A June 30th Baltimore Sun commentary on the 10th anniversary of CitiStat by Governor Martin O’Malley highlights the program’s genesis and evolution.  Modeled after an earlier program used by the New York City Police Department, CitiStat uses GIS and data mapping technologies to create visual maps of  services provided by Baltimore City that can be used to set weekly performance goals for the City’s various departments.  CitiStat tracks everything from crime incidents to pothole repair and trash pickup.  The Citistat model has been reviewed and adopted by many other local jurisdictions and Governor O’Malley has attempted to apply the same principles at the Statewide level through programs such as  StateStat and BayStat.  In the commentary, Governor O’Malley also calls for more regional data sharing.

This week is the 10th birthday of CitiStat, the data-driven, performance-based management office located in a loft formerly occupied by the city’s curator. Through over a thousand meetings, CitiStat has helped three administrations streamline bureaucracy, improve city services, reduce employee absenteeism, cut costs and provide executive direction to Baltimore’s major operational agencies. In short, CitiStat is at the root of Baltimore’s management strategy: performance goals are set, managers and workers are held accountable, and results are measured — not yearly, quarterly or monthly, but week-to-week.  …

CitiStat is an effective tool to manage city operations, but we must do more to share data across jurisdictional lines to improve citizen outcomes. Building upon the collaborative model of GunStat, in which local, state and federal law enforcement coordinate to track violent gun offenders, the city will soon unveil ChildStat to strengthen the efforts of public, private and non-profit institutions focused on child welfare in Baltimore City.