Virginia Open Data Portal

The Virginia Open Data Portal (ODP) serves to extend access to Commonwealth of Virginia data empowering our constituents to interpret, analyze, and transform our data into actionable intelligence. Secure and appropriate data sharing is fundamental to the success of our society because information supports engagement. Commonwealth data is a strategic asset that when leveraged, can drive innovation, increase quality of life, and promote economic growth. The Virginia Open Data Portal provides more than just data access. Within the portal, you can view stories and dashboards, create visualizations, filter data, and access it via APIs (application programming interfaces) to build solutions in web and mobile applications.

Posting data on Virginia’s Open Data Portal offers several advantages over hosting it solely on an agency website:

Centralized Access: The ODP provides a centralized platform for accessing data from multiple government agencies and departments. This makes it easier for users to find and access the information they need without having to visit multiple agency websites.
Standardization: The ODP follows standardized formats and metadata conventions, making it easier for users to understand and compare datasets from different sources. This standardization enhances data interoperability and usability.
Searchability and Discovery: The ODP offers advanced search and filtering capabilities, allowing users to quickly find relevant datasets based on keywords, categories, or other criteria. This feature improves data discoverability and ensures that users can easily locate the information they are looking for.
Community Engagement: The ODP fosters a community of users, including developers, researchers, journalists, and citizens, who can collaborate, share insights, and provide feedback on datasets. This community engagement can lead to the development of new applications, analyses, and insights that benefit both government agencies and the public.
Promotion of Data Use: By hosting data on the ODP, government agencies signal their commitment to transparency and openness. This can encourage broader use of the data by external stakeholders, including researchers, businesses, and advocacy groups, leading to greater societal benefits.
Enhanced Features: The ODP platform allows citizens to access the data online, download it, or use an API for real-time integration. Data can be filtered and easily shared through social media. Dataset owners can leverage visualizations and stories to enhance the dataset.

Overall, Virginia’s ODP is a more accessible, standardized, and collaborative approach to sharing government data compared to hosting it solely on an agency website. It’s easy to get started. Contact ODGA and we’ll get your data loaded in one business day.

Virginia Open Data Portal Resources and Tips for Users