Month: September 2020

As the past few months have demonstrated, ensuring that the public has access to trustworthy and dependable open government data can be a matter of life and death. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, scientists and policymakers have used open data to learn more about the virus and plan effective responses to it, examining everything from mobile phone mobility data to information about health system capacities. Our communities at large- from small business owners to K-12 schools, universities to sports programs- are relying on this information to make critical decisions about bringing people back into the office or sending kids back into the classroom this fall.

Open case count and new infection rate data has been an invaluable reference point in helping states in their efforts to slow the spread of the virus. Tools, like IBM’s COVID-19 Notebooks and Johns Hopkins University’s COVID-19 dashboard have become critical resources, and open data makes them possible. By automating the process of pulling in and normalizing data from hundreds of resources from across the country and around the globe, these tools provide users with access to real-time data at the national, state, and county levels that can provide a more holistic picture of what the virus is doing in their community (including infection rate and amount of testing) and adjust their response accordingly.

As we inch closer to an effective vaccine, ensuring that researchers can share and collaborate around datasets will remain a top priority. COVID-19 has also illustrated the critical importance of ensuring that our data institutions rest on solid legal foundations, that they are backed by adequate resources, and that this groundwork has been laid in advance of an emergency. In this blog, we’ll take a look at more ways that this data can be used to tackle diverse problems, and how states can make sure they are taking full advantage of the unique data they produce, including the best ways to give those resources a solid legal foundation through legislation.

Adding Value Through Open Data

Of course, the value of data extends far beyond responding to public health crises. Collaboration around “open data” –   i.e., non-sensitive government data that is made freely available to the public in non-proprietary, machine readable formats via non-restrictive licenses – can unlock opportunities that spark the economy and fuel job growth in virtually every industry sector. Another example of how open data is helping address the disruptions associated with COVID is Microsoft’s partnership with Purdue University to examine the pandemic’s impact on agricultural supply chains. By analyzing an array of data, including Department of Agriculture datasets and county-level case counts, the tool shows how the supply of beef, chicken, and other farmed food are impacted by the spread of COVID-19. By monitoring spikes in cases in and around major agricultural hubs and distribution networks, the tool can help food distributors safeguard their supply chains and prevent disruptions. For instance, by giving poultry farmers an advanced warning that their distribution network may be delayed, the tool could prevent spoilage and waste that would arise if they were forced to butcher their flock without enough available processing capacity to sell the meat, leading to devastating waste.

Open data can also improve the quality and accountability of public services. In Illinois, the Citizens Utility Board, a non-profit watchdog organization, relies on open data to ensure that the state’s utilities are administered in a fair manner. By analyzing historical data from smart meters, they discovered that the pricing practices of local utilities companies had a discriminatory impact on low-income customers.  Indeed, although historical usage data demonstrated that low-income customers were less likely to use power at peak times (when it’s costlier to produce), they were nonetheless paying rates driven up by use during those peak hours, revealing a not-insignificant billing inequality between high and low-income users. Advocates are using these findings to advocate for fairer pricing policies, like switching to a time-of-use pricing model.  

Open data also facilitates unique public-private collaborations that can unlock solutions to longstanding challenges. For instance, one Harlem resident is leveraging open data in a bid to improve the efficiency of the city’s public transportation system while making NYC streets safer for cyclists.  Frustrated by the frequent blockage of bus and cycling lanes, Alex Bell created a tool that processes traffic camera data to identify where illegal parking problems are at their worst and help city officials identify where traffic enforcement resources are most needed. By quantifying the problem, Mr. Bell’s tool can help city officials take a data-driven approach to solving a longstanding community challenge. Like many thorny public policy issues, the blocked bike lanes were a known nuisance but very difficult to track and address on a broader scale. Open data gave the programmer the ability to look at the problem in a different way, giving the city actionable information they didn’t have before.

The Missing Piece: A Legal Foundation

Although COVID has heightened public awareness about the importance of maintaining reliable access to trustworthy state government data, very few states have formalized the policies that are critical to supporting their open data efforts. Indeed, as the chart below indicates, fewer than 20 states have any formal policy at all when it comes to open data. And among the small number of states that do have policies on the books, many lack key features and safeguards that are critical to the long-term effectiveness of an open data framework. For instance:

• Legislative Framework: Formally codifying a state’s open data policies is important for a number of reasons. Unlike executive orders (or even less formal arrangements), open data policies that are backed by legislation are more likely to be sustainable because they withstand changes in executive leadership, ensure that the program is eligible for adequate funding, and demonstrate an all-of-government commitment to its success.
• Chief Data Officer: The Chief Data Officer (CDO) is responsible for overseeing the stewardship of the state’s data resources and ensure that agencies are fully leveraging their own data as a strategic asset. CDOs partner with agencies to provide guidance on data management best practices that will improve the security, interoperability, and value of state government data.
• Public-Private Advisory Council: Establishing a public-private advisory council to work alongside the CDO to help identify data that would be most impactful to the public is a key to enhancing the ROI of open data policies. By “publishing with purpose”- i.e., prioritizing the release of data that is relevant to specific social, environmental, economic, technological, scientific or educational challenges – states can ensure that their open data policies are tailored to the needs of their citizens and local businesses.
• Open Data Portal: Centralized open data portals provide the community with efficient access to state government data in machine-readable formats and under open licenses, ensuring that the data is as useful as possible for the widest range of applications.

BSA looks forward to seeing what communities can accomplish when state level data is made more widely available- and we hope that state legislation can be a useful stepping stone in unlocking the unrealized potential of those resources.

Click here to download an interactive version of the map and table.