Welcome to the
Texas Open Data Portal

The Texas Open Data Portal, also known as the ODP, is the official State of Texas site for publicly accessible open data published by state agencies and institutions of higher education. This data can be viewed, analyzed, visualized and exported all on one platform. 
This page answers common questions on what data assets are available, searching for information, and using the data. Don't forget to check out the additional resources at the bottom of the page.
What is open data?
Open data refers to information that can be freely used, re-used, and redistributed by anyone. It is readable by a computer so that it can be filtered, sorted, manipulated and downloaded for use.
As a public resource, open data offers economic, performance, and social value:
* Offers private business a way to better understand potential markets and integrate government data into new, more innovative products and services,
* Increases government transparency and accountability to its citizens, and 
* Improves the quality and efficiency of government services by allowing citizens and policy makers to make more informed data-driven decisions.
It is important to note that open data does not include Protected Health Information (PHI) or Personally Identifiable Information (PII) that is protected by law, such as a social security number, driver license number, or medical information.
What data is available?
There are several types of data assets discoverable on the ODP. These are the most common.
  • Dataset:  an organized collection of data. The most basic representation of a dataset is data elements presented in tabular form with columns and rows. Datasets on the ODP are displayed in a grid or table view, similar to a spreadsheet. Each dataset includes a Primer page, the dataset's landing page which provides information about the dataset such as date created, last updated date and a data snapshot. The Primer helps a user decide if this dataset will meet their needs.
  • Filtered View: a version of an original dataset in which the data has been filtered, sorted or grouped and then saved as a new view. The original data has not been edited or changed.
  • Visualization: graphical assets including charts, maps and data lens pages. They offer a visual way to interact with data and are linked back to the original dataset.
  • Stories: platform webpages that provide context to data. Stories may contain text, visualizations, images and links.
The catalog displays the type of data asset to the right of the asset title (green circles).

New data assets are added regularly. Use the catalog Sort options to find the most recently added or updated assets.
Where do I begin?
  • Set up an Account: Although everyone is welcome to browse and access data without an account, there are benefits to having one. Account holders can create filtered views and visualizations of the official datasets on the ODP and save them for later use. Best of all, as the original dataset is updated, so is that filtered view or visualization. To make an account, click the Sign In button in the upper right. Then, click the Sign Up link (blue circle) to complete the process.
  • Browse by topic: Data assets are grouped into twelve broad categories for browsing. Choose one of the subject tiles on the home page to view related assets. Additional Texas data resources are listed below these tiles.
      
  • Search: Enter key words in the search bar at the top right. Data asset titles, descriptions and tags are included in the search.
      
  • Use the Catalog: Click on the Catalog link in the blue navigation bar at the top left (green circle in image below). Here you can filter by category, publishing agency and more (red arrow). You can also sort the results to find the most popular, most recently updated assets or most recently added assets (yellow circle).
How can I use the data?
  • Export: Datasets can be exported directly from the Open Data Portal to analyze off the platform. Click on the Export either from the primer page or the action bar located at the upper right of the dataset grid view.
Export from primer page
Export from action bar

  • Manipulate the Data: Data can be filtered, sorted, grouped and summarized by clicking Filter on the dataset's action bar. Short videos are included for each action to show you how to get started.
  • Create a Visualization:  You can create your own charts and maps from datasets. Simply click Visualize from the primer page or action bar to get started. The videos below will help you get started and customize your data visualizations. Don't forget that you can save them for later use if you have an account.

Who do I contact if I have questions?
If you have questions about a dataset, there are two ways to contact the dataset owner.
  1. From the primer page, look for the blue Contact Dataset Owner button, as displayed in the image to the right. 
  2. From the table view, click on About in the action bar on the upper right and select Contact Dataset Owner at the bottom of the sidebar.
If you have questions about using the Open Data Portal, please email the Open Data Portal Team at txopendataportal@dir.texas.gov.
Where can I find additional resources?