BATON ROUGE, La. – September 28, 2020 – Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome announced today the launch of the City-Parish’s Citizen Data Academy, a three-part virtual training series designed to help Baton Rouge citizens access and use the various data and tools available through the Open Data BR and EBRGIS platforms. The academy is free and open to all East Baton Rouge Parish residents.

“Our successes in open data, technology, and innovation over the past few years have put Baton Rouge at the forefront when it comes to being a digital, efficient, and transparent city and parish,” said Mayor Broome. “Through this Citizen Data Academy, we are broadening the reach and impact of these efforts and empowering residents to understand trends, make decisions, and support our community using the tremendous data we have at our fingertips.”

Each session will be led by the Department of Information Services leadership team, which oversees the management of the City-Parish’s data and analytics initiatives. The monthly series will be progressive in moving from beginner to intermediate to advanced topics. Residents may participate in one session or the entire series, outlined below, by registering at https://brla.gov/dataacademy.

Session 1: Introduction to Open Data

5:30-7 p.m. Tuesday, October 13 

Register here

Includes an overview of the Open Data BR and EBRGIS programs, the data available through each, and how to register and begin using the various tools within both platforms.

Session 2: Exploring Open Data

5:30-7 p.m. Tuesday, November 9 

Register here

Includes training and step-by-step instructions on how to download and add value to open data, create charts and maps, and use various tools to analyze City-Parish data.

Session 3: Problem Solving Using Open Data

5:30-7 p.m. Tuesday, December 15

Register here

Includes an overview of more advanced data analysis approaches, such as joining different datasets, conducting spatial analysis, and using the APIs available through our various platforms.

For more information on the Citizen Data Academy, visit brla.gov/dataacademy or email opendata@brla.gov. To access the Open Data BR portal, visit https://data.brla.gov. To learn more about the EBRGIS program, visit https://gis.brla.gov.