Introduction
Open data portals put tools for transparency, accountability, and innovation directly into the hands of its users through a centralized, user-friendly interface. Open data portals serve to provide the public and other government agencies with a platform for locating and accessing authoritative non-confidential government data. In providing a centralized data catalog users, will be able to analyze and consume publishable government data to better understand what is happening in government at all levels — local, state and federal. The concept of “Open Data” describes data that are freely available, machine-readable, and formatted according to national technical standards to facilitate visibility and re-use of published data. Open data portals were developed to catalog and enable data to be more readily discoverable.
Portals offers access to standardized data that can be easily retrieved, downloaded, sorted, searched, analyzed, redistributed and re-used by individuals, business, researchers, journalists, developers, and government to process, trend, and innovate, using a single data table or combinations of data tables. New technologies have dramatically changed both the way government conducts business and the public’s expectations about access to government information. As part of this transformation, open data portals have been built in order to increase public access to non-confidential governmental data. Its goals are to spark innovation, promote research and economic opportunities, engage public participation in government, increase transparency, and inform decision-making.
California Open Data Principles
Be a Trusted Source
We want to be your trusted source of information. We commit to publishing authoritative, non-confidential government data.
Accessible Always
Everything must be accessible by default, from government sites to data. Making data machine-readable from routine and mandated reports is a step toward accessibility. Commit to making publishable state data open and freely available in accessible formats for the public to reuse and redistribute.
Foster Interoperability
Publish high quality data with comprehensive metadata and documentation to foster interoperability and maximize public understanding of the data.
Be Agile and Lean
Foster an open data process that streamlines, rather than duplicates the work of the data owners. Promote Collaboration: Commit to providing a platform that promotes innovation and collaboration for citizens and government use.