Data drives America.

Data increasingly supports and sometimes determines how we resolve our most important challenges. Government executives need practical approaches to sharing data among trusted partners and with the public in order to successfully manage their missions and deliver services. They need best practices for governing information exchange; ensuring data quality; and collecting, exposing, applying and reusing the right material.

"Making Data Public, Meaningful and Effective," the first in a series of three webinars in partnership with Government Executive, provides actionable insight into applying data sharing best practices for government executives. This Executive Guide provides the key points from the webinar with added value through additional on-line resources, including information on the other two upcoming webinars "Collaborative Leadership: The Recovery Act and Beyond" and "Practical Transparency: Applying Exchange Networks for Mission Results." You can also sign up to receive daily Collaborative Government Today e-newsletters from the Initiative, where you can keep up-to-date on developments in data-sharing, transparency and collaborative government.

A full replay of the webinar is available here:

To view the October 29 webinar in archives, please click here.

The Data Sharing Imperative

Political influences and changing citizen expectations have created a data sharing imperative.

• Agencies need data to measure performance
• Agencies need to share across all levels of government to achieve mission and policy goals
• Public now wants to understand and participate in government
• Public wants to hold government accountable

Common Principles of Effective Data Exchange

Regardless of type, many of the principals for effective data sharing are the same:

• Collect the Right Data
• Ensure Data Quality
• Authenticate Data/Security
• Make Context Understandable
• Govern data usage

Attributes and Pitfalls of Data Sharing

The CGI Initiative for Collaborative Government has identified several key attributes and pitfalls of both Trusted Partner Data Sharing and Public Data Sharing environments:

Trusted Partner Data Sharing

Examples: National Information Exchange Model (NIEM) | National Environmental Information Exchange Network

Public Data Sharing

Examples: HHS/CMS Hospital Compare | Recovery.gov

Key Practical Takeaways

• Understand that exposing your data comes with good and bad. Provide resources to describe the context of the data – why it was collected and how it can be used.
• Establish governance around any trusted data exchange or public data sharing. This will ensure agreed-upon usages and ensure data quality.
• Get a data architect on board.  A data architect is a specialist who will ensure IT systems are designed with data standards and built for data sharing and extraction.
• As you expose the data to the public, monitor how it is being used. Look for ways to improve context and presentation of data based on how it is being used.
• Understand the risks with data exposure. Ensure that the data is secure from threats and corruption.
• If aggregating data from different sources/partners, ensure data standards are defined and agreed-upon.
• Don’t reinvent – reuse. Use existing models of data sharing.

Additional Resources:

Data.gov | Apps.gov | USASpending.gov

Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) - National Environmental Information Exchange Network

HHS Nationwide Health Information Network (NHIN)

Rhode Island Adult Criminal Information Database

Pennsylvania Environment Facility Application Compliance Tracking System (eFACTS)

Video - Making Data Public, Effective and Meaningful:

Molly O'Neill discusses effective data sharing.

Molly O'Neill

At EPA, Molly O’Neill was responsible for information technology infrastructure, data collection and exchange, information technology policies, enterprise architecture, information security, and the information quality program. She established an innovative center of excellence that advanced the creation, management, and use of information as a strategic resource. She also championed innovation in data transparency, data-sharing, and collaboration.

Prior to her appointment at the EPA, she served as the State Director for the National Environmental Information Exchange Network for the Environmental Council of the States. She worked with the EPA, state environmental agencies, and tribes to establish and manage an evolutionary information network, which allows millions of vital data records to be shared across the country.

For additonal information and to register for the upcoming webinars, please click on the links below:

Collaborative Leadership: The Recovery Act and Beyond

Practical Transparency: Applying Exchange Networks for Mission Results