Contact: Ayanna Smith, (202) 724-5178

Today District of Columbia Mayor Adrian M. Fenty and Interim Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Chris Willey announced that the District has launched “Open 311. Open 311 provides open, free Application Programming Interface (API) access to the city’s 311 system for non-emergency city services at api.dc.gov.

An API is a web protocol that gives programmers anywhere access to data on a web server to build custom applications using that data. Businesses that operate on the web commonly use APIs to facilitate and encourage interaction with their core data.

The District is the first city in the world to launch an Open 311. The code behind the API is open-sourced, allowing anyone to use it and build on it.

The first use the District sees for its Open 311 API is a platform for developers participating in the District’s second “Apps for Democracy” innovation contest--“Apps for Democracy, Community Edition,” now running from May 1, 2009-July 1, 2009.

Like the District’s highly successful first “Apps for Democracy” contest last year, “Apps for Democracy, Community Edition” asks entrants to compete for cash prizes by creating innovative applications for consumer technologies.  Last year’s contest sought apps that would make it easier for the public to access and use the District’s vast stores of data about government operations. This time, the District is seeking apps that will make it easier for residents to request city services such as vacant property inspections, tree removals, and street repairs.

In this new contest, developers can once again access the District’s open-government data catalogs.  With today’s launch, they will also be able to use the District’s new Open 311 API.  A few examples of possible applications using Open 311 are:

• An iPhone/Blackberry app that would allow a citizen who spots a problem (like a pothole, broken meter or graffiti) to photograph it with the phone camera, capture the location with GPS, and instantly submit a new service request; or
• A web-based app that would allow neighborhood association members to join in a neighborhood walkthrough and submit multiple service requests on the spot for all the problems they identify.

Beyond the immediate use of Open 311 for Apps for Democracy, the District anticipates ongoing benefits in innovation and digital democracy. By opening its 311 system for all to build on, the District hopes to foster citizen participation in government, drive private-sector technology innovation and growth, and build a new model for government-private sector collaboration. 

The District has asked the technology community to suggest improvements to the API and collaborate on building additional features. Since the code behind the API is open-sourced, the District’s launch will enable other jurisdictions to use the District’s system to build their own Open 311 APIs.

“Open 311 creates a new partnership between government and talented technologists to promote digital democracy,” said District Interim CTO Chris Willey.  “I’m proud that the nation’s capital is leading the way on a path to more open, more effective government for cities everywhere.”