We’re excited that you’re taking the plunge into open data! We’re assuming that you want to explore and/or work with the many open data files available in our data catalogue.
We aren’t officially endorsing anything as the “tool of choice” or “best tool”, etc, so your mileage may vary. That being said, we’re especially interested in ensuring that technical knowledge and price aren’t a factor when it comes to accessing our datasets. For this reason, we’ve published an article that shares how to work with some of the many file formats you’ll find on the portal: What the @#%! is a Shapefile?. Can’t find what you need? We suggest using Google and Stack Overflow to find your answer.
Start by searching on the open data portal. Once you find what you’re looking for, scroll down to the “Download” tab and select the format you’d like.
If you find a problem with a file, report it to us directly at opendata@toronto.ca. Please include the name of the dataset and a description of the problem. Please be sure to verify that you have the right software to open the data set before notifying us. We do not provide user support for the data.
Unfortunately, we don’t provide user support for specific third party tools. We have different formats that can easily be converted to a Google Supported Format, like KML. You can find free converters online like SHP to KML Converter.
We strive to answer all your questions within a 24 hour window. Please note that we are unable to answer questions outside of the scope of the open data portal. For questions about dataset subject matter, contact the division listed next to the dataset. For technical questions, we recommend using Google, Stack Overflow, or contacting the support team for the product or software you’re using.