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US Open Government Directive
On December 8, 2009, the Office of Management and Budget published a Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies called the "Open Government Directive".
This memorandum directs US federal government departments and agencies to implement principles of transparency, participation and collaboration across their organizations.
The Open Government Directive has designated deadlines for action. Below are some of the steps to help create a more open government:
1. Publish Government Information Online
Government information is to be published online in open formats that can be accessed and searched by commonly used web search applications. Agencies should proactively disseminate information rather than wait for freedom of information (FOI) requests.
For example, within 45 days each agency must published at minimum 3 new high value data sets and register them on Data.gov; within 2 months, each federal agency will create an Open Government web page to serve as the gateway for agency activities related to this Directive and update it regularly
2. Improve the Quality of Government Information
To improve the quality of government information available to the public, it must conform to the OMB guidance on information quality and systems and processes must be in place to promote conformity.
3. Create and Institutionalize a Culture of Open Government
Within 4 months, each agency will develop and publish an open government plan describing how it will improve transparency and integrate public participation and collaboration into its activities.
An Open Government Dashboard will be developed to display each agency's open government plan along with an assessment of its state.
Within 3 months guidance will be issued on how agencies can use challenges, prizes and other incentives to find innovative or cost saving solutions to improving open government.
4. Create an Enabling Policy Framework for Open Government
Within 4 months, existing OMB policies such as the Paperwork Reduction Act guidance and privacy guidance will be reviewed to identify road blocks to open government and where necessary, issue clarifications and / or revisions to such policies to promote greater openness in government.
The Open Government Directive is available in pdf format (82kb). (This document requires the use of Adobe Acrobat Reader). .
Last updated: 9 December 2009
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Related Links
- Administration Launches Comprehensive Open Government Plan
- Public Provides Thousands of Ideas to Spark New Administration Initiatives. Washington, D.C., The White House, Office of the Press Secretary December 8, 2009. "As part of the Obama Administration's work to change how Washington does business, the White House Tuesday issued the Open Government Directive requiring federal agencies to take immediate, specific steps to open their operations up to the public. The Administration also released an Open Government Progress Report to the American People and previewed a number of other openness commitments that are poised to be released during the next two days. The directive, released by the Office of Management and Budget, sets an unprecedented standard for government agencies, insisting that they achieve key milestones in transparency, collaboration, and participation..."
- An Initial Assessment of Open Government Plans
- Posted by Vivek Kundra and Aneesh Chopra. Whitehouse Blog, April 27, 2010. "As part of the ongoing implementation of the Open Government Plans, we have asked the Cabinet departments and other major agencies to work with us to evaluate version 1.0 of their Plans (or recent revisions) against the requirements of the Open Government Directive. The assessments show that we are off to a good start--but have much more work to do as we transition our overall efforts towards effective agency implementation..."
- Game changer: Open Government Directive puts new onus on agencies
- White House lays out new data transparancy mandates—with deadlines, By Doug Beizer. Federal Computer Week, December 8, 2009. "The Open Government Directive that the Obama administration released today lays out several deadlines for agencies, all centered on making government data easy to access and use. Within 45 days, agencies must make a minimum of three high-value data sets available to the public, federal Chief Information Officer Vivek Kundra said today during a Web chat announcing the new directive..."
- Kundra and Chopra Want States and Locals to Embrace New Openness Directive
- By Matt Williams, Assistant Editor. Government Technology, December 8, 2009. "A directive from the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released Tuesday orders federal government agencies to publish "high-value" data sets, launch Web sites for open government, and write agencywide plans that will hardwire transparency into the public process..."
- Open Government leaders to testify before Senate panel
- Federal CIO Kundra, CTO Chopra to tell Senate Budget Committee how data can measure performance, By Doug Beizer. Federal Computer Week, December 10, 2009. "Just days after announcing the new Open Government Directive that requires federal agencies to share government information with the public at new levels, the two White House appointees that announced the directive are scheduled to testify before a Senate task force on how technology can improve government performance..."
- The Open Government Directive has dropped. Here's what's in it - and why it's a big deal
- by Nancy Scola. Personal Democracy Forum - Tech President, December 8, 2009. "So we finally have our hands on the long-awaited Open Government Directive. In just eleven pages, it lays out the Obama Administration's vision for what transparent, participatory, and collaborative government will look like when it is pushed beyond the hub of the Obama White House and out into the many agencies, departments, and offices that make up the United States federal government. This morning's announcement of the 11-page OGD is hugely important in many ways. But none more so than that federal agencies are the places in the United States government where the financial budget and staffing resources to finally put some real meat on the bones of open government..."
- US Open Government Directive is Disappointing
- by Andrea DiMaio, December 8, 2009. "Earlier today, the US federal government issued the long-awaited Open Government Directive, as requested in an executive memo issued in January by President Obama. The directive covers the three principles of transparency, participation and collaboration set out in the executive memo, and outlines a series of actions that agencies must take over the next 120 days and going forward..."
- White House issues demanding open government directive
- By Aliya Sternstein. NextGov, 8 December 2009. "The White House issued on Tuesday a highly anticipated directive outlining how agencies should make operations more open and solicit public opinions, setting an aggressive timeline for them to implement the new practices..."
- Why an Open Government Matters
- Posted by Norm Eisen, Beth Noveck. Whitehouse Blog, December 9, 2009. "Each year millions of visitors stream through the rotunda of the National Archives in Washington, DC, to view the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Declaration of Independence. These foundational documents of our democracy are on public display because of the importance of openness in government. Openness promotes accountability by enabling journalists, researchers, government officials, and the public to scrutinize, question, and ultimately improve how government works. But, as with many aspects of Democracy, openness must evolve. The Progress Report on Open Government to the American People describes how the Administration is doing just that..."
Related Articles
- Open Government: A progress Report to the American People - December 2009
- The Obama Administration has published its progress report on open government initiatives within the US federal government. The report offers a snapshot of work in progress to date, highlights of the new open government directive and a roadmap for what is coming next.
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