Looking Back at 2017: When Open Data Took Hold
As the Data Coalition celebrated its fifth birthday, our ambitious agenda had taken hold for U.S. federal spending information - and was on its way to transforming the rest of the federal information portfolio as well. Here’s a look at our biggest data reform stories of 2017 and a glimpse of what to expect next year.
California Data Demo Day DATA Act DATA Act Summit Financial Data Summit 2017 Financial Transparency Act GAO Inspector General OMB Open Data OPEN Government Data Act SEC
FROM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR HUDSON HOLLISTER: "We call on the new Trump Administration and the 115th Congress to enforce (and expand) the DATA Act, embrace a government-wide transformation of all information resources through the OPEN Government Data Act, and initiate regulatory reforms that use open data to reduce burdens, governed by the Financial Transparency Act and other reforms. I am optimistic that we will realize all three goals."
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has released two reports assessing the federal government’s work on the DATA Act. Nine months from now, in May 2017, every federal agency must begin reporting standardized spending data. If the agencies follow the law, and if they report good, quality data, they’ll create the world’s most valuable open data set: a single, standardized view of the spending of the entire federal executive branch.
At this morning’s Data Breakfast, hosted by the Data Coalition and presented by Esri, current and former federal analytics leaders, moderated by former Postal Service Inspector General Dave Williams, explored the use of analytics for oversight. The panelists were unanimous: if agencies invest in consistent data standards for the wealth of information that they collect and generate, antifraud analytics can generate outsized returns.
Today the Data Coalition commended the House Oversight Committee’s subcommittees on Information Technology and Government Operations on an effective oversight hearing on the implementation of the DATA Act of 2014, the nation’s first open data law. Jointly chaired by IT subcommittee chairman Will Hurd (R-TX) and Government Operations subcommittee chairman Mark Meadows (R-NC), the hearing revealed that federal agencies are on track to transform their spending information from disconnected documents into standardized, open data by May 2017, as the DATA Act requires.
On Friday the Government Accountability Office released a report (PDF) evaluating the federal government's progress toward transforming its spending information from disconnected documents into open data - a transformation mandated by the DATA Act of 2014.
To track its spending on contractors and grantees, the U.S. federal government uses a code that is proprietary - which means this public information can’t be shared without paying a private contractor. But yesterday, the government took a first step away from that inefficient and anti-competitive arrangement. 
We're much obliged to Ari Hoffnung, Senior Adviser at Coalition member Socrata, Inc., for this blog post. Socrata helps public sector organizations improve transparency, citizen service, and data-driven decision-making. Ari is a national leader in promoting financial transparency and previously served as the New York City Deputy Comptroller for Budget & Public Affairs. He was also the driving force behind the award-winning Checkbook NYC website.