'Default to open' and 31 more provisions to consider in creating open data policies - FierceGovernmentIT

abernard102@gmail.com 2013-08-20

Summary:

"There are 32 provisions that government should consider in order to actively address the challenges of open data policies, according to the latest version (.pdf) of the Sunlight Foundation's guidelines. The document says some provisions to carry more heft than others, but they are not ranked in any particular order. Instead, they're organized to help define 'What Data Should be Public, How to Make Data Public, and How to Implement Policy--three key elements of any legislation, executive order, or other policy seeking to include language about open data,' states the document. The release is an update to the group's open data policies document, which was originally released in June 2012 as a 'living document.' It has been refined based on public input to better communicate its constantly evolving content, says Sunlight. 'For this latest version, we've reordered and slightly rephrased the guidelines' 32 provisions for clarity,' writes Laurenellen McCann, the Sunlight Foundation's National Policy Manager, in a blog post.   According to McCann, a new provision in the latest guidelines has to do with 'setting the default to open,' which she states is a 'critical provision for helping to define public information and support its release.' This newest provision is also the very first one that appears of the 32 provisions discussed in the document.   'In this latest version, we've tried to make the possible more actionable, too, by adding additional use cases of where you can find provisions around the country (and increasingly, the world) and by including some sample policy language,' writes McCann.

Rather than provide sample legislation, for example, the policies aim to be flexible enough to serve a variety of contexts. The group hopes this flexibility allows the open data language to be considered when crafting policies, referendums, legislation and executive orders beyond traditional technology policy.

Two provisions in the original guidelines have been deleted from the latest version, adds McCann.  'One dealing with contests (really a detailed element of a public/private partnership; contests can be a great platform for public engagement, but don't qualify as a distinct best practice for policy) and another about publishing analytics from data portals. (Again, too specific. Public analytics can be an asset of a data portal, but is probably best addressed as part of technical guidance or part of an implementation plan.),' she writes. 

The document emphasizes that these provisions are only a 'guide' and as such 'do not address every question one should consider in preparing a policy.'  Instead, the guidelines state: 'these provisions attempt to answer the specific question: What can or should an open data policy do?'"

Link:

http://www.fiercegovernmentit.com/story/default-open-and-31-more-provisions-consider-creating-open-data-policies/2013-08-19

From feeds:

Open Access Tracking Project (OATP) » abernard102@gmail.com

Tags:

oa.new oa.psi oa.policies oa.comment oa.standards oa.recommendations oa.sunlight_foundation oa.government oa.data

Date tagged:

08/20/2013, 15:20

Date published:

08/20/2013, 11:20