A New Tool to Amplify the Power of Open Data

Laura Bliss reports:

Launched Monday by the global GIS mapping software giant Esri, ArcGIS Hub is an online platform that clusters datasets around specific citywide initiatives, in the hope that people can more readily tap into information applicable to their lives. 

According to Bliss, ArcGIS Hub responds to the difficulty in accessing and using data shared on open data portals—although open data has gained wide adoption by governments and agencies of all shapes and sizes, the potential of the platform is still severely limited by poor user experience.

Bliss examines a few case studies for how ArcGIS Hub improves open data, including the example of South Bend, Indiana, one of the early adopters of the platform. Bliss details the functions of the Hub too, which functions in ways like a "social network built on civic duty."