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A number of bills and advocacy efforts related to public and open data have been in the news in the past week. Three years in the making, some have called the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act (DATA Act) the most significant open-government legislation since the Freedom of Information Act in 1966. Other data-related legislation is being passed or debated in MD, MO, and NYC.
NYU’s GovLab launches OpenData500 website
This week, New York University’s GovLab officially launched the Open Data 500 website, which features a comprehensive analysis of U.S. companies that use open government data as a key part of their business. The event was hosted by the Center for Data Innovation, who APDU joined in support of Data Innovation Day in January.
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The 25-Year Medicare Data Drought
The big news this week was the release of Medicare payment data for 880,000 providers. For the past 35 years, the data have been kept from the public because the American Medical Association feared that people would not understand the data. Privacy was another concern.
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Census needs prioritized IT research & testing
The Census Bureau has made progress in researching and testing IT options for the 2020 Decennial Census, but several of the supporting projects lack schedules and plans. Overall, it’s uncertain whether they will be completed in time to inform the decision on the operational design for the 2020 census, planned for September 2015.
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U.S. global development lab begins operations
The Lab’s creation is part of a strategic decision to emphasize innovation as one of the critical tools needed to end extreme poverty and achieve broad-based economic growth in light of a number of converging trends.
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New & Updated Data Sources
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New, improved IRS data
Recently, the Center for Responsive Politics pointed out deficiencies in a critical data set the IRS makes available to the public. This month, the IRS released the newest version of that data, known as 990 extracts, which have been improved considerably.
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Visualization of the Week
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Indie coffee shops in SF & walkingshed communities
Independent coffee shops are seen as positive indicators of a vibrant, living community. They function as social spaces, urban offices, and places to relax. This visualization shows every independent coffee shop and its walkingshed community.
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Notable Data Publications
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GOVERNMENT
NON-PROFIT & FOUNDATIONS
UNIVERSITY
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Did you work on a great report that you want your colleagues to know about? Just email us and we’ll include it here.
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APDU maintains a list of open calls for comment on proposed federal data collections. We periodically alert APDU members to newly added calls for comment. Over the last several weeks, calls for comment on the following proposed data collections were published in the Federal Register (with due date):
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Administration for Children and Families
- To determine grant award decisions and to monitor grant performance among State Agencies Administering FVPSA Grants
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Collect statistics on the extent and nature of illness and disability of the population of the United States
- The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry is creating an agency to standardize data on toxic substances and related incidents that may harm the public.
Department of Agriculture
- WIC Local Agency Directory
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