NSW state government opens new window on data

The NSW government has launched the Open Data Dashboard to better help the community engage with its data.

NSW Minister for Finance and Services, Dominic Perrottet, said, “Data.nsw.gov.au is the single portal to access government data and the dashboard provides a new way for people to see what is available and how it can be used."

The newly revamped site provides information on popular and recently added datasets, case studies, news stories and examples of how datasets have been successfully turned into apps, as well as updates from social media feeds.

“The new Dashboard includes greater detail and additional commentary around the possible uses and interpretations of the datasets, which will make it easier for people to use them,” Perrottet said.

“The dashboard is also responsive, making it easy to view on mobile devices.”

Perrottet said more people than ever were using open data.

“Open data has been embraced by tech gurus and developers alike and we are now seeing data from agencies like Transport for NSW receive up to 40 million requests per month," he said.

“Another good example of this is has been with the NSW State Records search API, which was accessed 17,229 times in May this year, compared to 7129 times for the same period last year.”

Perrottet said the NSW Government is committed to making more government data available and that open data is key feature of its ICT Strategy as a driver of the NSW digital economy.

"We have already seen a glimpse of what is possible through the success of NSW Globe which displays NSW location based data,” he said.

“These kinds of innovations would have been unimaginable just a decade ago. I am really excited to see how people and the industry will make use of government data.”

To view the Open Data Dashboard, visit www.data.nsw.gov.au.