Philadelphia, PA– On Friday, September 23, 2016, the Department of Licenses & Inspections released 11 open data sets pertaining to permit and license issuance and code enforcement in the City of Philadelphia. This data release is part of a broader effort at L&I to leverage data to improve public safety.

“As Commissioner David Perri continues his reforms and modernization of L&I, transparency is vital,” said Mayor Jim Kenney.  “These open data sets mark a major step forward in that direction.”

The Department of Licenses & Inspections (L&I) led the way for open data in 2012 with a sizable release of data sets. Today’s release includes 6 entirely new data sets as well as improvements on 5 previously-released data sets.  In addition to being available for download, every data set is accompanied by a visualization tool enabling users to easily browse, sort, and drill down into the data within their web browser. Equipped with these tools, residents can, for example, browse open violations in their neighborhood and see related enforcement activity, or download a list of businesses in a particular category.

The data sets were released in time for the September 23^rd kickoff of the “City as a Service” hackathon being held by local nonprofit Code for Philly, which promotes civic engagement through technology.  Numerous City staffers, including Chief of Staff for Mayor Kenney Jane Slusser, Chief Data Officer Tim Wisniewski, and L&I Director of Planning Rebecca Swanson attended to encourage the tech community to explore the new L&I data.

“We’re excited about the opportunity to engage civic-minded members of the tech community,” said L&I Commissioner Perri. “Making these data sets publicly available and user-friendly will ultimately improve how we serve residents and keep our community safer.”

The new data sets are:

• Inspections
• Clean & Seals
• “Imminently Dangerous” Violations
• “Unsafe” Violations
• Service Requests
• Commercial Activity Licenses

The improved data sets include:

• Code Violations
• Building Permits
• Business Licenses
• Trade Licenses
• Appeals of Code Violations and Permit Refusals

This release was a collaborative effort between the Department of Licenses & Inspections, the Office of Innovation & Technology (OIT), and the Office of Open Data & Digital Transformation. This partnership is developing advanced methods of analysis to inform and improve proactive enforcement measures to more effectively protect public safety.

The datasets can all be accessed at www.OpenDataPhilly.org