Open Government Initiative

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The Open Government Initiative is an effort by the administration of President of the United States Barack Obama to "[create] an unprecedented level of openness in Government." [1] The directive starting this initiative was issued on January 20, 2009, Obama's first day in office. [2]

Contents

Since the rapid pace of technological growth at the turn of the century has given rise to the mass distribution of information, so too has the demand for the United States Government to increase the transparency with which they make decisions and create legislation; many civil servants share this sentiment with the public. [3] There exist a few schools of thought regarding why Open Government Data (OGD) would benefit the public, but these can generally be broken into two parts: 1) the general public deserves the information that is being used to represent them and 2) the private sector will be able to create better social and economic conditions with access to this data. [4]

President Barack Obama with full cabinet 09-10-09.jpg

Beginning with President Obama's Memorandum on Transparency and Open Government in 2009, the Open Data Movement has led to governments around the world creating similar projects.

Background and influences

The Open Government Initiative began on President Obama's first day in office when he issued his Memorandum on Transparency and Open Government. He summarized three principles that previous proponents for OGD had advocated for: the idea that government should be transparent, participatory, and collaborative. Following this statement, the State Department, after facilitating an online conversation between public employees and the public about their draft, published the Open Government plan using the Memorandum's three principles of transparency, participation, and collaboration. [5]

One of the earliest influences for the Open Government Initiative came from the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) in 1966. [6] Later, the Privacy Act Amendments of 1974 created the classically modern version of the FOIA under President Ford. [7] The next notable change came in 1996 when the FOIA made each resource available electronically to the public. [8] Finally, the influences for the bill culminated with President Bush's signing of the OPEN Government Act of 2007, which was a philosophically similar act to the Memorandum given by President Obama in 2009. [9] [10]

Although not directly related to the idea of open government through technology, President Woodrow Wilson, during his term, aimed for "open covenants of peace, openly arrived at." In fact, the Ralph Bunche Library within the Department of State has been considering public input since 1789, alongside Secretary of State Rusk's Secretary's Open Forum from 1967. [5]

Philosophy

As mentioned, the advocates for OGD typically fall within two schools: those who derive socioeconomic benefits from OGD in the belief that new competitors can penetrate the marketplace with access to government data and those who believe that is a social right that the general public has access to government data, public policy, and the decision makers of the latter using the former. The first school of thought is called the Open Government Data movement and the second school of thought is called the Right to Information movement. However, the two movements want access to different types of data; the Open Government Data movement is more interested in receiving quantitative data from government databases, whereas the Right to Information movement want access to qualitative documents and reports. [3]

A core component of OGD is the belief that the public should have free access to information rather than having to request it. For example, the Freedom of Information Act only allows for public access when it is requested and thus takes several days to complete the order; journalists comprised 7.6% of those who requested information. [8] [11]

Modern implementations

The various forms of liquid democracy and public policy forums were created with similar beliefs as the Open Government Initiative. Similarly, Cloakroom, Change.org, Liquid.us, and Loomio were also created to facilitate public policy discussions and promote administration practices to become more accessible for the general public.

The most significant might be the Open Government Partnership, which after launching in 2011, now represents over 2 billion people. The countries within the partnership have agreed to execute the guidelines within the Open Government National Action Plans. The notable points from the plan include increased transparency from government spending, increased dissemination of information through electronic means, and greater accountability for political figures through tracked data. [12]

The most recent form of Open Government legislation is the signing of the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act, making the OPEN Government Data Act from 2018 law. The acronym OPEN stands for Open Public Electronic Necessary. This law requires extensive data-keeping that is supervised non-partisan data officer. A review will be held in three years to determine whether agencies were properly maintaining their information and the usefulness of that information to the public. [13]

Criticisms

There are a few common shortcomings that exist in regards to Open Government efforts.

The first is sustainability; many initiatives offer no revenue for the governments that attempt to make their data transparent to the public. For the data to become freely available, the associated government must make an initial investment into the infrastructure that would circulate the information. Because Open Data does not hold bipartisan support, funding is one of the main barriers to open governmental data.

