The Open Data AgendaWe are seeking to create a policy agenda for the Data Transparency Coalition that will open up the federal government's whole data portfolio. That project received a huge boost from Data Transparency 2013. In seven breakout sessions, conference attendees representing over 30 federal agencies, 70 tech and consulting firms, and 40 nonprofits collaborated to develop policy recommendations in seven key federal domains: spending, management, financial regulation, general regulation, tax policy, legislation and the Code, and the judiciary. With so many brilliant minds and different perspectives in one place, we sought a crowd-sourced vision for the road ahead for open data. We invited those following the conference hashtag #opendata2013 to add their ideas as well. All of these recommendations will inform the Data Transparency Coalition's formal policy agenda -- to be released this fall. Moving Forward -- Our Data Transparency 2013 breakout sessions were our second, and most ambitious, effort at collaborative agenda-setting for open data. (The first happened at the Sunlight Foundation's Transparency Camp last spring.)Our next step will be to prepare and publish an Open Data Agenda, informed by our breakouts' recommendations, that covers all these areas. Then, patiently, we'll work with Congress and the executive branch to see every one of them become reality.It'll take time. But we believe an Open Data Agenda can transform our government...[Editor's note: The narrative in this plan has been copied from the blog at http://datacoalition.blogspot.com/2013/09/opening-doors-to-our-open-data-agenda.html?utm_source=Friends+and+Constituents&utm_campaign=eca500074a-Biweekly_October_1_2013-FINAL&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_edc26fd940-eca500074a-23237121]Data Transparency CoalitionDTC_01e6f880-88a1-11e1-816a-08f08bba6d9dTheresa PardoRapporteur -- Dr. Theresa Pardo, director of SUNY-Albany's Center for Technology in Government, ably emceed the breakouts. Then, in less than an hour, she summarized everyone's recommendations for a brief presentation at the end of the conference. To make recommendations to Congress and the Executive Branch [on open data policies]Federal Spending1Daniel SchumanGroup 1 Discussion Leader: Daniel Schuman, CREWThe session on federal spending oversight came up with one overriding goal to promote data standardization in federal spending: require the use of consistent codes across government. There were suggestions to create a new body, such as a public advisory committee, to provide input on common data standards for spending. Participants also proposed that detailed data on payments to vendors should be released to the public. The DATA Act would mandate these reforms, and more.Advisory CommitteeCreate a public advisory committee.1.1Cross-Agency DialogCreate a body to support cross-agency dialog of data processes and standards.1.2TerminologyEstablish “terms of art”.1.3Budget CodesRequire the use of consistent budget codes across government.1.4PricesRequire the sharing of “actual” prices paid to vendors.1.5Management & Performance2Kat TownsendGroup 2 Discussion Leader: Kat Townsend, USAIDThe management and performance group proposed designating points-of-contact for open data, felt the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) should be more aggressive in fulfilling its statutory mandate to create an inventory of federal programs, and the need for better training of sources, analysts, and users of federal data to ensure quality. They also called for better documentation of the process of using and reporting data to capture institutional knowledge over time. Management/Guidance2.1Open StandardsAdd the need for “open standard” to any requirement of machine-readable format. 2.1.1POCsIdentify POCs for government and specify their accountability 2.1.2Who are the government POCs for the data, and what is their accountability? Right now the policy identifies a need for an email address of a data owner. Who would be the most useful POC for agency data?Program DefinitionProvide a common definition for the identification of programs across agencies 2.1.3OMB as maintainer of what a “program” means, and how this relates to PRA. E.G. “These are the programs we expect to see data out of for 53-300.” Interoperability of lexicon - what does a program entail for Treasury v. FCC v. DOSData ReleasesProvide guidance for latency and timing of data releases 2.1.4What is the guidance for latency and timing of data releases?Ownership ChainAgencies need chain of business ownership that cannot be separated from IT ownership. 2.1.5Reporting2.2Format & PresentationIdentify and work with information users to ensure the format and presentation is useful. 