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“Our state government possesses vast treasure troves of valuable information and reports: from health, business and public safety data to information on parks, recreation, labor, and transportation … The Open New York web portal will allow researchers, citizens, business and the media direct access to high-value data, which will be continually added to and expanded, so these groups can use the data to innovate for the benefit of all New Yorkers.” – Governor Cuomo, State of the State Address, January 9, 2013
###Open Data
Government is the public’s business and the public should have access to the records of government. 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, New York State launched Open.ny.gov, an open-government initiative, on March 11, 2013. Its goals are to spark innovation, promote research and economic opportunities, engage public participation in government, increase transparency, and inform decision-making.
Concurrent with the launch of Open.ny.gov, Governor Andrew Cuomo issued Executive Order No. 95, "Using Technology to Promote Transparency, Improve Government Performance and Enhance Citizen Engagement." This unprecedented Executive Order directed covered state entities, for the first time, to identify and catalogue their data, and make publishable state data available on the new transparency website.
The concept of “Open Data” describes data that is freely available, machine readable, and formatted according to uniform technical standards to facilitate visibility and reuse of published data. New York's open data platform is a web-based public data portal that catalogues data and enables data to be discoverable. The portal offers access to standardized data that can be accessed and reused by citizens, business, researchers, journalists, developers, and government to process, trend, and innovate utilizing a singular dataset or combinations of datasets.
Open-NY puts tools for transparency, accountability, and innovation directly into the hands of New Yorkers and people all around the world through a centralized user-friendly interface. This increased visibility provides derivative value as the public is able to analyze and utilize government data, and better understand what is happening in government on all levels – federal, state, and local.
###The Provisional Open Data Handbook
This provisional Open Data Handbook is intended as a general guide for government entities participating in OPEN-NY (For ease of use, the Handbook will refer to participating government "agencies," although that term encompasses other government organizational structures that may participate in OPEN-NY, such as government authorities). The Provisional Handbook provides guidelines for identifying, reviewing, and prioritizing publishable state data for publication. It is designed for use by both covered state entities and other government entities not covered by Executive Order 95 (including localities). Working in collaboration with state agencies, the Provisional Handbook will be supplemented, as needed, with technical and working documents addressing specific formatting, data preparation, and data refresh and data submission requirements.
Open.ny.gov is a dynamic, living platform – where the breadth of data and agency participation are continually being enhanced and expanded. This Provisional Handbook, providing guidelines for publication to Open.ny.gov, is the first step in a major shift in the way New York State government agencies share information to promote efficiency, accessibility and transparency; to engage citizens; and to foster innovation and discovery in the scientific and business communities. It begins the process of standardizing the state’s data, which will make it easier for both government workers and the public to discover and use the data, as well as increasing “interoperability,” so the data can more easily be shared and used by other technology systems. The state is issuing this preliminary handbook with the understanding that the uses and value of public data are constantly changing. We welcome input from academics, researchers, developers, businesses, entrepreneurs, and the general public to help identify data that would be useful to them and the best ways of providing it. The final Handbook will be released in November 2013.