2017 Citizens Report

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‘The feedback from Council and the
public allowed us to refine some of the
concepts under development for the
full launch.”
“By using the recommendations
of the CRWG and appling a business
lens we were able to merge data from
a number of platforms seamlessly
to develop map based applications
which, when combined, resulted
in the development of ‘What’s
Happening Around Me?’ (WHAM)
which is one of the showcase features
of the new OGP,” said Ms. Crabtree.
“This is an example of how data can
be transformed to help our citizens
engage in their community.”
The OGP has three main sections.
The ‘Primary Portal pages’ address
recommendations by the CRWG to
allow citizens to better understand and
explore important decision making
processes that are part of the day-to-
day work of the City. The ‘WHAM’
application is a map based exploration
of the City that displays information
based on an address. The final section
of the OGP is called ‘Unlock The
Data’ and a click on the ‘Infographics’
section reveals data visualizations that
allow citizens to explore facets of the
City’s day-to-day work.
What’s Next?
The OGP is not finished. It will
grow and evolve along with the
City. As citizens and staff make new
connections with the data collected
as part of the daily work of the City
there will be new applications created
and launched. As the City’s business
processes evolve and streamline, the
OGP will be updated to reflect those
changes.
David Eaves told us that when we got
deep into this project it would create
an opportunity for us to understand
the work we do better. He predicted
that we would make new connections
and start to look at our processes with
a new clarity. He was right.
Throughout the Citizens Report
we will make linkages between the
work that was accomplished between
January 1 and December 31, 2017,
and where citizens can find more
information on the Open Government
Portal.
.
Explore your community.
Katherine Wagner (left), served as chair
of the Citizens Representative Working
Group. Christina Crabtree (right) is the
Chief Information Officer for the City of
Maple Ridge.
Citizens Report 2017 | 9
There is a quote by author
and futurist Joel Arthur
Barker that reads
‘Vision without action is
merely a dream. Action
without vision just passes
the time. Vision with action
can change the world.’