The power of digital information to catalyze progress is limited only by the power of the human mind. Data are not consumed by the ideas and innovations they spark, but are an endless fuel for creativity. A small bit of information, well found, can drive a giant leap of creativity. The power of a data set can be amplified by ingenuity through applications unimagined by the authors and distant from the original field. --- "Harnessing the Power of Digital Data for Science and Society" (U.S. OSTP, 2009)
Open Government Data is public government records (known outside the U.S. as public sector information or PSI) that is shared with the public digitally, over the Internet, in a way that promotes analysis and reuse. Examples include government spending records, cartographic information, and public health and safety monitoring data. This site focuses on how and why to make government data open rather than advocating for what should be made open.
What is Open Government Data?
A 2007 working group held in Sebastopol, California developed the 8 Principles of Open Government Data. These principles have become the de facto starting point for evaluating openness in government records. Open Data is Civic Capital: Best Practices for Open Government Data (Tauberer 2009) explains why open government data is important and expands the original recommendations to 16 principles and best practice recommendations collected from a variety of organizations. Additional Resources Links
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