Baton Rouge, La. — January 27, 2022 — Today, Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome released the City-Parish’s 2021 Open Data Policy Report, which was also presented and discussed at the Jan. 26 Metro Council meeting.

The report outlines progress over the past year in advancing the goals of the City-Parish’s open data policy, which was established by Mayor Broome and the Metro Council in December 2017. The policy enacted an “open by default” mandate for all City-Parish data and designated the Department of Information Services as the lead agency responsible for policy implementation, in coordination with a Data Governance Committee composed of representatives from all City-Parish departments.

In 2021, the City-Parish continued to make progress toward fulfilling this mandate by launching new digital platforms like Open Budget BR and performance dashboards and releasing new data and updating key datasets on Open Data BR. The City-Parish is also integrating data into all facets of its operations and programs, such as the East Baton Rouge Parish Stormwater Master Plan, and engaging residents in its open data program through initiatives like the Citizen Data Academy: On-Demand video series. 

“Since day one, my administration has prioritized transparency and data-driven decision making across all levels of City-Parish government,” said Mayor Broome. “We have made tremendous strides in recent years to lead the way in becoming a more transparent digital community, but our work is by no means complete. Moving forward, our departments will continue to operate with a strong focus on enhancing access to data and using it to improve our operations and quality of life for our residents.”

In addition to fostering greater transparency into City-Parish operations and efficiency in how data is managed and used among departments, the City-Parish’s 2021 open data accomplishments were key in Baton Rouge ranking as a Top 10 Digital City for the seventh year in a row and a Top 5 ranking in the U.S. Open Data Census. In 2021, Baton Rouge also achieved Silver certification through the What Works Cities program, as one of only 16 cities to receive this certification in 2021 as the national standard of excellence in data-driven city governance.

For more information on the City-Parish’s transparency initiatives, visit brla.gov/transparency. To view the 2021 Open Data Policy Report, click here.