2.2.1Information UsersAt the earliest stages of designing the implementation, ask who will use this information? Work with them at the onset to ensure the format and presentation is useful.Collection ProcessOutline requirements for a collection process and what terms mean. 2.2.2Train the implementers. Ensure everyone who touches the process understands the value, why the policy has been made, and how is it useful?TrainingNeed professional development/training of reporters, analysts, users, etc. to properly document and share data.2.2.3Reporters Analysts Data UsersEngagement2.3RewardsDevelop reward system for those that do use the data. 2.3.1Requires us to answer the question - How will usage be tracked?Question TrackingTrack questions made about the data once it has been made open. 2.3.2What are the cost implications?Burden ReportingDocument the process of using and reporting data and what the burden is for the implementer. 2.3.3It may be far less than feared.Financial Regulation3Danny GoroffGroup 3 Discussion Leader: Danny Goroff, Sloan foundationOur financial regulation group also picked up on the theme of data quality. They recommended pre-filing consistency checks, post-filing audits, improved posting speed, and linking datasets to detect inconsistencies. They rejected proprietary formats like CUSIP and DUNS in favor of an open, common set of identifiers for legal entities. Participants suggested that a public-interest advisory board in this area could be modeled on the UK's Open Data Institute. These recommendations track the Financial Industry Transparency Act, whose reintroduction the Coalition is seeking.IdentifiersSupport the establishment and implementation of identifier systems that are public goods3.1G20CongressSupport the establishment and implementation of identifier systems that are public goods, including the global legal entity identifier system that the G20 is constructing. Open identifiers should track not just business card data, but also information about subsidiaries and hierarchical relationships, about contracts, etc. In particular, Congress should strike all federal requirements to use CUSIP, DUNS, or other proprietary systems.  Instead, federal law should facilitate the use of free, open, and standardized systems instead. Other industries do not make you pay to use their parts numbers! XBRLExpand XBRL tagging requirements to more SEC forms3.2SECExpand XBRL tagging requirements to more SEC forms, including the Living Wills required by Dodd Frank. Eventually extend more such reporting requirements to hedge funds, private equity, and the shadow banking system, too. Advisory BoardsEstablish public-interest advisory boards for open data3.3When opening data, establish public-interest advisory boards that can help set priorities, provide use cases, and devise data consumption tools that will seed the development of active user communities. Consider setting up an independent body modeled on the Open Data Institute in the UK. Regulatory DataTreat the reporting that the federal government requires regulated entities to do as open data3.4Treat the reporting that the federal government requires regulated entities to do as open data, too. So instead of making a financial institution file similar information in different forms to different regulatory agencies, allow them to provide one set of open data and metadata that various regulators can download and use for their own purposes. Data QualityStrive for data quality3.5Strive for data quality by all means possible, including: pre-filing consistency checks, post-filing audits, easy mechanisms that allow users to identify and correct mistakes, greater speed in posting data, more metadata about provenance, simple ways of linking datasets to detect inconsistencies, etc.General Regulation4Haley Van DyckGroup 4 Discussion Leader: Haley Van Dyck, OMBThis group was ambitious. They proposed an Executive Order to make federal regulations machine readable by default. They also noted the government still has yet to publish a structured federal agency organization chart. Participants also argued that vendors should be prohibited from privatizing and reselling government data that isn't open in the procurements and contracting process. Machine-Readable RegulationsMake Federal Regulations Machine Readable by Default - Proposed Solution: Executive Order4.1Regulatory CommentsAll comments on federal regulations should either be submitted online OR made machine readable if submitted offline4.2Regulations Standards, Specifications & OntologiesDevelop Data Standards, Specifications, and ontologies for for federal regulations (for how to describe federal regulations) to enable4.3--Tied for third--CFRPublish the CFR in bulk, structured and machine readable format4.4--Tied for third--Federal Org ChartPublish a comprehensive, structured Federal agency Org Chart4.5--Tied for third--TaggingTag each paragraph (or even sentence) with the Federal Register Notice that created it and with the underlying statute that caused the Federal Regulation notice to be created.4.6--Tied for fourth--Contracts & ProcurementsProhibit