Boulder County Launches New Geospatial Open Data Platform

New platform offers better tools and improved access to geospatial data

Boulder County, Colo. – Today, Boulder County launched a new geographic information system (GIS) open data platform that will give data enthusiasts greater access to valuable county geospatial – mapping – data assets on an interactive site.

The site, located at http://maps.bouldercounty.org/OpenData, puts GIS data at users’ fingertips. Datasets of interest can be browsed by category or by entering key words in the search box. Users can then interact with the data in the web browser, preview the data before downloading, download subsets of very large datasets, and even create charts. Datasets can be easily shared with others or embedded into websites.

The new platform, which is a tool included within the GIS software the county currently uses, streamlines internal processes by automating the publication of data. GIS data has been available in other forms for download on the county website since 2007.

“Boulder County is excited to launch the new geospatial open data platform so data users will have a better way to access useful datasets produced by the county,” said GIS Program Manager Mark Mullane. “The new platform provides a simple and intuitive user experience so the data can be easily searched, viewed, and filtered all within a web browser.”

Background
The concept of “open data” embraces the idea that public information should be easily accessible to the public online and produced in a standardized format that can be read and utilized by all computers.

This launch marks the second move to improve internal workflows through automated publishing of open data. The first part of this effort launched in March of this year and offered improved access to building permit and development data for unincorporated Boulder County.

Questions or feedback about Boulder County open data sources may be directed to data@bouldercounty.org.