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City unveils new public data portal and 'data stories' dashboards
Summary
Encinitas IT Director Jessica Contrarus demonstrated a new public data portal with GIS mapping, downloadable raw datasets and a 'data stories and insights' dashboard designed to make city data easier to explore and recommend additions.
Encinitas — The city’s Information Technology director on Wednesday showcased a redesigned open‑data portal and a new “data stories and insights” tool meant to make municipal datasets easier for residents to find, download and visualize.
Jessica Contrarus described a two‑track approach: geographic information system (GIS) datasets that can be mapped (parcels, utilities, above‑ and below‑ground assets) and non‑geographic datasets (spreadsheets and reports) that the portal will translate into charts and narrative infographics. Contrarus said the project grew from a council objective to improve public access to city data.
The presentation demonstrated the portal’s searchable data catalog, a 3D sidewalk model (the Birmingham sidewalk in Cardiff), and dashboards that publish near‑real‑time service‑request data from the MyEncinitas app. Senior GIS analyst Kevin Highland showed the 3D model capability and the team’s approach to preserving digital records of infrastructure elements.
Contrarus said the city has added how‑to videos and a “recommend a dataset” function so users can request additional information to be published. She said staff is working with public safety partners on appropriate public‑safety datasets and with the climate team on an enhanced climate action dashboard. “One hundred percent of what you saw today is online,” a staff member added during the Q&A.
Council members thanked IT staff for the work and asked about pilot access and community feedback opportunities; staff said the portal can be shared through learning programs and might be presented at community centers for usability testing.
Why it matters: More accessible municipal data supports transparency, research and resident engagement; the city emphasized downloadable raw data and tools to help non‑specialists create charts and maps.
What’s next: Staff will continue expanding datasets and invite council and public feedback on priority datasets to publish next.
