What Is the Open Data Advisory Group?

Published on April 22, 2018

In April 2017, Arlington County Manager Mark Schwartz appointed 12 members of the Arlington community to serve on the Open Data Advisory Group (ODAG). Working together with County staff, ODAG is tasked with identifying and prioritizing government data that they believe would be the most useful to share with the broader community. Their collective input brings a diverse and informed perspective that helps Arlington County filter and focus on those areas of open data that should be addressed first.

ODAG members also serve as champions for data use and help others to see the many ways in which data can be used to benefit themselves, a business perhaps, or the overall community. A great example of this is one member who successfully built a web application using the newly-posted County Dog License dataset. This effort will enable someone who finds a lost dog to enter the dog’s license number into the app and see the address associated with the license—helping to quickly find the owner. This is just one of the ways the County and ODAG are working together to realize its shared goal of making data more accessible.

We’re appreciative of the contributions made by these members. If you see a member of the Open Data Advisory Group, please thank them for their efforts!