search

GSA / participate-nap4

Participate in the 4th U.S. National Action Plan for Open Government
https://open.usa.gov/national-action-plan/4/
13 stars 10 forks source link

Blockchain: Building Public Trust in Government Data #15

Open philipashlock opened 7 years ago

jstclair-HFT commented 7 years ago

I would be happy to assist.

akarides commented 7 years ago
bsweger commented 7 years ago

TL;DR This is a big, hairy problem that almost certainly cannot be solved with technology.

Before suggesting a technical solution for improving public trust in government data, we have to understand why the public doesn't trust government data.

For example:

  1. Data is hard to find
  2. Data is hard to use (it's in PDF, it's fronted by non-intuitive interfaces, etc.)
  3. Data lacks documentation, making it impossible to understand key information like data provenance and last update
  4. Data is published irregularly
  5. Agencies don't provide public support for the data they publish, often due to lack of resources
  6. There are multiple federal data sources for similar topics
  7. It's difficult or impossible to link together related data
  8. Some agencies are exempted from or ignore federal data quality standards
  9. Data definitions and formats change from year to year, making time series analysis challenging or impossible
  10. Public has no way of knowing what data isn't published

(this list is anecdotal, drawn from personal experience in a private sector job)

Now that I work for the federal government (though am commenting here in a personal capacity), I've seen that many of the above grievances result from a culture that actively discourages sharing data and engaging with the public.

Technology is a critical tool, but it will never solve open data's political and cultural challenges. In fact, starting with a technical solution often diverts limited attention and resources away from the real hard work, resulting in a waste of tax dollars.

A better place to start might be to find out who doesn't trust government data and why. Only then will we have the necessary info to outline a possible solution to this important problem.

JoshData commented 7 years ago

I love that list @bsweger.

akarides commented 7 years ago

Cocreation

Topline Description

Incentivizing Open Government Emerging Tech Innovation Initiative to Improve Emergency Response

Measurable Metrics

• Establish decentralized distributed open data on a blockchain containing critical emergency response data o Opening data on-ramps through building open API’s and open source software o Storing datasets in multiple distributed locations o Opening federally funded research data conducted by major research organizations, scientific publications, and professional associations to have their data published openly • Professionalize the Management of Data o Declaring emergency response data as a national asset • Encourage private-public collaboration to improve emergency response through the implementation of open procurement by offering relevant documents on a blockchain

Outcomes

• Agencies, departments, and organizations are incentivized to achieve these goals by receiving capital funds comprised of the money saved by enacting these technologies (see cloud computing incentives in MGT Act) •Lives are saved through enhanced emergency response