Open data can be used without attribution


The open data portal provides self-service downloads to datasets listed in the catalog. These are all released under the Open Data Commons Public Domain Dedication and License, which means you can use without attribution but also we make no guarantees of the accuracy of the data provided so use with that in mind.

If you want to attribute City sources in a paper or other research, we certainly welcome it and it's best practice. If you're using it in an app or part of an analytics workflow, license stacking can be cumbersome, but we welcome attribution where appropriate and useful for users of your products.

If you you need to cite a dataset for a research paper, you can generally use the following

San Francisco Open Data Portal. [Dataset Title]. Retrieved from: [Dataset URL]. Date Accessed: XX-XX-XXXX 

ex.
San Francisco Open Data Portal. 311 Cases. Retrieved from https://data.sfgov.org/d/vw6y-z8j6. Date Accessed: XX-XX-XXXX 

Downloading a dataset

When you are on a dataset, just look for the Export button and select the type of file you'd like to download.

Export shows up in 2 different places:

  1. On the dataset landing page. The initial page you land on with the metadata.
  2. On the dataset grid view. This is the spreadsheet view of the dataset.

Exporting dataset from landing page

Datasets have landing pages with metadata about them. You can download data directly from this page by clicking Export button to the right of the dataset title.

Exporting dataset from grid view

If you click the button View Data on the landing page, you will be taken to what looks like a spreadsheet or grid of the data. You may also land on this directly if you clicked from a link shared with you. You can also download from here, but it looks different.

There is a button toward the upper right of the grid view labeled export. When you click it, the download options will show up in a list.