CivicApps

CivicApps is a open data / open source project sponsored by several Portland-area government agencies. Currently over 100 civic data sets are available, including geographic, 911, transit, streets, and parks data.

Data Wishlist

More data will be available in the future. Some things we might like to see are:

• Street sweeping schedules; the City has only 3 sweepers for all of the residential streets in Portland, and strives to cover the entire City twice, maybe three times a year. This prevents the City from publishing a reliable schedule. The upcoming work to be performed is typically based on proximity to the current work being performed, so if the City were to use GPS technology to post where they are presently, one may infer the likelihood of service in their neighborhood. Other ideas?
• DEQ data: pollution sources? hazard reports? http://www.deq.state.or.us/news/databases.htm
• Garbage hauling schedules per hauler; given the popular need for these, the City of Portland is attempting to coordinate delivery of these by this fall for both garbage and recycling.
• Willamette Bridges status, API query for Lowered, In-transition, Raised
• Multnomah County Library catalog data — It's available through the WorldCat API. The basic API access is open to noncommercial use, but the more complex options require membership.

Data available outside of CivicApps.org

Datasets to request, or scrape? - Serves as a bit of an extension to the wishlist

• City GIS Metadata Directory
• Project Forecast Calendar for professional, technical, and expert services and construction
• Contract bidding: opportunities and awarded bids (also, a twitter account
• List of companies composting their food waste
• Portland city code, and other law and policy documents
• Business event calendar
• council agendas
• neighborhood calendars
• Multnomah County Elections results
• Regional elections results
• Portland historical timeline
• 211 community resource database
• PDX (the airport): arrivals and departures, aviation statistics, Neat playback of flight radar, for noise reporting, parking status
• Port of Portland: Terminal 6 webcams, river depth forecast (flash), statistics, vessel schedule
• Housing connection
• City Council videos
• Business license lookup
• Traffic counts
• Real-time downtown smart park availability

Interesting submission forms

Listed both as sources of interesting datasets to request access to and as potential endpoints for automated submission.

• Crime prevention - This form offers no context about why someone would use it.
• report a visibly disabled vehicle
• graffiti report
• Liquor complaints
• Nuisance complaints
• Housing violation complaints
• Report construction violation, dangerous building, erosion control, environmental violation, noise, sign, or zoning violation
• Report streetlight problem
• Portland Odor Monitor Report - I'd really like to see the dataset from this one opened up.
• Sidewalk repair - There should be a form here, but there isn't
• Dead bird report
• Standing water report
• Disease vector report

External Links

• Website
• CivicApps Feedback on Get Satisfaction
• YAML format list of all the CivicApps datasets (move to a wiki?)