Let me first say that I would hate to spend all my time talking about policy and the politics, only the Atacama could be a more dry experience for a designer. However, the implications of not only Data.gov but also what Mr. Kundra and the Obama administration have started with the Open Government Initiative are very powerful and will affect how most of us live our lives. When I say “most of us” – I mean individuals in their private and professional lives. I also mean governments, private sector businesses and more to the point I also mean non profits.
As a follow up to my previous post regarding the necessity of incentives to fuel high Data.gov standards across all agencies I did some digging around and discovered some very interesting facts about what the U.S. government hopes to achieve via the Open Government Initiative. I found that releasing data is both exciting and nerve-racking (despite there being no dataset to track the length of Congressional lunch breaks) for many in government. I also found that it is very important to participate in this very early stages of what may prove to be a transformation in democracy.
If an agency or department releases data, the likelihood of the issues that are central to their operations being focused upon becomes a greater possibility given that individuals may create revealing applications. In this same manner, by releasing its data an agency also sacrifices a certain amount of control and power over the issue. This is precisely what is so exciting about the prospect: not that government is weakened – but that government is empowered by drawing upon a much larger pool of potential solutions for many problems – all at bargain basement prices.
Put very eloquently, Mr. Kundra says in an interview in Wired magazine that by releasing its data it takes far less time for an agency to recieve potential and tangible solutions to an issue than it takes to get a response to an RFP – saving time and money. It sounds like our favorite and hottest buzz word of the hour “crowd-sourcing”, but in actuality it’s a concept with much greater longevity (technological decentralization) and I’m positive that this will allow us to feel the winds of change in our democracy both much more rapidly and with greater efficiency.
The default setting for data created by the US government using American tax dollars should be open – while closed is the exception. Not the reverse.
While Mr. Kundra is talking the talk of the future, it can be too easy to get sucked up into blind data euphoria (if there could ever be such a thing). What’s important now is that we as individuals and non-profit organizations hold the administration to their word.
Here’s why… also in the Wired interview Mr. Kundra admits:
One, we’re going to look at which feeds are most popular and which the public are demanding. Two, we want to advance the president’s agenda around health care, around energy, around education.
And furthermore, he states in a video interview that Data.gov will release data in three phases. The first phase (which we may still be experiencing) is to release non sensitive data. The second phase is to cull appropriate data from more sensitive areas. Finally the third phase will be to dig around for old data in Thomas Jefferson’s attic (this is an exaggeration).
It would be very convenient for the Administration to declare phase one complete, whereby we can now access data about only the most wholesome of topics and those deemed worthy by our CEO. Meanwhile every other dataset gets tagged as “sensitive” and thereby swept under the Afghan in the living room. We will only be left with phase three: all the data we would ever dream of having about the Pony Express. All under the wonderfully confusing guise of transparency.
If you are an individual working for a non-profit, or just a concerned citizen, I would encourage you to participate in this feedback loop by speaking up for access to data that is important to you. Not only is it our political responsibility, but these resources have the ability to transform hearts and minds. Data.gov offers a platform for requesting specific data or for data from specific departments here:
http://www.data.gov/suggestdataset
After doing this, I would further encourage you to become involved in a very high profile wiki started by Wired magazine (that Mr. Kundra is paying attention to) that allows you to suggest improvements, features and data you would like to see available on Data.gov.
http://howto.wired.com/wiki/Open_Up_Government_Data
What kundra and the obama administration are talking about here is a sea change in the way the government operates, spends money and draws on the brightest the country has to offer and I remain VERY optimisitc for all of us. But as our old pal W would put it, we must remain vigilant.
image credit: blprnt_van
Really interesting post. Data.gov can and should serve as a research base for public action. The question now is will there be a need for intervenors such as design firms, consulting groups, think tanks and the like to act as bridges between data sets and the public, or will the government seize the initiative and make its data digestible and comprehensible to the public at large.
If you check out that video interview, Kundra seems to think that non-government entities (be it private sector, non-profits, NGOs) will be playing a large role in digesting the data. Data.gov should really focus on providing the finest raw data – this in itself is a tremendous undertaking – and leave the digesting and innovation to us.
The Obama Administration will no doubt crunch and present data relevant to their own agenda, but the majority will come from the masses (in my humble estimation).