It’s All About the Data – York Region’s Analytics Journey

Public sector organizations have a gold mine of data from many sources. Data is a valuable corporate asset that’s as critical as any - from people to infrastructure. And, it’s growing. Truly leveraging this asset typically means changing the culture and establishing new strategies, structures, and processes. Those organizations which are using analytics and already putting data at the heart of decision-making are well positioned to transform their program and service delivery. This session will highlight components of the recently released Analytics Playbook which provides a guide to support and advance the use of analytics across public sector organizations. Participants will also see how York Region is putting its data to work and becoming a data-informed organization across virtually all its lines of business - human resources, finance, roads, governance, emergency management and more.

John Houweling is passionate about making a positive difference by helping organizations put their data to work. He loves working with his team to generate ‘aha moments’, change perspectives and create new possibilities using data. Over his career, John has frequently demonstrated how organizations can share data to break silos, transform services and eliminate costs. This pioneering work has helped put York Region in the forefront of governments deriving insight from their trusted data.

In 2011, John joined York Region as Director of the GIS Program, and evolved the team to make a larger impact - to become corporate leaders in data and analytics. Today, as Director of Data, Analytics and Visualization Services, the program is well-recognized as a model for municipalities.

Prior to York, he spent 15 years as Esri Canada’s Ontario Region Director helping build new markets and awareness for a burgeoning, new, data intensive technology. Prior to Esri Canada John worked in the Ontario public sector where he developed the framework for what is now Land Information Ontario – the province’s data sharing portal.