New data portal launched

The Regional District of Central Okanagan’s Economic Development Commission (COEDC) has announced the launch of COEDC Regional Community Data Portal: CityViz.

The user-friendly data portal makes information, research and analysis instantly accessible to community stakeholders and businesses seeking data to make informed decisions.

“In light of current COVID-19 restrictions and physical distancing, it has never been more important that we enhance the COEDC digital profile. We’re very excited to launch this pilot program for the next 12 months and will continue to add features and datasets as we go. We are actually the first customer for this platform and we look forward to continuing to add data and features that will support the Region’s economic recovery and business intelligence needs,” Krista Mallory, Manager Economic Development, said.

The COEDC said the online data tools put the region firmly on the map for business relocation, investment and expansion.

“Using the CityViz web tool, decision-makers can search an online database of community information while simultaneously analyzing demographic, labour force, housing development, business and talent data at the district or city, and regional levels. The interactive tools are mobile-friendly and put key data at the fingertips of website visitors. Users have the ability to visualize data with interactive tools, charts, graphs, infographics, and reports that can be dynamically sorted and downloaded,” a news release stated.

Cityviz is developed and maintained by Ruby Industries Inc. based in West Kelowna, incorporated in 2013. The company is the qualified supplier of data science and data visualization services for B.C. government. They worked on projects with BC Stats, Innovate BC, and won the BC Housing Market Visualization Challenge.

“We are very excited about the possibilities of modern technologies together with the wealth of data available to create solutions for the good of our communities. We are very grateful to work with COEDC and hope to help decision makers further develop our district. Listening to the challenges municipalities face and adapting our solutions to their specific needs is our priority and we are looking forward to helping many more communities throughout Canada,” Izabela Bogdanovic, Ruby Industries Inc., stated.