open government data – National Freedom of Information Coalition

Looking towards next week’s open data executive order deadline

Posted on

From Sunlight Foundation: November 30th marks the first major deadline for agency compliance with President Obama’s Open Data Executive Order and accompanying Memorandum M-13-13. In addition to representing an important step in the march towards open government and proper data management, this is an opportunity to evaluate agencies, identify best practices, and advocate for change. The Executive Order will continue to be implemented over the coming months and years, but agencies should, and will, be judged on how much effort they put into this first deadline. […]

Opinion: The open government illusion

Posted on

From Governing: The easier it is for us to find important information about cities, counties and states, the better we’re able to report on topics of interest to our readers. But transparency isn’t just about us. It can help citizen organizations, good government bodies, advocacy groups, the press at large and even the general public. What’s more, accessible information makes it easier for legislators and city council members to drill down to the facts, creating more capacity for informed decision-making.

[…]

NFOIC’s State FOIA Friday for November 15, 2013

Posted on

From NFOIC: A few state FOIA and local open government news items selected from many of interest that we might or might not have drawn attention to earlier in the week. While you're at it, be sure to check out State FOIA Friday Archives.

[…]

United States vows to modernize FOIA, expand open data in updated national action plan

Posted on

From FierceGovernmentIT: The United States says it will expand open data and modernize the Freedom of Information Act as part of six new transparent government commitments made in an updated national action plan released by the White House Oct. 31.

The United States issued the commitments during the Open Government Summit in London. This year, the annual event brought together 1,000 delegates from more than 60 countries to discuss open government plans.

[…]

Center for Digital Government and National League of Cities congratulate 2013 Digital Cities Survey winners

Posted on

From Digital Journal: SACRAMENTO, CA–(Marketwired – Nov 7, 2013) – e.Republic’s Center for Digital Government and the Digital Communities Program today announced the top-ranked cities in the 2013 Digital Cities Survey.

[…]

Opinion: Open data’s business value isn’t that important

Posted on

From Sunlight Foundation: The recent Open Government Partnership meetings in London have provided a good opportunity to assess the direction of our community. The latest comes from Jonathan Gray, and the title — Open government should be about accountability and social justice, not the digital economy — more or less speaks for itself:

[…]

Website helps people find thousands of online court records easily and quickly – V-kool

Posted on

[…]

Open government and conflicts with public trust and privacy: Recent research ideas

Posted on

From Journalist’s Resource: Since the Progressive Era, ideas about the benefits of government openness — crystallized by Justice Brandeis’s famous phrase about the disinfectant qualities of “sunlight” — have steadily grown more popular and prevalent. Post-Watergate reforms further embodied these ideas. Now, notions of “open government” and dramatically heightened levels of transparency have taken hold as zero-cost digital dissemination has become a reality. […]

NFOIC’s State FOIA Friday for October 11, 2013

Posted on

[…]