data.gov

Data.gov is a U.S. government website launched in late May 2009 by the then Federal Chief Information Officer (CIO) of the United States, Vivek Kundra. Data.gov aims to improve public access to high value, machine readable datasets generated by the Executive Branch of the Federal Government.[1] The site is a repository for federal, state, local, and tribal government information,[2] made available to the public.

Official logo of Data.gov

History and background

On March 5, 2009, shortly after his appointment as the first Federal Chief Information Officer, Vivek Kundra announced the creation of Data.gov.[3] The website is managed and hosted by the U.S. General Services Administration, Technology Transformation Service.[4]

The site introduced the philosophy of digital open data to the U.S. federal government, an approach which according to the book Democratizing Data will have benefits for states including "rebuilding confidence in government and business".[5]

Data.gov has grown from 47 datasets at launch to over 180,000. Jeanne Holm, Chief Knowledge Architect at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and head of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Knowledge Management team, was previously the Communications and Collaborations Lead for Data.gov,[6] James Hendler, an Artificial intelligence researcher at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, was at the time named the "Internet Web Expert" and tasked with helping Data.gov exploit advanced Web technologies.

On January 14, 2019, the OPEN Government Data Act, as part of the Foundations for Evidence Based Policymaking Act, became law. The OPEN Government Data Act makes Data.gov a requirement in statute, rather than a policy. It requires federal agencies to publish their information online as open data, using standardized, machine-readable data formats, with their metadata included in the Data.gov catalog. Data.gov is working with an expanded group of federal agencies to include their datasets in Data.gov as they implement the new law.

Open Government Directive

The U.S. Open Government Directive of December 8, 2009, required that all agencies post at least three high-value data sets online and register them on data.gov within 45 days.[7]

OPEN Government Data Act

The Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018 (“Evidence Act”) signed into law on January 14, 2019, emphasizes collaboration and coordination to advance data and evidence-building functions in the Federal Government by statutorily mandating Federal evidence-building activities, open government data, and confidential information protection and statistical efficiency. Title II of the Foundations for Evidence Based Policymaking Act, the OPEN Government Data Act, requires additional agencies to comply with the statute by providing access to free, open, and machine readable data. Additionally, the Office of Management and Budget is required to collaborate with the Office of Government Information Services and the Administrator of General Services to develop and maintain an online repository of tools, best practices, and schema standards to facilitate the adoption of open data practices across the Federal Government.

Apps

A list of software applications using data from data.gov can be seen at data.gov/applications.

See also

References
  1. "About data.gov". Retrieved 2011-08-21.
  2. "Non-Federal Data - How to Get Your Data on Data.gov". Retrieved 2018-02-03.
  3. Hansell, Saul (2009-03-05). "The Nation's New Chief Information Officer Speaks". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-04-30.
  4. "Who developed Data.gov?". Data.gov. U.S. General Services Administration.
  5. Aliya Sternstein (1 April 2009). "Kundra's Ideas Shape Book". nextgov (Tech Insider). National Journal Group. Archived from the original (blog posting) on 25 August 2013. Retrieved 16 April 2011.
  6. Van Buskirk, Eliot (2010-05-19). "Sneak Peek: Obama Administration's Redesigned data.gov". Wired Epicenter. Retrieved 2010-05-20.
  7. Orszag, Peter R. (8 December 2009). "Open Government Directive". Executive Office of the President.
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