Exploring Open Data Portals and Data Consortia for VAD Property Interventions

This memorandum explores the benefits of both data consortia and open data portals as tools for local governments to monitor, manage, and address vacant, abandoned, and deteriorated (VAD) properties. The purpose of this research is to help inform the City of Dayton and its partners as they embark on better utilizing the several dozen data sources and software currently used across the city. We hope this is a useful follow-up to your work post-Vacant Property Leadership Institute. While we could not answer every question posed about data consortium and open portals, we hope the included examples can provide connection points for Dayton to more deeply explore its questions. We look forward to hearing about your progress and supporting future next steps in your VAD property journey. 

Data and Vacant Properties 

Data is critical for understanding local market conditions and building market-responsive revitalization strategies. Local decisionmakers when equipped with data from city departments and affiliated organizations are better poised to create equitable, effective, and efficient revitalization strategies. Tracking key indicators of VAD like code violations, crime rates, foreclosures, and delinquencies provides insights on market conditions ranging from understanding changes over time to using spatial analysis to track areas with high concentrations of VAD. Systematic data tracking, updates, and analysis allows for decisionmakers to understand underlying-root factors that keep problem properties “stuck” in decline and combat their negative impacts on neighborhoods. Despite the benefits of strong data collection, setting up and maintaining the necessary systems to collect, monitor, and upkeep this data takes time, skill, and financial investments. As discussed below, data consortia and portals can be designed for a wide range of data needs and are not usually designed to exclusively inform VAD property strategies. Robust data, which is aggregated and connected can aid not only in basic data analysis (e.g., number of vacant houses) but also in robust analysis and evaluation (e.g., crime rates before and after a VAD property intervention). Data consortia and open data portals are both powerful tools that, especially when paired, can increase information and access to robust and reliable data for all community stakeholders. 

Understanding Data Portals and Data Consortia 

What is a Data Consortium? 

A data consortium refers to a group of organizations, often operating in the same geographic area, that decide to pool their respective data, information, and financial resources for the benefit of everyone involved. A data consortium’s primary purpose and value stems from the collective ability to source relevant and reliable data. In short, the participating groups agree that “everybody pays, everybody plays,” and as a result everybody enjoys the mutual benefits of coordination. As additional organizations join, participants enjoy greater access to meaningful and reliable information. Data consortia vary in types of data hosted and how much data is publicly shared. Many data consortia support or host their own open data portals to publicly share their pooled data. 

Benefits 

For all communities—from those with an established or mature geographic information system (GIS) platform to those still streamlining their data tools—the value of implementing a consortium is wide ranging. First, there are the economies of scale resulting from shared costs, greater efficiencies, and enhanced coordination. Reducing duplication or redundancy of effort related to procuring hardware, maintaining software, and designing effective digital infrastructure makes more room for more users to engage in complex analysis and strategic thinking. The possibilities and potential applications span everything from public policy concerns to environmental stewardship to attracting economic growth and development.  

Challenges 

Data consortia require thorough infrastructure and upkeep. Though sharing tools between organizations can help with the cost of software and any staffing needs, consortia are definitely an investment for a community in cost, staff, and relationship building efforts.  

What is an Open Data Portal? 

An open data portal refers to an online platform that allows users to easily access a collection of free and downloadable data. In the United States, state and local governments often use open data portals to host government and affiliate data and help increase transparency around programs and operations. These open data portals are generally, but not exclusively, run by public (e.g., government or universities) entities or data consortia. Open data portals are governed by a data governance framework and a set of data standards, practices, and policies.  

Benefits 

For local governments, there are immense benefits for fostering a strong open data platform. Many local governments use open data portals to meet their Freedom of Information Act requirements. Rather than requiring a formal process to request information, open data portals allow residents, local organizations, and other community stakeholders to easily access information about their communities. Open data access can also grow public trust in government by increasing transparency around government processes and metrics. Access to relevant, reliable, and quality data ultimately allows community stakeholders to better understand their community needs, perform their own research and analysis, and improve public accountability. Some local governments leverage their open data portals to ​​​​increase civic engagement, through events like Baltimore and Detroit’s Data Days and Buffalo’s Community Showcase.   

Challenges 

As with data consortia, open data portals have upkeep costs in software and staffing needs. Data portals especially, without the shared resources of data consortia, are at risk of growing outdated without regular time investment and monitoring. There are a variety of software platforms that can host an online open data portal, though they each add an additional cost.  

Download the full memorandum to learn more »