procurements and contracts that allow a vendor to privatize and resell govt data that ISN'T open4.7--Tied for fourth--Enforcement & ReportingLink/connect enforcement and reporting data to regulations (not just enable statutory provisions)4.8--Tied for fourth--Health DataCommon/standard language for health data sharing4.9--Tied for fourth--Tax5Cinthia SchumanGroup 5 Discussion Leader: Cinthia Schuman, Aspen InstituteTom PollakGroup 5 Discussion Leader: Tom Pollak, Urban InstituteOur tax reformers took a balanced approach -- seeking to get the information public while also striving to improve quality. They proposed the adoption of uniform data standards across all states for tax reporting. But they also suggested creating a "safe harbor" to enable the federal government to release public tax data, such as nonprofits' filings on Form 990, in its raw form without fearing that it contains imperfections. They called on Congress to require nonprofits to file Form 990 electronically and direct the IRS to release that data in an open format. Form 990Congress should require all nonprofits to file the Form 990 electronically and direct the IRS to release the data in an open format. 5.1CongressNonprofitsIRSData Safe HarborCreate a “safe harbor” for government data enabling it to release raw data without fear that it is not perfect.5.2State Data StandardsPromote uniform data standards across states and build from existing models, rather than starting from scratch.5.3StatesLegislation & the Code6Jim HarperGroup 6 Discussion Leader: Jim Harper, Cato InstituteFirst, our legislative breakout participants stressed the importance of opening up information about the Congressional committee process -- providing digital copies of testimony, establishing meeting identifiers, and even simply publishing calendars of upcoming activity. No more, participants said, should we be forced to "scrape" online calendars to know what's happening in both chambers. They also argued that the Congressional Record should be machine-readable. Finally, they underscored the need to unite data standards governing bills and laws--ultimately allowing automatic red-lining to show how proposed legislation would amend the U.S. Code.Committee DataOpen up committee data6.1CongressCongressional Committees* Important work, lots happens here. * Membership, roles, calendar, hearing witnesses, testimony in digital form, meeting identifiers, synchronize between meeting records and videos. Bill DataOpen up Bill Data 6.2* A small but significant change would do wonders. * House/Sen calendars are good resources but still require scraping – down with scraping!Congressional RecordGive us the Congressional Record in locator code! 6.3AmendmentsCreate capability to actively track amendments to laws and to bills 6.4* This is hard! * Need unique IDs * Need both “cut and bite” version and red-line versionsJudicial7Ed WaltersGroup 7 Discussion Leader: Ed Walters, FastCaseThe breakout group focusing on open data in the justice system identified several much-needed overhauls. One of these suggestions was to use Congressional funding to open up the PACER system from a "walled garden" to allow citizens to download data in bulk for free. They called on the Administrative Office of U.S. Courts to create and enforce standard data and metadata formats for judicial opinions within the federal court system. And although it seems a bit absurd to have to advocate for this -- the final, official versions of the law must be open to the public. There is no reason, our participants said, for government to create and enforce barriers (such as federal copyrights) to public domain law. PACERCongress should fund PACER out of appropriations and require PACER to be maintained as a single, open system, with the ability to download data for free and in bulk.7.1Courts should not operate a walled garden for public domain judicial opinions.Judicial OpinionsThe Administrative Office of U.S. Courts should create and enforce standard data and metadata formats for judicial opinions within the federal court system.7.2Administrative Office of U.S. CourtsThe LawThe final, official versions of the law must be open. 7.3Administrative Office of U.S. CourtsThe Administrative Office of U.S. Courts should require, as a condition of private publishing contracts, that publishers provide back to the courts, free of charge, the official, paginated copies of judicial opinions in digital format. The AO should ensure that these opinions are included in the free and open PACER system recommended above.Public Domain LawThe government should not create or enforce barriers to public domain law. 7.4CongressCongress should establish that public law works of state governments, such as judicial opinions, state statutes, and regulations, are not protected by federal copyright law.State Governments2013-09-102014-09-102013-10-02http://www.datatransparency2013.com/OwenAmburOwen.Ambur@verizon.net