The second is the fear that open data will only benefit those who can understand the information, which is typically those at the top of the socioeconomic hierarchy. Although in theory open data is meant to benefit the average citizen who is meant to feel more connected with their government's democratic processes, the information must composed in a way that is accessible.

The third weakness, thus, is the possibility that the information will be delivered in a way that is incomprehensible to the average citizen and can only be understood and applied by those already deeply familiar with governmental processes or those with the resources to access those who are familiar.

The fourth shortcoming stems from the philosophy of the Open Government Data movement in which open governmental data can lead to greater economic growth if used commercially. Once again, this shortcoming is related to the fear that only those already at the highest socioeconomic level will derive benefit from access to governmental data. [14]

Similar projects

Typically, most countries with OGD initiatives provide their information through portals. Africa contains several national OGD portals with 4 countries (Morocco, United Arab Emirates, Ghana and Kenya) having generally robust access to information; however, these portals typically include specific sectors but not the government as a whole. [15]

India has a notable portal, but once again is limited in scope. [15]

The European Data Portal consolidates many European countries that you can filter by sector, country, keyword, etc. [16]

The Global Open Data Index provides an overview of 94 countries' open data efforts and ranks them based on their coverage of certain key sectors. [17]

The Open Data Barometer is another ranking site for open data efforts around the world, including 115 countries. [18]

The World Bank provides catalogues for open data across over 200 countries/jurisdictions. [19]

See also

Related Research Articles

Freedom of information in the United States relates to the public's ability to access government records, meetings, and other information. In the United States, freedom of information legislation exists at all levels of government: federal level, state level, and local level.

Freedom of information laws allow access by the general public to data held by national governments and, where applicable, by state and local governments. The emergence of freedom of information legislation was a response to increasing dissatisfaction with the secrecy surrounding government policy development and decision making. In recent years Access to Information Act has also been used. They establish a "right-to-know" legal process by which requests may be made for government-held information, to be received freely or at minimal cost, barring standard exceptions. Also variously referred to as open records, or sunshine laws, governments are typically bound by a duty to publish and promote openness. In many countries there are constitutional guarantees for the right of access to information, but these are usually unused if specific support legislation does not exist. Additionally, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 16 has a target to ensure public access to information and the protection of fundamental freedoms as a means to ensure accountable, inclusive and just institutions.

As an ethic that spans science, engineering, business, and the humanities, transparency is operating in such a way that it is easy for others to see what actions are performed. Transparency implies openness, communication, and accountability.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freedom of Information Act (United States)</span> 1967 US statute regarding access to information held by the US government

The Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. § 552, is the United States federal freedom of information law that requires the full or partial disclosure of previously unreleased or uncirculated information and documents controlled by the U.S. government upon request. The act defines agency records subject to disclosure, outlines mandatory disclosure procedures, and includes nine exemptions that define categories of information not subject to disclosure. The act was intended to make U.S. government agencies' functions more transparent so that the American public could more easily identify problems in government functioning and put pressure on Congress, agency officials, and the president to address them. The FOIA has been changed repeatedly by both the legislative and executive branches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freedom of information</span> Freedom of a person or people to publish and consume information

Freedom of information is freedom of a person or people to publish and consume information. Access to information is the ability for an individual to seek, receive and impart information effectively. This sometimes includes "scientific, indigenous, and traditional knowledge; freedom of information, building of open knowledge resources, including open Internet and open standards, and open access and availability of data; preservation of digital heritage; respect for cultural and linguistic diversity, such as fostering access to local content in accessible languages; quality education for all, including lifelong and e-learning; diffusion of new media and information literacy and skills, and social inclusion online, including addressing inequalities based on skills, education, gender, age, race, ethnicity, and accessibility by those with disabilities; and the development of connectivity and affordable ICTs, including mobile, the Internet, and broadband infrastructures".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Security Archive</span> Open government advocacy and investigative journalism nonprofit at George Washington University

The National Security Archive is a 501(c)(3) non-governmental, non-profit research and archival institution located on the campus of the George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1985 to check rising government secrecy. The National Security Archive is an investigative journalism center, open government advocate, international affairs research institute, and the largest repository of declassified U.S. documents outside the federal government. The National Security Archive has spurred the declassification of more than 15 million pages of government documents by being the leading non-profit user of the U.S. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), filing a total of more than 70,000 FOIA and declassification requests in its over 35+ years of history.

