E Pluribus Chicago: Out of 1200 Units of Government, One Region

Greg Sanders
Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning
Chicago, IL

Guangyu Wu, PhD
Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning
Chicago, IL

Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) recently released its GoTo2040 comprehensive regional plan. CMAP’s region contains 7 counties, 285 municipalities and 1200+ units of government, so a shared base of information is crucial for effective governance. That’s why one of GoTo2040’s top recommendations is “Improve access to information” (under Efficient Governance—see http://www.cmap.illinois.gov/2040/improve-access-to-information . We highlight the importance of information in regional collaboration: “Better Data Sharing Leads to Better Choices,” ”Benefits of Access to Information Outweigh Costs.” But any plan’s value lies in successful implementation, and GoTo2040 establishes clear implementation steps:

Develop a Regional Web Portal - In 2010 CMAP released the Metropulse website as a data sharing hub (www.metropulsechicago.org). Metropulse combines GIS mapping with interactive charts, tables and downloads. Metropulse is driven by an API that’s available for use by government agencies and the general public. Even our ArcGisServer maps are driven by the API.

Provide Technical Assistance - CMAP will reach out to municipal governments under a federal Sustainable Communities grant, and that assistance will include data sharing practices when appropriate. We will focus on both spatial and attribute data, emphasizing standards and common approaches.

Define Best Practices for Data Sharing – CMAP founded the Illinois Data Exchange Affiliates (IDEA), a partnership of government and non-profit agencies with a transparency agenda. Through IDEA, CMAP will take a leadership role in defining regional best practices for data exchange.

Presentation will include a Metropulse demo and discussion of data sharing best practices.