The Dynamics of Opening Government Data

There is growing interest at all levels of government to increase access to and use of government data in support of good governance. To help them figure it out, governments are reaching out to academic researchers, industry, and citizens to develop innovative, cost effective ways to better serve the public.

According to a white paper just released by the Center for Technology in Government entitled "The Dynamics of Opening Government Data", governments around the world are working to advance 'open government' principles and use 'open data'  in more effective ways to better serve the public.

One way governments are doing this is by developing the new policies and management practices that allow them to open their government data by taking advantage of the power of innovative information technologies (IT) coupled with efforts to foster increased public-private sector collaboration .

“If public leaders want to pursue opening government, particularly through the use of new technologies and information-driven activities, they need a good understanding of how the process works,” said Natalie Helbig, the lead author of the report.

The information policy perspective described in this white paper provides governments with a way to identify the various stakeholders and their patterns of interaction, and the flow and uses of public information resources.The white paper was produced by the Center for Technology in Government at the State University of New York (SUNY) in Albany.

This latest white paper, along with two other interesting papers produced by the Center for Technology in Government on the topic of 'open' government include "Delivering Public Value Through Open Government" and "Opening Government with Information", have a bearing on new and innovative ways governments can go about improving healthcare in the U.S. and round the world – in collaboration with the private sector.

For more information about studies, reports, and papers produced by the center on 'Open Government', visit their web site at http://www.ctg.albany.edu/

Other publications that may be of interest to our readers on the related topics of 'open source', 'open access', 'open data', and 'open standards' for health IT systems can be found on the Open Health News web site.