# Open Data Buffalo

Open Data Buffalo is the open data program developed under the administration of Mayor Byron W. Brown in Buffalo, New York. The initiative is a commitment to proactively release high-quality, updated "publishable City data" through a centralized portal in machine-readable formats, fully accessible and freely available in the public domain. Open Data Buffalo is an official City program designed to foster transparency, innovation, accountability, and efficiency.

## History

In May 2013, Buffalo earned a grant through IBM's Smarter Cities Challenge to bring a team of senior IBM executives to the city to offer advice on improving municipal policy with data-driven insights. One of their primary recommendations was for Buffalo to build capacity in "data-sharing and governance." Three years later, Buffalo joined the national network of Bloomberg Philanthropies What Works Cities to expand their use of data. With the support of What Works Cities, Buffalo partnered with The Sunlight Foundation to craft an Open Data Policy with input from the public using the Madison tool, an open source platform provided by OpenGov Foundation.
In September 2017, the City of Buffalo selected Socrata as the provider for the municipality's open data platform. The city launched the Open Data Buffalo portal on February 22, 2018 and kicked off the launch with the open of Mayor Byron W. Brown's Civic Innovation Challenge Powered By AT&T, a tech competition designed to promote local engagement with the portal. The competition's challenge statement asks innovators to use City data to create solutions to address social and civic issues impacting Buffalo residents.

## Datasets

As of October 2019, the Open Data Buffalo data catalog is federated with the New York State portal and includes over 654 data sets and 222 geospatial assets, over 60 of which are City publications. Buffalo's datasets and geospatial assets include:
| Asset | Type |
| Combined Sewer Overflows | Geospatial |
| Rental Registry | Dataset |
| True Tax 2018-19 | Dataset |
| Rental Registry | Dataset |
| City Website Analytics | Dataset |
| Recyclable Materials | Dataset |
| In Rem 52 Final Auction Results (10/15/18 - 10/17/18) | Dataset |
| Housing Court Cases | Dataset |
| Current In Rem List (2019) | Dataset |
| 2019-2020 Assessment Roll | Dataset |
| Licensed Contractors | Dataset |
| Business Licenses | Dataset |
| Code Violations | Dataset |
| Neighborhood Metrics | Dataset |
| City of Buffalo Public Art Inventory | Dataset |
| City of Buffalo 2017 Recycling Report | External File |
| Neighborhoods | Geospatial |
| Local Historic Districts | Geospatial |
| Zip Codes | Geospatial |
| Assessment Residential Neighborhoods | Geospatial |
| Permits | Dataset |
| Crime Incidents | Dataset |
| 311 Service Requests | Dataset |
| Parking Summonses | Dataset |
| Tows | Dataset |
| 2017-2018 Assessment Roll | Dataset |
| Neighborhood Curbside Recycling Rates | Dataset |
| Tree Inventory | Dataset |
| Monthly Recycling and Waste Collection Statistics | Dataset |
| Monthly Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program Statistics | Dataset |
| Annual Average Daily Traffic Volume Counts | Dataset |
| 2018 - 2019 Assessment Roll | Dataset |
| Buffalo Public Schools | Dataset |
| Zoning Map | Geospatial |
| Streets | Geospatial |
| Buffalo Police Department Camera Locations | Geospatial |
| Parking Meters | Geospatial |
| 2015-2016 City of Buffalo Clean Sweep Locations | Geospatial |
| U.S. Census Block Groups in Buffalo | Geospatial |
| BPD Districts | Geospatial |
| Fire Hydrants | Geospatial |
| U.S. Census Blocks in Buffalo | Geospatial |
| Buffalo Police Department Stations | Geospatial |
| U.S. Census Tracts in Buffalo | Geospatial |
| BPD Calls to 311 (1/1/17 – Present) | Geospatial |
| 2016 City of Buffalo Clean Sweep Locations | Geospatial |
| Assessment Commercial Valuation Districts | Geospatial |
| Railroads | Geospatial |
| Parks | Geospatial |
| Municipal Boundary | Geospatial |
| Council Districts | Geospatial |
| Police Districts | Geospatial |
| 2015 City of Buffalo Clean Sweep Locations | Geospatial |