Open Data Portal Marks Third Anniversary

Nova Scotia’s open data portal marks its third anniversary today, Feb. 5, with the release of new datasets and a new function called Perspectives.

The portal can be accessed at data.novascotia.ca .

“Open data encourages research and innovation that can support the economic and social prosperity of our communities,” said Internal Services Minister Patricia Arab. “We are continuing to enhance the value of the open data portal to encourage the effective use of the information it makes available.”

Several new datasets have been made available, including:

• details on Innovacorp’s Acceleration Program awards for startups
• school-based immunization data
• surface water quality monitoring data
• additional public opinion research

These new datasets will bring the total number of datasets on the portal to more than 540. As well, several new charts and maps have been added to the portal.

The new Perspectives feature adds narrative, images and videos, along with portal datasets and visuals, to improve understanding and inspire innovative uses for the data.

Perspectives included this quarter are:

• Citizen’s Guide to Open Data
• Innovating with Open Data
• Understanding Complex Data: Ambient Air Quality
• Informing with Open Data: Ticks and Lyme Disease

Since its launch in 2016, the portal has had more than 849,000 page-views and 55,000 downloads.

To promote innovative uses of the data, the province is once again partnering with the School of Information Management and the Rowe School of Business at Dalhousie University to host the third annual Open Data Contest March 2 and 3 in conjunction with International Open Data Day.

More information about the contest, including a registration link, can be found on the portal’s homepage.