Comptroller Kevin Lembo Archive > News
COMPTROLLER LEMBO LAUNCHES "OPEN CONNECTICUT 2.0" WITH REAL-TIME STATE SPENDING AND REVENUE
Comptroller Kevin Lembo today launched "Open Connecticut 2.0" - a significant
update to the online hub of state financial information that he first launched
early last year in an ongoing effort to simplify and centralize public access to
important information about state revenue and spending.
Open Connecticut - located at
osc.ct.gov/openct -- has now been improved to include an "Open
Checkbook" section with far greater detail and nightly updates to the underlying
data. These nightly updates mean that Open Connecticut now reflects state
spending and revenue activities more accurately and timely than ever before.
The improved site allows users to search real-time revenue flow by source, which
was previously not available online. Real-time expenditure details can be viewed
by fiscal year, fund, government function, agency, department, line item and
account.
Users can also now browse the various categories and then export datasets of
their choice using various filter options.
Prior to Open Connecticut 2.0, such data - where available - was typically
updated only once annually and the data often became stale and inaccurate
sometime after the one-time annual data dump, Lembo said.
"Open Connecticut 2.0 holds true to a promise that open government is always a
work in progress, with no finish line, that we will continue to build upon,"
Lembo said. "This update - developed completely with existing resources at no
additional cost to the state - delivers
state financial data more accurately and quickly than any other available
source.
"The Open Connecticut makeover allows academics, researchers, policymakers,
journalists and the general public to not only view state financial information
- but also export data of their choice in a user-friendly format."
The new enhanced section of the site can be accessed through Open Connecticut's
main web address noted above - but also independently at
http://opencheckbook.ct.gov.
Lembo said additional enhancements and better information-sharing capabilities
will be added in the near future. Anticipated improvements will include
real-time data on:
-
Salaries
-
Contracts
-
Grants
-
Check-level spending
"This improvement is an important leap - but not an end
point," Lembo said. "I am committed to making Connecticut government as open and
transparent as possible."
Features of Open Connecticut 2.0, and details about the new site's navigation,
include:
-
Open Connecticut's Checkbook features general ledger state spending and revenue information that is updated nightly from the state's accounting system known as CORE CT.
General Page Navigation:
-
Users can review state expenditures by fund, agency or account. State revenues can be viewed by fund, revenue source or account.
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Drop down filters on the top left of each page allow users to limit results. Users can select more than one filter choice if desired. In order to run filter selections hit the "Apply" button. In order to clear a filter hit the "Reset" button.
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Some tables and graphs allow users to drill down for further detail. A drillable table is indicated with light blue descriptions.
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The filter settings initiated by user selections are always shown in the filter at the top of the page. Use the navigation buttons in the banner to return to higher levels of analysis at any time.
Year-Over-Year Trends:
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Users interested in looking at spending or revenue trends over time should click the "Year-Over-Year Trends" banner on any of the analysis tabs. Here the user can view annual expenditures or revenues side by side. The user can also drill for further detail if desired.
Exporting Data:
Users can export a table at any time using the "export" button beneath the table window. To export all of the data or for additional filter capability use the "download complete dataset" link on the expenditures or revenues homepage.
Sharing Your Analysis:
Users can share their analysis by creating a prompted link and sharing it via email or social media. A prompted link will retain the users' filter settings when opened. In order to create a prompted link, click the drop down menu in the top right hand corner of the screen next to the help button. Select "create prompted link." A message will appear stating the link has been created with instructions to copy the URL from the toolbar. Please note: If a user copies a URL from the toolbar without creating a prompted link, the URL will not retain the users' filter settings. Instead, the URL will bring the user to the checkbook homepage.
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