open local government data

Open Local
Government Data
The New Performance Challenge
Marcus D. Mauldin, The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
can be further disseminated into transparency of government operations, procedures and tasks (government transparency) and transparency of government-held data (data transparency). Transparency of a
government is a means for achieving accountable government that
measures and tracks the outcomes of its actions and takes responsibility
for the results. Letting people see the internal government flows and
investigate whether their representatives have met their expectations
is an important step for achieving accountable government. Data openness is a necessary prerequisite for transparency, and it is being promoted around the world as part of the Open Government initiatives (Open
data portals, 2011). However, the transparency of data overcomes data
openness and availability because transparency of data is about ensuring that the data are well known, comprehensible, easily accessible,
collaboration within the government (G2G — government to government), intra-collaboration between government and non-profit organizations and the private sector (G2B — government to businesses) and
external collaboration between the government and the citizens (G2C —
government to citizens).
Conceptual Model
of Open Government
2.2. Benchmarking open government
Benchmarking is used as a tool for making comparisons between
two or more entities based on a defined set of indicators (Rorissa,
Demissi, & Pardo, 2011). Schellong (2009) emphasizes the importance
of benchmarking e-government by explaining that it indicates progress
in reaching e-government goals and that it can be used as a tool for
Fig. 1. Conceptual model of open government.
Source: Veljkovic, N., Bogdanovic-Dinic, S., & Stoimenov, L. (2014). Benchmarking Open Government: An
Open Data Perspective. Government Information Quarterly , 31, 278-290.
What is Open Data?
•  Accessible public data that should be available to
anyone for any use
•  Key Features
•  Availability and access
•  Reuse and distribution
•  Universal participation
•  Is it a good or service?
Open Data initiatives
•  The Open Knowledge Foundation identifies
•  70 U.S. cities with open data initiatives
•  580 datasets
•  141 (24%) open datasets
•  Available Types of Data
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Budget and finance
Business listings
Crime reports
Contracts
311 Service calls
GIS
Property
Reported benefits of
open data
•  Government transparency
•  Improved service provision
•  Improved service efficiencies
•  Increased participation
•  Promotion of innovation and start-up activities
•  Economic value
How Open data
are used
•  Citizen participation
• 
• 
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Tool used to support demands
Promotion of accountability
Personal decision making
Community-level governance
•  Entrepreneurial endeavors
•  Business decision making
•  Market/Customer identification
•  App development
d high-value datasets that are present on the portals. This study
arly addresses one aspect of the Open Government model, which is
en data, but it is necessary that an Open Government benchmark
o addresses other Open Government features, namely, transparency,
laboration and participation, and defines appropriate criteria and
ales for measurement.
this paper.
3.1. Basic dataset indicator
Performance
Measurement Challenges
Benchmark model proposal for open government
Our OG benchmark model proposal (OpenGovB) was developed to
plore the boundaries of government openness and discover whether
The basic dataset (BDS) indicator determines the presence of
predefined set of high-value open data categories. These categories ca
vary in different countries, but to establish a standard assessme
model, it is crucial for a basic set of categories to be defined and adopte
Upon analysis of open data portals around the world (Veljkov
Bogdanović-Dinić, & Stoimenov, 2011a), we have singled out the nin
most common data categories: Finance and Economy, Environmen
Health, Energy, Education, Transportation, Infrastructure, Employme
Fig. 2. Sources, indicators and results of the OpenGovB model.
Source: Veljkovic, N., Bogdanovic-Dinic, S., & Stoimenov, L. (2014). Benchmarking Open Government: An Open Data Perspective.
Government Information Quarterly , 31, 278-290.
Performance
Measurement Challenges
•  Veljkovic’s model does not speak to outcomes associated
with open data use
•  Focuses on how well initiatives are implemented
•  Focuses on the relative openness
•  Considers participation to be a goal
Other Considerations
•  What products are being developed?
•  What’s the economic impact of open data?
•  How are data being used to improve quality of life?
•  What are the societal benefits of open data?
•  What are the effects of increased participation?
Performance
Measurement Challenges
•  Must be clear about the intent of open data initiatives
•  Should make linkages between open data and
organizational performance
•  For example, 311 Data
•  Must understand how data are used
•  Consider holding users accountable for use
Future research
•  Survey of local government open data initiatives
•  Focus on issues related to open data efforts
•  Identification of local government open data policies and
strategies
•  Development of a local government data inventory
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