301 - What The New DATA Act Means for Data Users

Hudson Hollister, Executive Director, Data Transparency CoalitionHeralded as the nation's first open data law, the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act of 2014 (DATA Act) requires agencies to publish government spending information in standardized machine-readable open data. Specifically, the law calls on the Treasury Department and the White House to establish government-wide standards for financial data; directs all agencies to use those standards for their reporting requirements; and expands the accountability platform developed by the Recovery Act's Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board (RATB) from stimulus spending to all spending. Proponents say the law will improve accountability to taxpayers and provide tools to reduce waste and abuse. What does this new law mean for data users? What changes or improvements can be expected? Does this law mean more open and public data reform is on the way? What data are collected? Who are the primary users? What research questions are most frequently answered with the agency's data set? How are the data collected? What are their strengths and weaknesses? How frequently are the data updated? At what level geography are they collected? What is the delay between the reference period and publication? How are the data disseminated? How is the agency's web delivery system structured? Who can the user contact if they want to know more about the data program