Open Government DirectiveIn the Memorandum on Transparency and Open Government, issued on January 21, 2009, the President instructed the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to issue an Open Government Directive. Responding to that instruction, this memorandum is intended to direct executive departments and agencies to take specific actions to implement the principles of transparency, participation, and collaboration set forth in the President’s Memorandum. This Directive was informed by recommendations from the Federal Chief Technology Officer, who solicited public comment through the White House Open Government Initiative. The three principles of transparency, participation, and collaboration form the cornerstone of an open government. Transparency promotes accountability by providing the public with information about what the Government is doing. Participation allows members of the public to contribute ideas and expertise so that their government can make policies with the benefit of information that is widely dispersed in society. Collaboration improves the effectiveness of Government by encouraging partnerships and cooperation within the Federal Government, across levels of government, and between the Government and private institutions. This Open Government Directive establishes deadlines for action. But because of the presumption of openness that the President has endorsed, agencies are encouraged to advance their open government initiatives well ahead of those deadlines. In addition to the steps delineated in this memorandum, Attorney General Eric Holder earlier this year issued new guidelines for agencies with regard to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). With those guidelines, the Attorney General reinforced the principle that openness is the Federal Government’s default position for FOIA issues. This memorandum (M-10-06) requires executive departments and agencies to take the ... steps toward the goal of creating a more open government.Office of Management and BudgetOMB_3c5f5662-15dd-11df-acf8-36307a64ea2aA more open government_3c5f58ec-15dd-11df-acf8-36307a64ea2aTo require executive departments and agencies to take ... steps toward the goal of creating a more open government_3c5f59be-15dd-11df-acf8-36307a64ea2aTransparencyParticipationCollaborationOnline InformationPublish Government Information Online_3c5f5a7c-15dd-11df-acf8-36307a64ea2a1Openness and RecordsAgencies shall respect the presumption of openness by publishing information online (in addition to any other planned or mandated publication methods) and by preserving and maintaining electronic information, consistent with the Federal Records Act and other applicable law and policy._3c5f5b26-15dd-11df-acf8-36307a64ea2a1.aTimely publication of information is an essential component of transparency. Delays should not be viewed as an inevitable and insurmountable consequence of high demand.Open FormatsTo the extent practicable and subject to valid restrictions, agencies should publish information online in an open format that can be retrieved, downloaded, indexed, and searched by commonly used web search applications._3c5f5be4-15dd-11df-acf8-36307a64ea2a1.bAn open format is one that is platform independent, machine readable, and made available to the public without restrictions that would impede the re-use of that information.Information DisseminationTo the extent practical and subject to valid restrictions, agencies should proactively use modern technology to disseminate useful information, rather than waiting for specific requests under FOIA._3c5f5ca2-15dd-11df-acf8-36307a64ea2a1.cHigh-Value Data SetsWithin 45 days, each agency shall identify and publish online in an open format at least three high-value data sets (see attachment section 3.a.i) and register those data sets via Data.gov._3c5f5d6a-15dd-11df-acf8-36307a64ea2a1.dThese must be data sets not previously available online or in a downloadable format.Open Government WebpagesWithin 60 days, each agency shall create an Open Government Webpage located at http://www.[agency].gov/open to serve as the gateway for agency activities related to the Open Government Directive and shall maintain and update that webpage in a timely fashion._3c5f5e3c-15dd-11df-acf8-36307a64ea2a1.eOpen Government Input and FeedbackEach Open Government Webpage shall incorporate a mechanism for the public to: i. Give feedback on and assessment of the quality of published information; ii. Provide input about which information to prioritize for publication; and iii. Provide input on the agency’s Open Government Plan._3c5f5f18-15dd-11df-acf8-36307a64ea2a1.fSee objective 3.a.Input ResponsesEach agency shall respond to public input received on its Open Government Webpage on a regular basis._3c5f6120-15dd-11df-acf8-36307a64ea2a1.gFOIA ReportsEach agency shall publish its annual Freedom of Information Act Report in an open format on its Open Government Webpage in addition to any other planned dissemination methods._3c5f6210-15dd-11df-acf8-36307a64ea2a1.hFOIA BacklogsEach agency with a significant pending backlog of outstanding Freedom of Information requests shall take steps to reduce any such backlog by ten percent each year._3c5f62f6-15dd-11df-acf8-36307a64ea2a1.iComplianceEach agency shall comply with guidance on implementing specific Presidential open government initiatives, such as Data.gov, eRulemaking, IT Dashboard, Recovery.gov, and USAspending.gov._3c5f63f0-15dd-11df-acf8-36307a64ea2a1.jTo increase accountability, promote informed participation by the public, and create economic opportunity, each agency shall take prompt steps to expand access to information by making it available online in open formats. With respect to information, the presumption shall be in favor of openness (to the extent permitted by law and subject to valid privacy, confidentiality, security, or other restrictions).Information QualityImprove the Quality of Government Information_3c5f64e0-15dd-11df-acf8-36307a64ea2a2To improve the quality of government information available to the public, senior leaders should make certain that the information conforms to OMB guidance on information quality and that adequate systems and processes are in place within the agencies to promote such