Open Data and Transparency Tools

Open data and transparency tools are the web portals, databases and public documents that let residents see what the City of Philadelphia spends, owns, approves and does. Data are not a substitute for a records request, but they often answer the question faster. The main tools are run by different agencies, so knowing which one holds what saves time. The Office of Innovation and Technology builds and hosts much of the City's technology, including GIS and analytics, while individual departments publish their own datasets.

1 OpenDataPhilly

OpenDataPhilly describes itself as "a data catalog and portal that provides access to more than 300 data sets, applications, and APIs related to the Philadelphia region." It launched in 2010 with pro bono support from the geospatial software company Azavea, which maintained it through 2023; it received funding from the William Penn Foundation (2011) and the Knight Foundation (2015), moved to the JKAN platform in spring 2023 and has been volunteer-run as a standalone organization since December 2023.^[1] The City of Philadelphia publishes many of its own datasets through its Office of Innovation and Technology, and OpenDataPhilly links to them alongside regional, state and community data. OpenDataPhilly's own page notes a partnership with the City's Office of Innovation and Technology.

2 Property, permits and service requests

The property search at property.phila.gov shows ownership, sales history, valuation and physical characteristics for each parcel, maintained by the Office of Property Assessment.^[2] Licenses, permits, violations and inspections are published by the Department of Licenses and Inspections, which is vital for tenants checking a landlord's rental license (see Rental Licensing and Landlord-Tenant Law in Philadelphia). Requests submitted to Philly311 are also available as data, which lets residents compare response times across neighborhoods. Land records, deeds and mortgages are kept by the Department of Records.

3 Money: budgets, contracts and disclosures

Budget documents, including the Mayor's Budget in Brief, the Five Year Plan and each department's budget testimony to City Council, are public (see How to Read the City Budget and Philadelphia City Budget Process). The Contracts Hub at contracts.phila.gov lists solicitations and awards from the Procurement Department. The Office of Economic Opportunity registry of certified minority-, woman- and disabled-owned businesses is published as an open dataset on the federal data.gov catalog.^[3] The Department of Records hosts a database of financial interest disclosures by City officials and employees covering filings since 2015.^[4] Campaign finance filings are public; see Campaign Finance in Philadelphia and City Commissioners for where they are filed. The City Controller publishes audits and reports, and the Board of Ethics posts guidance and enforcement actions.

4 Meetings and legislation

City Council posts bills, resolutions, hearing schedules and videos on its legislative site, and the Sunshine Act requires public notice of meetings of boards and commissions; see Sunshine Act and Open Meetings. The OIT-run PHL GovTV broadcasts government proceedings and is expanding live remote coverage.^[5] To follow a bill, see How a Bill Becomes Law in Philadelphia and How to Testify at City Council.

5 When data are not enough

Not everything is published. The state Right-to-Know Law lets anyone request records from City agencies, and the process is described in How to Request Public Records. Data quality varies; datasets may lag, contain errors or omit fields, and residents should read the documentation. Journalists and watchdogs use these tools together (see Local News Media in Philadelphia and Good Government Groups). Concerns about misuse of public money can be reported through How to Report Corruption or Misconduct.

See also: Right-to-Know Law and Public Records, Office of Innovation and Technology, Sunshine Act and Open Meetings, Philly311.

References

1. OpenDataPhilly, "About" (opendataphilly.org).
2. City of Philadelphia, "Office of Property Assessment" department page (phila.gov).
3. Data.gov catalog, "OEO Registry of Certified Minority, Women, Disabled Owned Business Enterprises" (catalog.data.gov).
4. City of Philadelphia, "Department of Records" department page (phila.gov).
5. Office of Innovation and Technology, "Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Testimony," March 31, 2026 (phlcouncil.com).