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Broomfield, Colo., to Launch Open GIS Data Portal

The site was intended to provide information about streets and city boundaries, but the idea has grown to encompass several new layers of data.

(TNS) -- A program that will allow Broomfield residents to access raw data about their city is expected to launch in the coming weeks.

Ernesto Chavez, chief technology officer with Broomfield, mentioned the project publicly for the first time Tuesday evening at a City Council study session.

Adrian Kropp, GIS manager, said the project started internally around September and will roll out in phases as data is added.

Initially the map, which will be accessible electronically, will feature streets, zones and city boundaries, but in the future Chavez said he hopes to add layers to that foundation.

The program is similar to what other municipalities have launched to provide data to the public. It will be free and downloadable into a spreadsheet.

The IT Department leveraged existing software and worked with Esri, a global technology company with a regional office in Broomfield, to build the geographic information system.

Currently the city shares a lot of its data through its website, Kropp said, but some are in zip files, which makes it hard for people to access.

"And it's not always in the same spot," Kropp said.

The long-term vision for the website, opendata.broomfield.org, will be a "one-stop shop" for getting data, such as building inspection history.

Once launched, the website will be updated on a weekly basis.

"The first phase is to provide a home for users who want to have the data," Kropp said. "They can download it directly in a text format."

©2015 the Broomfield Enterprise (Broomfield, Colo.) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.