Stakeholder Impact

A city’s data belongs to its people. So for city leaders, the journey of learning to use data more ambitiously should not be solely an internal exercise. They must invite residents and partners into the conversation and empower them to use data to help solve problems and hold government accountable.

Montevideo does this in several ways. City leaders organize neighborhood workshops to introduce residents to the wealth of city data available on Montevideo’s open data portal, and learn how to use it to be more informed advocates on the issues they care about.  They’ve also launched an API portal where software developers can access streams of real-time city data to build applications, and held a competition where 92 civic hackers came together and proposed 20 ideas. One winning idea proposed using city transit data to improve access for people with disabilities.

At the same time, city leaders are building their own data applications for residents to use. That was particularly valuable during a recent drought, when sodium levels in drinking water became unsafe for pregnant women and others with certain health conditions. City leaders shared daily water test results so that residents could make informed decisions about whether to drink tap water or not. Other applications share information on which city beaches are safe for swimming, which streets need sidewalk repairs, and which complaints from residents are coming into city hotlines.

Montevideo city leaders are eager to share what they’re learning about city data and innovation with residents, private-sector partners, and peers in other cities. For example, the city recently hosted an Innovation Expo at City Hall. The free event celebrated the ways data and technology are making cities across Uruguay safer, more sustainable, and inclusive.