conformity.Spending Accountability OfficersWithin 45 days, each agency, in consultation with OMB, shall designate a high-level senior official to be accountable for the quality and objectivity of, and internal controls over, the Federal spending information publicly disseminated through such public venues as USAspending.gov or other similar websites._3c5f65ee-15dd-11df-acf8-36307a64ea2a2.aThe official shall participate in the agency’s Senior Management Council, or similar governance structure, for the agency-wide internal control assessment pursuant to the Federal Managers’ Financial Integrity Act.Spending Information QualityWithin 60 days, the Deputy Director for Management at OMB will issue, through separate guidance or as part of any planned comprehensive management guidance, a framework for the quality of Federal spending information publicly disseminated through such public venues as USAspending.gov or other similar websites._3c5f66f2-15dd-11df-acf8-36307a64ea2a2.bThe framework shall require agencies to submit plans with details of the internal controls implemented over information quality, including system and process changes, and the integration of these controls within the agency’s existing infrastructure. An assessment will later be made as to whether additional guidance on implementing OMB guidance on information quality is necessary to cover other types of government information disseminated to the public.Spending Transparency StrategyWithin 120 days, the Deputy Director for Management at OMB will issue, through separate guidance or as part of any planned comprehensive management guidance, a longer-term comprehensive strategy for Federal spending transparency, including the Federal Funding Accountability Transparency Act and the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act._3c5f6814-15dd-11df-acf8-36307a64ea2a2.cThis guidance will identify the method for agencies to report quarterly on their progress toward improving their information quality.CultureCreate and Institutionalize a Culture of Open Government_3c5f6936-15dd-11df-acf8-36307a64ea2a3Open Government PlansWithin 120 days, each agency shall develop and publish on its Open Government Webpage an Open Government Plan that will describe how it will improve transparency and integrate public participation and collaboration into its activities._3c5f6a76-15dd-11df-acf8-36307a64ea2a3.aAdditional details on the required content of this plan are attached. Each agency’s plan shall be updated every two years.Open Government DashboardWithin 60 days, the Federal Chief Information Officer and the Federal Chief Technology Officer shall create an Open Government Dashboard on www.whitehouse.gov/open._3c5f6bb6-15dd-11df-acf8-36307a64ea2a3.bThe Open Government Dashboard will make available each agency’s Open Government Plan, together with aggregate statistics and visualizations designed to provide an assessment of the state of open government in the Executive Branch and progress over time toward meeting the deadlines for action outlined in this Directive.Working GroupWithin 45 days, the Deputy Director for Management at OMB, the Federal Chief Information Officer, and the Federal Chief Technology Officer will establish a working group that focuses on transparency, accountability, participation, and collaboration within the Federal Government._3c5f6cf6-15dd-11df-acf8-36307a64ea2a3.cThis group, with senior level representation from program and management offices throughout the Government, will serve several critical functions, including: i. Providing a forum to share best practices on innovative ideas to promote transparency, including system and process solutions for information collection, aggregation, validation, and dissemination; ii. Coordinating efforts to implement existing mandates for Federal spending transparency, including the Federal Funding Accountability Transparency Act and the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act; and iii. Providing a forum to share best practices on innovative ideas to promote participation and collaboration, including how to experiment with new technologies, take advantage of the expertise and insight of people both inside and outside the Federal Government, and form high-impact collaborations with researchers, the private sector, and civil society.IncentivesWithin 90 days, the Deputy Director for Management at OMB will issue, through separate guidance or as part of any planned comprehensive management guidance, a framework for how agencies can use challenges, prizes, and other incentive-backed strategies to find innovative or cost-effective solutions to improving open government._3c5f6e40-15dd-11df-acf8-36307a64ea2a3.dTo create an unprecedented and sustained level of openness and accountability in every agency, senior leaders should strive to incorporate the values of transparency, participation, and collaboration into the ongoing work of their agency. Achieving a more open government will require the various professional disciplines within the Government – such as policy, legal, procurement, finance, and technology operations – to work together to define and to develop open government solutions. Integration of various disciplines facilitates organization-wide and lasting change in the way that Government works.Policy FrameworkCreate an Enabling Policy Framework for Open Government_3c5f6fb2-15dd-11df-acf8-36307a64ea2a4New TechnologiesWithin 120 days, the Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), in consultation with the Federal Chief Information Officer and the Federal Chief Technology Officer, will review existing OMB policies, such as Paperwork Reduction Act guidance and privacy guidance, to identify impediments to open government and to the use of new technologies and, where necessary, issue clarifying guidance and/or propose revisions to such policies, to promote greater openness in government._3c5f7124-15dd-11df-acf8-36307a64ea2a4.aEmerging technologies open new forms of communication between a government and the people. It is important that policies evolve to realize the potential of technology for open government.2009-12-082010-02-07http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/microsites/ogi-directive.pdfOwenAmburOwen.Ambur@verizon.net