Foster Data Ecosystems (US0091)

Local data about topics ranging from crime statistics, to transportation, to the availability of fresh foods can be combined with Federal data to help policymakers identify and implement community outreach programs, aid people with disabilities in getting around, and eliminate food deserts. The Census Bureau has led initial efforts to work closely with cities and rural communities and open-source communities to establish interoperable software development frameworks, such as CitySDK. This tool addresses local concerns while bridging data gaps that can sometimes occur among Federal, state, and local data. In order to accelerate local solutions that are developed with open data, the White House will host the first-ever Open Data Impact Summit to recognize innovative solutions and create new pathways to leverage technology and data to address important civic problems.

For details of these commitments, see the report: https://www.opengovpartnership.org/documents/united-states-mid-term-report-2015-2017/

Commitment 39. Foster Data Ecosystems

Commitment Text:

Foster Data Ecosystems

Local data about topics ranging from crime statistics, to transportation, to the availability of fresh foods can be combined with Federal data to help policymakers identify and implement community outreach programs, aid people with disabilities in getting around, and eliminate food deserts. The Census Bureau has led initial efforts to work closely with cities and rural communities and open-source communities to establish interoperable software development frameworks, such as CitySDK. This tool addresses local concerns while bridging data gaps that can sometimes occur among Federal, state, and local data. In order to accelerate local solutions that are developed with open data, the White House will host the first-ever Open Data Impact Summit to recognize innovative solutions and create new pathways to leverage technology and data to address important civic problems.

Responsible Institutions: Office of Management and Budget, Census Bureau in the Department of Commerce

Supporting Institutions: State and local government leaders, civil society stakeholders

Start Date: Not Specified ....... End Date: Not Specified

Commitment Aim

This commitment aimed to hold an inaugural Open Data Impact Summit to recognize innovative solutions to civic problems and create new opportunities to address them through technology and data.

Status

Midterm: Not Started

At the midterm, the government had not yet held the Open Data Impact Summit.

End of term: Complete

At the end of term, this commitment is complete. The White House, in conjunction with the US Small Business Administration, the General Services Administration, and the Data Foundation, organized a one-day summit—the White House Open Data Innovation Summit and Solutions Showcase—on 28 September 2016 to profile innovative “uses of government open data to promote government efficiency and effectiveness, drive innovation, economic opportunity, and improve the health and welfare of the American public.” [544] The summit webpage and presentation agenda make no explicit mention of leveraging technology and data to facilitate solutions to local problems. The Open Data Innovation Summit nevertheless appears to be the only such summit hosted by the White House during the reporting period, and has therefore been assessed by the IRM researcher as completing this commitment.

Did It Open Government?

Access to Information: Marginal

This commitment marginally opened government with respect to access to information by profiling innovative uses of open government data that could be used to facilitate solutions to local-level (i.e. municipal) problems. However, as the summit itself did not explicitly touch on local-level issues and represents a one-off event with no apparent follow-up activities, the commitment did not lead to a more substantial opening of government.

Carried Forward?

At the time of writing, the US government had not published its fourth national action plan, so it is unclear if this commitment will be carried forward. The government should nevertheless continue to explore opportunities to leverage technology and data to develop solutions to local problems in line with the commitment text. Any future commitments on this topic, however, should go beyond hosting a single event to specify concrete changes in government practice that would bridge the data gaps across different levels of government.

[544] Data.gov. “The White House Open Data Innovation Summit and Soltions Showcase.” 28 September 2016.  https://www.data.gov/event/white-house-open-data-innovation-summit/. Consulted 22 September 2017.