Open Cities Index: North America’s Most Open Cities

Measuring Public Sector Open Data Initiatives

PSD launched the Open Cities Index (OCI)—Canada’s first benchmarking study for municipal open data programs—in 2015 and has expanded to invite organizations from all over North America. This tool provides a way for local governments to measure the maturity and performance of their open data initiatives while providing insight on how they can improve. With open access to public sector data becoming increasingly important through legislation and public demand, the OCI aims to push the conversation forward.

This benchmarking program evaluates open data initiatives and allows organizations to track their improvement over time based on:

• Governance and capacity (Readiness)
• Dataset infrastructure and quality (Implementation)
• Community and organizational impact (Impact)

With the goal of promoting transparency and accountability in government, the OCI also provides an opportunity for municipalities to build and grow their open data programs. As part of a larger open data community, participants also receive access to insight reports and educational webinars to continue developing their programs and provide a collaborative environment for knowledge-sharing.

North America’s Top 20 Most Open Cities – 2020