Open Data Retirement Policy: No Data Graveyard

As the City of Cambridge's Open Data Portal continues to expand, we are committed to ensuring it remains a vibrant and useful resource. To prevent our portal from turning into a "data graveyard" filled with obsolete data, we're introducing a draft Open Data Retirement Policy—and your feedback is crucial. However, to prevent our portal from turning into a "data graveyard" filled with obsolete data, we're introducing a draft Open Data Retirement Policy —and your feedback is crucial.

This policy will help us manage and refresh our data offerings, ensuring you have access to the most relevant and up-to-date information without having to sift through a swamp of old and obsolete data. By categorizing some datasets as either "Obsolete" (outdated or replaced) or "Historical" (no longer updated but still of interest), we aim to streamline your experience and enhance the portal's utility.

We understand that behind every dataset, there are users—researchers, developers, civic activists, and more—who rely on this information for projects that matter. The last thing we want is for anyone to be caught off guard by changes. Publishing this formal policy is our way of being transparent about how data will be managed moving forward. It's about preventing surprises and ensuring that if a dataset you depend on is earmarked for retirement, you'll know about it well in advance.

We want to hear from you!

Your input will guide us in refining this policy to better meet your needs. Please take a look at the draft policy and share your thoughts with us at OpenData@CambridgeMA.GOV. Whether you use our datasets for research, development, or civic engagement, we want your perspective in shaping the future of open data in Cambridge.