📊 Houston Open Data & Civic Dashboard

Houston Open Data, Made Simple

Houston publishes hundreds of public datasets — but raw spreadsheets are hard to use. Houston Data Quest turns that open data into maps, charts, quality scores, and red flags so anyone can understand what is happening in the city.

Explore the map ↓ Browse datasets →
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Data Detective

Investigator of suspicious numbers

“I'm the Data Detective. I follow the clues in Houston's data to find numbers that don't add up — missing values, duplicates, and impossible dates. Want to crack your first case?”

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4,800
Records tracked
🏘️
101
Neighborhoods covered
🏷️
Closed
Most common status
🚩
191
Red flags
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Data Detective: Across 4,800 records, 101 neighborhoods are represented. I flagged 191 records worth a second look — they're marked red on the map.

🗺️ Houston, mapped

Every dot is a record. Red dots are values our detectors flagged.

Record Red flag

📈 Activity over time

Monthly record volume.

🍩 Where records end up

🏙️ Busiest neighborhoods

🧭 Your data crew

Different guides help you read this data from every angle.

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Neighborhood Hero

Champion of local communities

“Your block matters. Let’s see its story.”

🌊

Flood Watcher

Guardian against flooding

“Water never lies. Watch the low spots.”

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Permit Inspector

Auditor of building activity

“Slow permits tell a story. Let’s read it.”

What is Houston open data?

Open data is government information published for the public to use freely. The City of Houston shares datasets on 311 requests, permits, public safety, parks, spending, and more so residents, students, journalists, and businesses can hold the city accountable and build useful tools.

Why a game?

Most people never open a dataset because it looks boring or confusing. We add guide characters, missions, and badges so learning to read civic data feels like an adventure — while keeping every number accurate and sourced.

How to use this explorer

Browse the dataset catalog, open any dataset to see its health card and red flags, view records on the Houston map, and follow opportunity cards that turn data patterns into real ways to help your city.

Turn this data into a quest

Start a guided mission and earn XP as you explore Houston's open data and uncover what the numbers reveal.

Start a mission → See the red flags