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Data.gov needs some “Tough Love” if it’s to be successful

I just finished commenting on Data.gov on the NIEM LinkedIn Group and thought I would share what I wrote here on my blog.

I just finished watching a rerun episode of Tough Love on VH1 and I know some of you will think this is a bit odd, but the show led me to some thoughts about how to give the Data.gov project some focus and priority.

You’re probably wondering what Data.gov has to do with eight beautiful women looking for marriage and long-lasting love, but believe it or not, the show and Data.gov have a lot in common.

In this particular episode of the show, the “boot camp” director was focusing on communication skills. He made it very clear to the ladies that communication is very important in making a good first impression with a would be suitor. In the show he counseled the ladies that if they wanted to make a good impression, the ladies would need to:

• Listen carefully to what their date is telling them about what’s important to them;
• Make the conversation about “them” on first contact and avoid bragging about yourself; and
• Resist the urge to reveal too much information about their own respective private lives.

While I will avoid speaking to the validity of this counsel as it applies to love, I would like to suggest that these three rules are also quite relevant in our efforts to have a more transparent, open and collaborative government.

Along these lines, I offer the following three suggestions for Data.gov’s first (transparent, open and collaborative) date with America:

1. Ask the public (and Congress) what they specifically want to see on Data.gov and the forthcoming dashboard; all apologies to Aneesh Chopra and Vivek Kundra, but I do not believe (as they spoke in the December 8th webcast) that citizens really care much about things like average airline delay times, visa application wait times, or who visited the Whitehouse yesterday. I particualry suggest they work with Congressional Oversight Committees to make Data.gov a tool that Congress can (and will) use.
2. Make Data.gov about demonstrating the good things that Federal agencies do that directly impact the general public. It’s no surprise that most agencies do a poor job of explaining to citizens what they do. I suggest reviving the OMB Performance Assessment Rating Tool (PART) Program (which appears to have died on the vine with the new administration) and use the performance measures in the Program Results/Accountability section to better communicate the relevant value these agencies deliver to citizens.
3. Focus Data.gov data sources and the desire for openness on the critical few measures and metrics that matter to the public. Avoid the urge to just “get the data posted” – not many people will care about how many kilowatt hours of hydroelectric power the Bureau of Reclamation is counting, how many FOIA requests the Department of Justice received, or the Toxic Release Inventory for the Mariana Islands. Information sharing is most successful when it is directly relevant with the person (or agency)with whom you are sharing.

I’ll let you know if the next episode is as enlightening as this was.

r/Chuck

Data.gov CONOP: Nice document, but fails to address non-technical issues affecting transparency

I just took a look at the OMB Data.Gov Concept of Operations, and while I don’t want to sound like a party pooper, but I am very concerned about the Data.gov effort. We appear to be moving full speed ahead with the technical aspect of making data available on data.gov without really thinking through the policy, politics, resource, and other non-technical aspects of the project that could really hurt what could be a very valuable resource.

A few concerns I have include:

1. None of the Data.gov principles in the CONOP address the “real-world effects” we hope to achieve through data.gov–from an operational programs perspective. All seven principles in the CONOP address “internal” activities (means). We need to address success in terms of what citizens will realize through the Data.gov effort.

2. The entire Data.gov effort appears to be driven out of context from any government performance planning and evaluation process. Shouldn’t the need for data transparency be driven by specific strategic management questions?  Where are the links to the President’s Management Agenda? Agency strategic plans?

3. There are more than 200 Congressional Committees with varying degrees of oversight of over a similar number of agencies in the Executive Branch. How will Data.gov impact Congress’ efforts to monitor (oversee) agency performance? What will happen when there is a disparity between a) what an agency says it’s doing, b) what oversight committee(s) say they are doing, and c) how the public views that agency’s performance based on data posted on Data.gov?

4. Transparency, Participation and Collaboration (TPC) are the buzz words of the month, but what does that really mean?  The opening sentence of the CONOP states “Data.gov is a flagship Administration initiative intended to allow the public to easily find, access, understand, and use data that are generated by the Federal government.” Do we really expect the general public to access and analyze the data at Data.gov? If so, do we really understand how the public will want to see/access the information? More importantly, are we (agencies) fully prepared to digest and respond to received public feedback?

5. Who will pay the agencies to support data transparency? Do we really understand the burden involved in achieving open government? The last thing federal agencies need is another unfunded mandate.

6. Finally, how do we know the data that’s made accessible via Data.gov is good data (correct)? The GPRA required OIG review and certification of agency data published in annual performance reports. What can we expect in the way of quality from near-real-time access to agency performance data? Will we require the same data quality process for data feeds posted on Data.gov? Will agencies be funded to do it right? 

I provide similar commentary on this issue and an analysis of the recent Executive Order in a December 17th blog posting here: http://www.nowheretohide.org/2009/12/17/open-government-directive-another-ambiguous-unfunded-and-edental-mandate/

Don’t get me wrong, I am all for open government, but let’s do it right. Let’s give the techies a couple of days off and let’s take a good hard look at the non-technical issues that could really hurt this effort if they’re not properly addressed.

Your comments and thoughts welcomed.

Thanks…r/Chuck