GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
[DISTRICT DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION]

Open Government Report 2014

To institutionalize a culture of transparent and open government, accountability, and to
expand opportunities for resident participation and collaboration, this Report describes
how the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) has and will continue to develop
and enhance transparency, public participation, and collaboration. In accordance with
Mayor’s Order 2014-170, this report addresses the following topics:
Transparency
DDOT has taken the following steps to be more transparent:
Public Information Sharing
In addition to sharing various press releases, traffic advisories, notices about
forthcoming regulations and public meeting notices (discussed later in the
“Public Engagement and Participation” section), DDOT has made the following
user-friendly online tools available to the public, which increase awareness
about the agency:
• Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) – DDOT receives and responds to FOIA
request via FOIA Express; however, many requests are voluminous and
DDOT is in the process of utilizing the FOIA Express Reading Room. Last
year, DDOT responded to at least 300 FOIA requests and in the spirit of
transparency often waives the fees for requesters to obtain their
documents.
• DDOTDashboard – Provides data on District traffic safety, roadway
conditions, infrastructure projects, transit initiatives, operating budget
and expenditures and customer service.
• Track DC – Features windows into DDOT’s budget and operational
information, performance indicators, documents made available under
the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), website traffic and links to the
agency’s various social media platforms.
• DDOT Compendium – A tool that provides comprehensive information
about DDOT policies, procedures, and services in an online, searchable
format. The Compendium contains a variety of documents and reference
materials—ranging from regulations, federal legislation, and
transportation studies, to online permit look-up tools and FAQs—
organized by topic into summary pages that provide links to related
documents and references.

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Urban Forestry Administration’s GIS Maps – DDOT’s Urban Forestry
Administration (UFA) provides numerous geographic information system
(GIS) maps that feature data on tree removals, tree plantings, invasive
insect sightings, responses to severe weather events, etc.
CaBiDashboard – Provides metrics on DDOT’s Capital Bikeshare program,
including ridership; fleet performance and safety; customer service and
membership.
DDOT Permit Viewer – Offers information about permit locations and
permitted activities citywide. This application is available as a website
and as a mobile application for iOS, Windows 8 and Android devices.
DDOT Permit Locator – Features GIS maps and datasets allowing the
public quick retrieval of public space permit information.
Data Warehouse – Provides access to over 500 datasets from multiple
agencies, facilitating increased District-wide responsive and enhanced
organizational performance.
Feature Services – Delivers real-time data feeds of various DDOT service
applications.

Future Information Sharing Initiatives
Moving forward, DDOT plans to roll out the following initiatives to increase the
agency’s transparency and provide more amounts of valuable data to the public:
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Interactive Project “Life Cycle” – DDOT is working with the Office of the
Chief Financial Officer (OCFO) to develop a platform to display the entire
“life cycle” of DDOT projects: from conception, through the procurement,
solicitation and award process toward the completed product.
Linking Office of the Chief Technology Officer Initiatives on DDOT’s
Website
Displaying DDOT’s Infrastructure Assets in GIS Format

DDOT is also working closely with the Office of the City Administrator (OCA) and OCTO
to identify a significant number of datasets that OCA and OCTO expect to publish online
later this year.
Public Engagement and Participation
DDOT has made it a priority to enhance and expand opportunities for the public to
participate in agency decision-making by taking the following measures:
Providing Online Access to Proposed Rules to Regulations
DDOT Routinely announces the release of new rules and regulations online and
via email and various social media platforms (for example, the “Publication of
Proposed Rules to Formalize the Public Participation Process for Service or Fare
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Adjustments to the DC Circulator” and the agency’s Curbside Management
Study).
Sharing Information and Resources
DDOT uses a variety of platforms and methods to share agency information and
resources to keep the public properly informed:
• Community Meetings – In addition to participating in community
meetings (for example, Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC)
meetings) DDOT has held several Ward-based meetings over the past
year (for example, in Ward 7 and Ward 8), and plans to hold meetings in
all of the District’s eight Wards in FY 2014. The agency also routinely
holds public meetings on various DDOT projects and initiatives.
• Press Releases and Traffic Advisories – DDOT issues press releases and
traffic advisories to its email listservs and then disseminates them on its
website and through various social media platforms.
• Social Media – In addition to email and website outreach, DDOT keeps
the public up-to-date on its various initiatives and solicits feedback via
Twitter, Facebook and its blog, d. dish.
• Grade DC – DDOT asks for the public’s input on its policies and practices
through Mayor Vincent Gray’s Grade DC initiative, and has received an
“A”-level grade in each month for the past year.

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