Louisville ranked nation’s second best digital city

For cities with 250,000 or more people

LOUSIVILLE, Ky. — Louisville Metro Government has been ranked the second best digital city in the U.S.—for populations 250,000 and up—in the Digital Cities Survey by e.Republic’s Center for Digital Government (The Center). This is the fifth year in a row Louisville has been on the list. Philadelphia was ranked No 1, with Los Angeles finishing in a tie for second with Louisville.

“Right now city government is in a period of amazing discovery using technology tools and solutions and data to analyze and solve problems,” Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer said. “Our Office for Performance Improvement and Department of Information Technology work with outside partners and listen to citizens to uncover smarter, more efficient ways to function and deliver services. This latest award confirms we are moving in the right direction.”

Louisville’s high ranking resulted from work over the past year including:

• A redesigned city website that is easier to use on desktops, smartphones and tablets.
• Enhanced transparency and additional data sets on the city’s Open Data Portal – 156 open data sets are now available.
• Twenty-seven city departments are now participating in the LouieStat performance-tracking initiative, which uses data analytics to improve city performance.
• Participation in President Obama’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing.

“The top-ranked digital city governments in this year’s survey are using cloud services, data analytics and mobile apps—among other technologies—to help citizens interact with government more easily than ever before,” said Todd Sander, executive director of the Center for Digital Government. “These cities are true innovators and we applaud their efforts to increase transparency and open government, encourage citizen participation, and enhance cybersecurity. Congratulations to the winners!”

Louisville’s efforts to remain a leading digital city continue, as city officials work with Google Fiber to explore building a new superfast broadband network here.

Additional accomplishments highlighted in this year’s survey include:

• A new dashboard that is helping the Department of Corrections manage jail population.
• The Code Louisville program — a free technology training program offered by KentuckianaWorks.
• Deployment of body cameras for the Louisville Metro Police Department.
• Improvements to the infrastructure of the city’s computer network.

“This year, we have made significant progress in advancing online services, mobile apps and open data,” said Jason Ballard, director of the Department of Information Technology. “It is exciting to see how technology can bring synergy across the community and connect with citizens in ways never seen before.”