Who We Are

The Strategic Initiatives Research & Analytics (SI R&A) team uses City data, along with data from other governmental entities, non-profit partners, and private databases to analyze, interpret, and report on issues that are most important to City leaders and elected officials. Our team aims to progress data reporting by developing analyses and tools that assist in data-driven decision-making based on real-time information about the Arlington community. SI R&A is also focused on driving innovation throughout the City, working with all City departments to develop enterprise data products that increase the City’s transparency, accountability, and responsibility to our citizens.

How We Use Data

SI R&A collects data from all areas of the City, including planning, public safety, finance, human resources, etc., in conjunction with other data sources such as the Census Bureau, Tarrant Appraisal District, and the Texas Demographic Center to understand national trends through a local lens. In addition to publishing raw datasets for public use, SI R&A also builds data tools that help our residents understand and compare data in user-friendly formats and with transparency. While City departments create, maintain, and report their data, SI R&A hosts this data on the Open Data Portal and collaborates with multiple departments to combine data into more complex city-wide data analyses.

Open Data Portal

The Open Data Portal is a public clearinghouse of downloadable datasets, interactive maps, dashboards, and static reports that display the City’s reporting data which can be used to increase community data use, collaboration, and transparency of City activities. The Open Data Center is a living page. New datasets and data tools are added regularly to increase the data information available to the public. Visit the Open Data Center.

Open Records Requests

The SI R&A does not manage the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Open Records Requests (ORR). If the data you seek is unavailable on the Open Data Center, please submit an Open Records Request for public information using the ORR Portal.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policies

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the use of computer and machine modeling to perform tasks that usually require human intelligence using algorithms, data, and computational power to identify relationships within data. Generative AI is a type of AI that uses machine learning models to train and learn with large amounts of data, and then create new content such as text, images, audio, and video. Although AI has been used for decades, the proliferation of Generative AI in recent years has required governments to implement and regulate responsible AI use. The City’s Information Security & Privacy Office (ISPO) was formed in 2023 to assess the City’s security maturity and has produced the guiding policies, procedures, and strategies below to strengthen the City’s security and privacy practices related to AI. The City of Arlington currently uses AI and is developing a framework of governance related to responsible AI use for employees and vendors.

Contact Information

For more information about SI R&A or the Open Data Center, please contact:

Sarah Stubblefield, AICP
Strategic Initiatives Manager – R&A and Special Projects
817-459-6566
[email protected]