Two Years of Transformative Open Data for Public Good

Two years ago, in 2013, President Barack Obama signed an Executive Order to improve how our government shares information for the benefit of the American people. The EO meant that for the first time in history, Federal government data was required to be open by default with common standards and machine-readable formats. As a result, government information is now more easily discoverable with the necessary safeguards to prevent release of sensitive and personally identifiable information. Data is a vital national resource, empowering Americans to fuel entrepreneurship, innovation, scientific discovery, and economic growth throughout all 50 states.

Through implementation of the Open Data Policy and US Open Data Action Plan, today’s Federal government serves as an engine to expand economic growth and opportunity for all Americans through the release of government data. Moreover, since information about government operations is more readily available, this data helps create a more efficient and transparent government. In opening government data, the United States has proven itself a world leader. Just a few years ago, only a few other countries had national open data sites like data.gov. Now 75 other countries have open data sites and are committed to expanding open government to their citizens. We’re excited to continue implementing the US Open Data Action Plan and we look forward to sharing an update on progress of that implementation soon. We remain committed to helping advance the open data movement worldwide, and look forward to seeing the creative ways that people like you continue to use open data to benefit society.