dataMontgomery
Explanation of key terms:
| Term | Explanation |
|---|---|
| dataMontgomery | Direct access to County datasets in consumable formats is available here, offering the public an opportunity to review and analyze raw data, and the opportunity to use it for a variety of purposes. |
| openMontgomery | A comprehensive initiative to create an online constituent forum and to place all kinds of public information online. openMontgomery want to make it easier for residents to reach county agencies by providing information such as property tax data, employee salaries and annual budgets. |
| Dataset | A collection of related sets of information that is composed of separate elements but can be manipulated as a unit by a computer. |
| SODA | Socrata Open Data API (SODA) allows software developers to access data hosted in Socrata. |
| POC | Each County department assigns a Point of Contact(POC) person that TEBS can work with for the open data effort. |
Sensitive Data
Confidential data is data that by Federal, State, or County law that must not be disclosed to the public. Some examples of confidential data under a State law, the Maryland Public Information Act (“MPIA”), are personally identifiable health care information, student information, personnel records, an individual’s financial information, credit card numbers, and social security numbers. Additional examples of confidential information under the MPIA are information about the County’s computer and facilities security, confidential commercial or financial information, and some criminal justice data.
These examples of confidential information are not comprehensive. Additionally, a data set may be legally publishable, but other considerations might dictate withholding publication of every piece of data within the set.
If a Department or an employee has questions about whether a particular set of data is legally appropriate for publication on the County’s open data site, they should review the MPIA (available online at
http://www.oag.state.md.us/Opengov/pia.htm, “Appendix C”), and the County’s privacy policy, online at
http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/mcg/privacy.html.
If questions remain after a review of this information and after consultation with those in the department familiar with the application of the MPIA to the department’s data, please contact the Office of the County Attorney for further assistance