Note from the Team
We’ve seen firsthand the power of open innovation to inspire new ideas, unexpected partnerships, and meaningful solutions. The secret behind The Opportunity Project’s longevity and success isn’t just the process, it’s the people. Time and again, Americans have shown up with creativity, urgency, and purpose to help solve big problems.
This work has lasted because we’ve stayed true to our guiding principles: being radically responsive, efficient, and helpful. We’ve never lost sight of our responsibility to make the best use of every taxpayer dollar. That mindset has allowed us to move fast, work smarter, and deliver value that’s both immediate and long-lasting.
Suzette Kent
Former Federal Chief Information Officer
“The Opportunity Project is an example of the things we should aspire to do on behalf of our citizens — because it represents a combination of deep and passionate experts from agencies, and collaboration from federal, state, local, Tribal [governments], our industry partners, academia, advocacy groups, and others to solve problems in ways that are challenging and more innovative … The Opportunity Project is one of the most important accelerators in federal government.”
A History of TOP
2009
Data.gov Launches
Data.gov, the U.S. Government’s open data website, launches in May with an initial 47 data sets — setting the stage for a modern era of digital open data.
2015
College Scorecard Paves the Path to the TOP Model
The U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard launches, paving the path to the TOP model by inviting industry collaborators to create their own tools with new open data.
2016
The Opportunity Project Officially Launches at the White House
In March, The Opportunity Project (TOP) officially launches at the White House with the first TOP Demo Day, introducing the first 12 sprint products.
2017
DOC Takes Over TOP
The U.S. Department of Commerce officially takes over TOP, initially operating out of the Commerce Data Service and later the Census Bureau.
2018
TOP Joins the Census Open Innovation Labs
Now led out of Census Open Innovation Labs at the Census Bureau, TOP launches the first sprints with themes, starting with the “geo-cohort”, focused on leveraging geospatial technology to solve a diverse set of problems.
2019
The Evidence Act Enhances Access to Open Data
The Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act (The Evidence Act) is signed into law, creating an expanded mandate for agencies to enhance access to and use of open data.
2020
Showcase Event Expands into Multi-Day Virtual Conference
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, TOP expands its annual Demo Day into a multi-day virtual conference, bringing open data and innovation programming to audiences nationwide.
2021
First Sprint to Create New Open Data
TOP launches the TOPx COVID-19 sprint in partnership with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) — the first sprint in which teams help create new open data, in addition to using existing open data and data standards.
2022
TOP Addresses Puerto Rico-Specific Challenges
TOP launches a new initiative — TOP PR — with sprints dedicated to Puerto Rico-specific challenges. TOP PR includes problem statements co-led by federal and PR government agencies, encouraging sprint participants from Puerto Rico.
2023
TOPx Toolkit Relaunches as Interactive, Self-Service Resource
In a significant move toward open sourcing, the “TOPx Toolkit for Federal Agencies” is expanded and redesigned, as a self-service, online resource for any agency to run a sprint on their own timeline. The improved toolkit is “launched at TOP’s annual virtual conference, TOP Summit 2023.”
2024
TOP Addresses Population-Specific Issues with Indigenous Communities-Focused Sprints
TOP launches Indigenous Communities-Focused sprints, a new initiative to leverage TOP’s efforts to serve Indigenous communities across the country.
By the Numbers
80
Sprint Topics
including disaster response, rural development, the opioid crisis, and more
283
Digital Products
created since 2016 through TOP’s 12-week technology development sprints
450+
Datasets
leveraged by industry teams and improved through end user feedback
Product Innovation in Action
Jack Dangermond
President and Founder, Esri
“The world today is all about analytics, and the U.S. Census Bureau provides systematic and science-based information about the demographic profile of Americans. Census [Bureau] data is, in many ways, the lifeblood of these kinds of organizations.”
TOP has been instrumental in the development of many new tools that serve the public. Here are just a few notable outcomes:
Opioids Analysis Insights
Esri developed the Opioids Analysis Insights prototype — an interactive, data-driven approach to support public health, public safety, law enforcement, and community partners in addressing the opioid epidemic.
City Builder
Developed by Citi Ventures, City Builder by Citi is a free, data-driven platform designed to help investors, developers, municipalities, and community members make impactful, place-based investments.
City Health Dashboard
Built by the NYU Health Dashboard Initiatives Team, City Health Dashboard offers data on over 45 measures of health and drivers of health for over 1,200 cities across the U.S.
Sidekick
Kansas City-based company mySidewalk built Sidekick, an AI-powered data assistant that helps community leaders and changemakers find, visualize, and share data to inform decisions and improve outcomes.
Stemavator
Tech Levitate used U.S. Department of Education data on teacher skill shortage and teacher salaries to build Stemavator, which provides income-producing training opportunities for elementary and high school teachers.
Substantial Damage Estimates (SDE)
Forerunner combined FEMA logic with property-level data to help communities complete substantial damage assessments quicker and more easily.
WellTrend
CloudRaven Labs used the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS) data to build WellTrend, which enables community stakeholders, researchers, and policymakers to build a customized community wellbeing index.
Pathway to Homeownership Video
Native Reach created an animated graphic video highlighting resources for prospective homebuyers. The video saw 196,800 total plays across all participating displays and 1,962,600 estimated impressions throughout its 25-day run.
Garry Harris, User Advocate
President/CEO, Center for Sustainable Communities
“I can’t wait for TOP to come around each year! … It’s been great because we’ve been able to take these stories and issues which our communities are seeing, and translate them into tools, solutions, and opportunities. … I’m also excited about it because it expands our approach to what we do … using science, data and technology to [support] communities that need it most.”
Impact Report Preview: 10 Years of The Opportunity Project
To measure TOP’s impact on industry, government, and communities nationwide, our team gathered testimonials and impact data from past TOP participants. Look back on a decade of impact in our report preview ‘10 Years of The Opportunity Project’.
