ausOpenData provides simple, reproducible access to Austin-related
datasets from the
Austin Open Data Portal platform — directly
from R, with no API keys or manual downloads required. Working directly with
Socrata APIs can be cumbersome — ausOpenData simplifies this process
into a clean, reproducible workflow.
Version 0.1.0 introduces a streamlined, catalog-driven interface for Austin Open Data, extending the open data ecosystem beyond New York to support cross-city analysis and comparative civic research.
The package provides three core functions:
aus_list_datasets()— Browse available datasets from the live Austin Open Data catalogaus_pull_dataset()— Pull any cataloged dataset by key, with filtering, ordering, and optional date controlsaus_any_dataset()— Pull any Austin Open Data dataset directly via its Socrata JSON endpoint
Datasets pulled via aus_pull_dataset() automatically apply sensible
defaults from the catalog (such as default ordering and date fields),
while still allowing user control over:
- limit
- filters
- date / from / to
- where
- order
- clean_names
- coerce_types
This redesign reduces maintenance burden, improves extensibility, and provides a more scalable interface for working with Austin Open Data.
All functions return clean tibble outputs and support filtering
via
filters = list(field = "value").
devtools::install_github("martinezc1/ausOpenData")library(ausOpenData)
aus_vacent_buildings <- aus_pull_dataset(
dataset = "golf_courses_in_austin",
limit = 10
)
head(aus_vacent_buildings)
ausOpenData makes Austin's civic datasets accessible to
students,
educators, analysts, and researchers through a unified and user-friendly
R interface.
Developed to support reproducible research, open-data literacy, and real-world analysis.
While the RSocrata
package provides a general interface for any Socrata-backed portal,
ausOpenData is specifically tailored for Austin Open Data Portal.
This package is part of a broader ecosystem of tools for working with open data:
nycOpenData— streamlined access to NYC Open DatanysOpenData— streamlined access to NY State Open DatamtaOpenData— streamlined access to MTA-related NY State Open DatachiOpenData— streamlined access to Chicago-related City Open DatalaOpenData— streamlined access to Los Angeles-related City Open Data
Together, these packages provide a consistent, user-friendly interface for working with civic data across jurisdictions.
- Ease of Use: No need to hunt for 4x4 dataset IDs (e.g.,
9t4d-g238); use catalog-based keys instead. - Open Literacy: Designed specifically for students and researchers to lower the barrier to entry for civic data analysis.
We welcome contributions! If you find a bug or would like to request a wrapper for a specific Austin dataset, please open an issue or submit a pull request on GitHub.
Christian A. Martinez 📧 c.martinez0@outlook.com
GitHub: @martinezc1