Public records are documents or pieces of information that are not considered confidential and generally pertain to the conduct of government.

Electronic rulemaking is the use of digital technologies by government agencies in the rulemaking and decision making processes of the United States. An interdisciplinary electronic rulemaking research community has formed as a result of National Science Foundation funding under the auspices of the Digital Government Program. Groups such as the Cornell E-Rulemaking Initiative (CeRI) have been focused on researching how technologies such as Web 2.0 can help foster greater public participation in the political process, specifically, in Federal Agencies’ rulemaking.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Open data</span> Openly accessible data

Open data is data that is openly accessible, exploitable, editable and shared by anyone for any purpose. Open data is licensed under an open license.

Open government is the governing doctrine which maintains that citizens have the right to access the documents and proceedings of the government to allow for effective public oversight. In its broadest construction, it opposes reason of state and other considerations which have tended to legitimize extensive state secrecy. The origins of open-government arguments can be dated to the time of the European Age of Enlightenment, when philosophers debated the proper construction of a then nascent democratic society. It is also increasingly being associated with the concept of democratic reform. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 16 for example advocates for public access to information as a criterion for ensuring accountable and inclusive institutions.

SpotCrime.com is a Baltimore-based company founded in October 2007 and privately owned by ReportSee, Inc. Its purpose is to provide nationwide crime information about arrests, arsons, assaults, burglaries, robberies, shootings, thefts and vandalism. SpotCrime generally maps data for any police agency which supplies open data access to crime data. Data mapped by SpotCrime is mainly sourced from police departments and news reports.

Policies promoting wireless broadband are policies, rules, and regulations supporting the "National Wireless Initiative", a plan to bring wireless broadband Internet access to 98% of Americans.

Open Government Data (OGD) Platform India or data.gov.in is a platform for supporting Open data initiative of Government of India. This portal is a single-point access to datasets, documents, services, tools and applications published by ministries, departments and organisations of the Government of India. It combines and expands the best features of India government's India.gov.in and the U.S. government's data.gov project.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ghana Open Data Initiative</span> Government agency

Ghana Open Data Initiative (GODI) was started in January 2012 by the National Information Technology Agency (NITA) in partnership with the Web Foundation (WF), to make Government of Ghana data available to the public for re-use. The establishment of GODI is meant to promote efficiency, transparency and accountability in governance as well as to facilitate economic growth by means of the creation of Mobile and Web applications for the Ghanaian and world markets. The project was scheduled for completion in 2014 and aimed to create a sustainable Open Data ecosystem for Ghana. GODI was launched with a 100 data sets categorized as political, legal, organizational, technical, social or economic. The vision of GODI is to develop an open data community involving the Government of Ghana, civil society organizations, industry, developer communities, academia, media practitioners, and the citizenry, to interact with one another with the aim of developing an open data portal to bring about transparency, accountability and efficiency in government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">FOIA Oversight and Implementation Act of 2014</span>

The FOIA Oversight and Implementation Act of 2014 is a bill that would amend the Freedom of Information Act in order to make it easier and faster to request and receive information. The bill would require the Office of Management and Budget to create a single FOIA website for people to use to make FOIA requests and check on the status of their request. The bill would also create a Chief FOIA Officers Council charged with reviewing compliance and recommending improvements. This bill would also require the federal agency to release the information it disclosed to the person who requested it publicly afterwards.

A Civic application is an application software designed to encourage users to participate in and learn more about government.

