Government is particularly significant in this respect, both because of the quantity and centrality of the data it collects, but also because most of that government data is public data by law, and therefore could be made open and made available for others to use. Why is that of interest?

— Open Data Handbook

Here are three reasons why publishing open data is important for local governments.

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