Boston launches Open Budget portal
Boston on Wednesday officially launched Open Budget, an online portal that allows users to look at the city’s budget data, identify city priorities, follow trends and track capital projects.
The city’s Office of Finance and Budget created the site in conjunction with Boston’s Department of Innovation and Technology.
Open Budget allows users to sort the 2015 fiscal year $1.88 billion capital budget and $2.73 billion operating budget for each cabinet into a list or bar graph. Each cabinet budget can be further expanded to view planned expenditures for each associated department, as well as each department’s historical operating budget information.
Jascha Franklin-Hodge, Boston’s incoming chief information officer, Tweeted his support of the project.
The City of Boston’s budget is now online and explorable, with maps and charts. #opendata http://t.co/NsdFcsiyMc
— Jascha F.-H. (@jfh) July 9, 2014
The bar graph feature allows users to visualize how the budget is being proportionally allocated, in addition to providing a simple, easy to understand, click-through platform. An interactive map enables users to delve deeper into many of the specific projects planned in their neighborhoods.
Open Budget adds to the suite of open data and financial tools available to the public, such as the City of Boston Open Checkbook, which allows the public to view the list of vendors the city is working with and total vendor expenditures, and the City of Boston Open Data Portal.
