Report: Taking open data to next level requires quality data, committed leaders | California Forward

"In a perfect world, all governmental agencies would have an open data portal that is easy to access and analyze. This would allow citizens to find out how their tax dollars are being spent, from finding when the last time the water main on their street was replaced to seeing the latest health inspection results of their favorite restaurant. Open data leads to government transparency which eventually leads to a better quality of life for its citizens, say advocates. But we are far from that world, and in fact, many cities are in need of robust standards to help them create and maintain their open data initiatives. Those are the findings of a report by Open Data LA, a joint project of the USC Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership & Policy and USC Sol Price School of Public Policy. Lead researcher and USC faculty member Dana Chinn found that a new framework needed to be created because there are a lot of misconceptions about open data ..."