DC Water today launched an interactive Open Data Portal to share information with the public about the Authority’s operations and projects. The online portal initially includes five key datasets. It allows customers to track the location of water main breaks over the past five years, check if their homes are scheduled for a meter replacement, or see what construction projects are planned in their neighborhoods. Additional datasets pinpoint where sanitary sewer overflows have occurred from 2014-2017, and which fire hydrants are out of service - information DC Water already shares in real time with firefighters.
 
Users can easily filter and visualize the data on maps, or export it for further analysis. The portal is accessible on DC Water’s new website at dcwater.com/open-data-portal.
 
“Good, solid data informs our decision making and is critical to our operations and our long-range planning,” said DC Water CEO and General Manager George S. Hawkins. “Sharing that data improves our communication with customers and could help identify ways to improve our performance.”
 
The five initial datasets included in the portal are: 

• Automated Meter Replacements
• Capital Improvement Projects
• Water Main Breaks
• Fire Hydrants
• Sanitary Sewer Overflows

DC Water anticipates adding additional datasets to its site in the near future. The Open Data Portal is built on a platform designed by Socrata, a company that has worked on similar projects with numerous federal, state and local governments.

###