About Us

Data.wa.gov is Washington's official state government open data portal, a service of the state's Open Data Program at Washington Technology Solutions (WaTech) since 2010. WaTech funds the portal, which may be used for free by state agencies and other qualified government bodies.
State Open Data Program Manager Cathi Greenwood at WaTech manages the portal, with part-time support from Open Data Librarian Kathleen Sullivan at the Washington State Library, a division of the Office of the Secretary of State. State agencies and other government publishers are responsible for publishing and maintaining their own data, with occasional consultative support from the WaTech/State Library team, according to standards and practices established by the state Open Data Program. 
Data.wa.gov hosts mainly tabular data -- data typically displayed in rows and columns, as a spreadsheet -- as well as charts, maps, other visualizations and webpages based on the data. The content is official and published by the government bodies that collect the data.
All content is public "Category 1" data, meaning publishers determined that the data doesn't include protected private and confidential information and will not otherwise cause undue risk or harm. Find out more about the state’s data categories from the state Office of Privacy and Data Protection. 
Data.wa.gov content may be used for free by anyone for most any purpose. (A handful of data may be restricted from commercial use; any limitations will be documented under License, Description or Notes.) Users do not have to register or disclose their identity in order to explore, download or otherwise use the data, although they may choose to create accounts in order to save their work. The portal gives researchers, businesses, advocates and others direct, centralized access to government data. 
WaTech established the portal in 2010, in support of the state's Public Records Act and RCW 43.105.351, which calls for public records to be widely available electronically to the public. Open data helps state agencies fulfill their missions by engaging with the communities they serve, and allows agencies to share data with each other, the legislature, the federal government, and oversight organizations.
Data.wa.gov is a central source of state open data, but not the only one. State agency open data may also be found in other official state portals (those focused specifically on geospatial data, or budget data), as well as agency websites and applications. Find agency websites by searching for the agency at wa.gov/agency. At the agency website, search for “data” or “reports.” 
Have a question not answered here? Email the open data program, opendata@wa.gov