CASE

Open New York

Wiki Contributor History

May 17, 2017	Brendan Roach
December 22, 2016	Brendan Roach

Case Data

General Issues: Governance & Political Institutions

Specific Topics: Open Data; Government Transparency

Location

Building 5, 1220 Washington Avenue

Albany

New York

12226

United States

Scope of Influence: Regional

Start Date: August 1, 2011

Ongoing: Yes

Facilitators: No

Face-to-Face, Online, or Both: Online

Communication of Insights & Outcomes: Public Report; New Media

This entry was originally added in English. View this entry in its original language.

Problems and Purpose

The Open New York platform, a statewide collection of over 200 government agency data sets made available to the public, is part of a larger movement towards open data among public agencies. The move is motivated by not only a desire for increased transparency, but also for greater efficiency. In his announcement of the program, Governor Cuomo observed that “experience elsewhere has shown that making data publicly available reduces costs, makes government more efficient, and inspires productive collaborations with the private sector.”[1] The portal was established as part of a broader open government program set forth in a 2013 executive order. The commitment to transparency from the Cuomo Administration stemmed from Cuomo’s previous experiences as Attorney General of New York, when he launched Project Sunlight, an effort to improve transparency around campaign finance in the state.[2]

The announcement also shared previous successes of state-level open data platforms, such as a program in Texas that reduced spending by $4.8 million by using online data analysis to identify redundant spending, and programs in Massachusetts and South Carolina that have succeeded in reducing time-consuming information requests.[3] Since its launch, Open New York has gained renown for its comprehensive data sets covering all levels of state administration, each formatted according to uniform standards to allow easy cross-comparisons. The portal has been accessed by users in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, and over 200 countries and territories worldwide.[4]

History

The rapid evolution of information and communications technologies (ICTs) has expanded conceptions of transparency for democratic governments, as governments are now able to publish large amounts of information on organizations impacting the interests of constituents. By making such data publicly available, the prevailing argument holds, governments can be held more accountable by citizen watchdogs, and civic groups can work more effectively with elected leaders to develop new solutions to pressing issues.[5] Open New York was launched by Governor Andrew Cuomo in March 2013.[6] The program emerged from a pilot program launched in August 2011 by the State Health Department’s Maximizing Essential Tools for Research Innovation and eXcellence Project, or METRIX Project.[7] The establishment of Open New York also followed a 2012 decision by New York City leadership to release data sets on a public platform.[8]

The announcement of Open New York was accompanied by an executive order from Governor Cuomo “mandating that state agencies review and catalog data collected and, from there, take the proper steps to make public data accessible on the new portal.”[9]

Originating Entities and Funding

Open New York is an entirely publicly-funded project, with costs for the web portal covered by the budget of the Office of Information Technology Services (ITS).

Participant Selection

The Open New York platform is, from the user’s perspective, entirely self-selecting: individuals are welcome to use the data as they wish, and any Internet user can access the portal. State agencies and public interest companies with a Governor-appointed director or board members are obligated by executive order to supply data to Open New York in accordance with guidelines set forth by the state Office of Information Technology Services (ITS).[10] As a universally-accessible platform, Open New York has drawn interest from a broad user base and has been accessed by users in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, and over 200 countries and territories worldwide.[11]

Per executive order, control of Open New York lies with the Office of Information Technology Services (ITS). ITS is responsible, in turn, for coordinating with state agencies to develop data standards. Governor Cuomo’s executive order further mandates a governance process whereby each agency identifies a Data Coordinator, 8-12 of whom are convened by ITS as part of the Data Working Group alongside representatives from ITS, Department of State, Division of Budget, and the Office of General Services. ITS and the Data Working Group are then responsible for developing and updating a handbook, distributed to all participating agencies, detailing how data should be properly catalogued.[12]

Deliberation, Decisions, and Public Interaction

Policies about data standards and appropriate data sets are set by the Data Working Group and the Office of Information Technology Services. This group also produces a quarterly report to update the public on the platform's growth.

Participation by the public is entirely self-selected, with users from all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Influence, Outcomes, and Effects

The Open New York portal has earned plaudits from transparency advocates, many of whom had previously been critical of the Cuomo Administration’s perceived opacity. The transparency organization Reinvent Albany noted in a 2014 report that “New York has some of the best open data and government transparency websites in the country, and perhaps the world.”[13] Since the portal’s launch, the Office of Information Technology Services (ITS) has released the data guidelines to the public under a Creative Commons license, and has even created a relatively permissive licensing agreement for the data itself, which instructs users that “so long as you are not doing anything malicious with NYS data, you may use it as you wish, subject to no other requirements.”[14]

Since launching in 2013 with 244 data sets, Open New York has grown 511% to include 1,492 data sets from 58 agencies and has been accessed by users in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.[15] Using data hosted on Open New York, the state has developed a number of data tools, including a map of reported sexual assaults and crimes on New York State college campuses, and an interactive map of farmers’ markets, wineries, and breweries in the state, while the New York University School of Medicine has used Open New York to develop a new curriculum that harnesses ‘big data’ to improve patient care coordination.[16]

Analysis and Lessons Learned

The rapid growth of Open New York demonstrates the increased importance of open data as an element of government transparency and a growing commitment from public agencies to provide this data - most dramatically, in May 2013, President Obama signed an executive order making open and machine-readable data the default for all government agencies.

Open New York also demonstrates new ways to use open data to improve government transparency with its permissive data licensing (which allows for commercial use of state data) and its publicly-available data handbook, which allows the public greater insight into the processes producing Open New York.

Secondary Sources

“Governor Cuomo Launches Open.NY.Gov Providing Public Unprecedented User-Friendly Access to Federal, State and Local Data,” New York Governor’s Office, March 11, 2013. https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-cuomo-launches-opennygov-providing-public-unprecedented-user-friendly-access-federal. Accessed 12/22/2016 .

“Using Technology to Promote Transparency, Improve Government Performance, and Enhance Citizen Engagement,” New York Governor’s Office Executive Order,” March 11, 2013. https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/no-95-using-technology-promote-transparency-improve-government-performance-and-enhance-citizen. Accessed 12/22/2016.

“New York Launches Open Data Portal,” Governing, March 12, 2013. http://www.governing.com/news/state/gt-ny-launches-open-data-portal.html. Accessed 12/22/2016.

“NY State’s Open NY Dips Toe Into Creative Commons Licensing,” Reinvent Albany, August 19, 2016. http://reinventalbany.org/2016/08/ny-states-open-ny-dips-toe-into-creative-commons-licensing/. Accessed 12/22/2016.