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Access to public information and freedom of information (FOI) refer to the right of access to information held by public bodies also known as "right to know". Access to public information is considered of fundamental importance for the effective functioning of democratic systems, as it enhances governments' and public officials' accountability, boosting people participation and allowing their informed participation into public life. The fundamental premise of the right of access to public information is that the information held by governmental institutions is in principle public and may be concealed only on the basis of legitimate reasons which should be detailed in the law.

Open by Default, as widely used in the contexts of Open Government and Open Data, is the principle in which government makes its data accessible to the public by default, unless there is a sufficient justification to explain that greater public interest may be at stake, as a result of disclosure. Since the principle empowers the public's right to know and capacity to oversee government activities, it is closely associated with government transparency, civic engagement, and e-governance in organizing public life. In many cases, the principle is accompanied with the technological commitment to create "metadata standardization for all datasets, publication of a machine-readable data catalogue or inventory of both released and to-be released datasets ... (and) use of open licenses."

The Union Cabinet of India approved the National Data Sharing and Accessibility Policy (NDSAP) on 9 February 2012. The objective of the policy is to facilitate access to Government of India owned shareable data and information in both human readable and machine readable forms.

References

  1. ↑ https://open.obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/
  2. ↑ "White House launches open government initiative - Nextgov". Archived from the original on 2012-03-03. Retrieved 2010-05-03.
  3. 1 2 "Open Government Data | READ online". OECD iLibrary. Retrieved 2019-10-08.
  4. ↑ "Open Government Initiative". The White House. Retrieved 2019-10-08.
  5. 1 2 "Open Government Initiative". United States Department of State. Retrieved 2019-10-08.
  6. ↑ Metcalfe, Daniel J. (23 May 2006). The Presidential Executive Order on the Freedom of Information Act (PDF). 4th International Conference of Information Commissioners. pp. 54–74. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-10-18. Retrieved 20 June 2013.
  7. ↑ "Veto Battle 30 Years Ago Set Freedom of Information Norms: Scalia, Rumsfeld, Cheney Opposed Open Government Bill; Congress Overrode President Ford's Veto of Court Review". Electronic Briefing Book No. 142. National Security Archive (George Washington University, Washington, D.C.). 2004-11-23.
  8. 1 2 "FOIA Update: The Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. sect. 552, As Amended By Public Law No. 104-231, 110 Stat. 3048". Office of Information and Privacy, U.S. Department of Justice.
  9. ↑ "Public Law 110-175 OPENNESS PROMOTES EFFECTIVENESS IN OUR NATIONAL GOVERNMENT ACT OF 2007". Government Printing Office. 2007-12-31. Retrieved 2010-06-13.
  10. ↑ "Open Government beyond open data and transparency". Open Government Partnership. 8 March 2013. Retrieved 2019-10-08.
  11. ↑ "Who files the most FOIA requests? It's not who you think". Columbia Journalism Review. Retrieved 2019-10-09.
  12. ↑ "Open Government Partnership". The White House. Retrieved 2019-10-08.
  13. ↑ "The OPEN Government Data Act is now law". www.fedscoop.com. 15 January 2019. Retrieved 2019-10-08.
  14. ↑ Kitchin, Rob (2013-11-27). "Four critiques of open data initiatives". Impact of Social Sciences. Retrieved 2019-10-30.
  15. 1 2 Sayogo, D. S.; Pardo, T. A.; Cook, M. (January 2014). "A Framework for Benchmarking Open Government Data Efforts" (PDF). 2014 47th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences. pp. 1896–1905. doi:10.1109/HICSS.2014.240. ISBN   978-1-4799-2504-9. S2CID   34057732.
  16. ↑ "Home page - European Data Portal - European Data Portal". European Data Portal. Retrieved 2019-10-09.
  17. ↑ "Place overview - Global Open Data Index". index.okfn.org. Retrieved 2019-10-09.
  18. ↑ "Global Report | Open Data Barometer". opendatabarometer.org. 8 May 2017. Retrieved 2019-10-09.
  19. ↑ "Countries | Data". data.worldbank.org. Retrieved 2019-10-09.
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