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Global organizations are increasingly adopting technology lessons from the commercial sector-in particular, technology that facilitates "openness." In a tangible sense, this openness could be misunderstood as a global increase in government-managed websites. In reality, governments all over the world are empowering people with greater access to public information while also helping citizens extract value from this data. The popularity of data liberation has been reflected in a portfolio of new policies that are increasingly being coordinated among nations. In this article, one of the global leaders in open innovation, Socrata, identifies where these open data initiatives are working well, the common trends between them, and how government leaders and policymakers could replicate the success for their own constituencies.
Data All Around Us
In October 2012, with Hurricane Sandy closing in on Manhattan, the New York City government posted information about evacuation zones, shelters, and food centers to its web-based, open data portal. Without any formal mandate or procurement, civic developers and other government response workers then developed dynamic digital maps that citizens could access on their mobile devices. This public information was placed directly in the hands of the people who needed it, and it helped them in clear and measurable ways. After the storm, Rachael Haot, New York City's chief digital officer, said, "We estimate that collectively we served and informed ten times as many individuals-hundreds of thousands of people-by embracing an open strategy."1
This story illustrates a growing global trend toward government transparency and accountability. Governments are finding innovative ways to liberate data from antiquated "vaults" in order to help agencies perform their core services. Whether for disaster response or more routine functions- such as managing education systems, health care, housing services, business permits, safety inspections, parking resources, or even fighting crime-governments are using data to improve quality of life.
Of course, this evolving landscape would not function well if the system only included publishers. Data consumers, ranging from scientists fighting climate change to parents who are curious about local graduation rates, are also contributing new ideas and approaches to the open data movement. Indeed, a growing and self-perpetuating ecosystem of innovation has arisen from the exchange between data producers and consumers. Policymakers must understand and advance this ecosystem so that they...