Governor Quinn Announces Major Expansion of Illinois' Open Data Initiative

CHICAGO – November 4, 2011. Governor Pat Quinn today announced a major expansion of the information available on Illinois’ open data portal, Data.Illinois.gov. The state recently received approval from the federal government to provide more than 4,700 additional datasets containing Illinois-related information collected by a number of federal agencies. This brings total datasets available through Data.Illinois.gov to nearly 5,000. Illinois’ open data portal is an initiative of Governor Quinn’s Illinois Innovation Council.

“Giving people greater access to the information government collects can improve the lives of all Illinois residents,” Governor Quinn said. “Today’s announcement gives our innovators and entrepreneurs even more information and tools to promote innovation throughout Illinois.”

Data.Illinois.gov empowers the public to access and employ information collected and maintained by the government. It contains a user-friendly interface that describes what data is available, how it can be accessed, and different tools for making use of it. The site is maintained by the state of Illinois and encourages public participation in government by empowering Illinois’ innovators to use government data in new and creative ways.

New datasets available on Data.Illinois.gov include the results of the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, which tabulates incomes, home values and average commuting times. Other datasets include the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s state-by-state toxic release inventory and the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports on the Midwest economy.

The new data supplements information already posted by the Illinois Departments of Transportation, Commerce and Economic Opportunity, Revenue, Human Services, Veterans Affairs, Public Health, Central Management Services and Employment Security, as well as the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. The site will continue to grow as more data from more agencies are added, with the goal of making as much data as possible available.

The Illinois Innovation Council was created by Governor Quinn in February to promote economic development through innovation and the engagement of citizens, developers, academia and industry. For more information on the council, please visit www.illinoisinnovation.com.