Toronto Open Data Blogathon 2025 at YorkU

Orientation/Kickoff: Wed, Mar 26, 2025, 3:30 pm to 5:30 p.m.

Presentations/Judging: Wed, Apr 2, 2025, 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.

BRG 217, Lassonde School of Engineering, York University

Discover Your City Using Open Data, Open Source and AI

Win a chance to be published on the Open Data Toronto Blog

Participant Sign Up

Join us for a blogathon that leverages Toronto's Open Data resources, AI technologies and open-source tools. Winners will have an opportunity to be published on the Open City Toronto Data Portal! Members of Toronto's Open Data Portal will be on hand to help with orientation and selection of blog posts.

Meet city employees and peers who are statisticians, developers, data scientists, and civic technology enthusiasts. Explore the shape of your city using Open City data.

Registration: Space is limited to 70 participants. Teams of 1 or 2 participants can be formed on-site, though participants are welcome to register as pre-formed teams.

Agenda for March 26th:

• Data Tour: Learn about the target data sets and how to interact with the Open Data API.
• Visualization and Learning Workshop: Learn basic strategies and tools to help you visualize and analyze data.
• Teambuilding: Form teams and meet mentors with relevant expertise.

Agenda for April 2:

• Showcase: Present your analyses to fellow participants and an esteemed panel of judges from government and acadamia.
• Snacks: Enjoy refreshments with peers, mentors and colleagues!

2025 Challenge Questions include:

1. Did the COVID-19 pandemic impact the safety of Toronto's restaurants?
2. Are Toronto's tattoo parlours, nail salons, and barbers growing safer over time? Is it safer to be groomed in some parts of the city relative to others?
3. Which features of the city's rental buildings tell us the most about their overall quality?
4. Teams are welcome to bring their own challenge questions, too!

Examples of Related Blog Entries:

1. Toronto's Child Care: Are there adeuqate child care spaces in both low and high income neighbourhoods in Toronto?
2. Toronto's Water Quality: Has the use of phosphate treatment made a difference in reducing dangerous lead levels in Toronto's water supply?
3. Toronto's Green Initiatives: Is the city of Toronto on track to meet its commitments to a green energy transition?

Resources Provided

• Access to Toronto's Open Data Portal
• Technical exmaples and documentation
• Mentorship and support

Required Skills

• Basic programming knowledge
• Familiarity with data analysis
• Interest in the city and its data
• Enthusiasm and a willingness to collaborate

What to Bring

• Laptop with development tools (e.g. Python, PyCharm, etc.)
• Your love of data and civic life
• Your data driven questions and creativity
Participant Sign Up