Technology

San Francisco passes first open data law

The city is the first to require all departments to publish its data.

Federal News Network Staff

November 10, 2010 3:31 pm

< a min read

San Francisco is the first city to pass an open data law, Fast Company reports.

Mayor Gavin Newsom had issued an executive order last year and the city’s Board of Supervisors unanimously made the order into law this week.

The law states that city departments should make a “reasonable effort” to publish its data. (See full text below.)

The dollar cost of implementing the data will be “minimal,” the city’s CIO Chris Vein told Fast Company. What’s harder is changing the bureaucratic culture.

“Our experience in government is not to use the private sector or individuals as partners,” Vein said. “The biggest cost is the intrinsic cost — getting [government workers] to understand the value of the data and why we’re trying to do this.”

Thanks to @Jay_Nath for the story tip.

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