Resolution 14-0036, adopted on February 11, 2014, resulted in the development of a process to manage and distribute public geographic information systems (GIS) data. Since that time, 46 datasets have been made available to the public. These datasets are accessed on the Hennepin County website an average of 900 times per month.

There continues to be growing interest, both locally and nationally, in the free and open sharing of public data produced by government agencies. The emergence, continued refinement and benefit of new information technologies have dramatically changed the way citizens search for and expect to find, consume and utilize government information. These technological advancements enable the aggregation of larger quantities of data and allow government to provide information to the public with increasing efficiency.

Current Request: Hennepin County is committed to increasing the level of transparency and accountability to the public in county government. This board action request seeks support in making Hennepin County produced public datasets free and open to the public without charge or licensure in a commonly recognized and easily produced format. The county would retain the ability to charge and collect fees for data provided in other formats and when certain special requests are received.

Minnesota Statutes provide significant legal protection for the county when data is provided in a manner that complies with statutory immunity provisions. 

It is also requested that the County Administrator be directed to establish a data distribution process for existing public datasets deemed suitable for free and open public sharing using our website, and that appropriate data classification practices and legal disclaimers be developed to support the county.