The Open Government Directive is a U.S. government directive that requires all executive departments and agencies to take specific steps to make information and data more open and accessible to the public. The Directive was issued on December 8, 2009 by the Office of Management and Budget, in response to President Barack Obama's Memorandum on Transparency and Open Government.
The Directive has three main components:
1. Departments and agencies must proactively make information and data available to the public.
2. Departments and agencies must take steps to engage the public in the development of government policy and programs.
3. Departments and agencies must make their operations more transparent and accountable to the public.
The Directive requires each executive department and agency to develop and implement an Open Government Plan, which outlines specific actions the agency will take to improve transparency, participation, and collaboration.
What is a Directive in government?
A Directive is an executive order issued by the President of the United States that has the force of law. Directives are usually written to Federal agencies, and they outline how the agencies are to carry out the President's policies.
A Directive typically contains three parts:
1. The policy statement, which sets forth the President's policy on a particular issue;
2. The directive proper, which tells the agencies what they must do to implement the policy; and
3. The transmittal letter, which explains why the Directive is being issued and how it is to be carried out.
Directives are binding on Federal agencies and must be followed by those agencies. They are different from Executive Orders, which are also issued by the President but do not have the force of law.
What is the Open Government data Act?
The Open Government Data Act is a federal law that requires all executive branch agencies to make their data publicly available online in a machine-readable format. The law was passed in May 2013, and went into effect in January 2015.
The Open Government Data Act has three main goals:
1. To make government data more accessible to the public
2. To make government data more accessible to businesses and entrepreneurs
3. To make government data more accessible to researchers and academics
To achieve these goals, the Open Government Data Act requires executive branch agencies to:
1. Make their data publicly available online in a machine-readable format
2. Publish an inventory of all the data they make publicly available
3. Create a "data.gov" website to serve as a central repository for all government data
The Open Government Data Act is a part of the Obama Administration's "Open Government Initiative", which is designed to make the government more transparent and accountable to the public.
What are the benefits of Open Government?
There are a number of benefits to Open Government, including:
1. Increased transparency and accountability – Open Government initiatives can help to increase the transparency and accountability of government institutions, by making information about government activities more readily available to the public.
2. Improved service delivery – Open Government initiatives can help to improve the efficiency and quality of government service delivery, by making it easier for citizens to access government services and information.
3. Enhanced public participation – Open Government initiatives can help to enhance public participation in government decision-making, by making information about government activities more readily available to the public and by providing opportunities for public input into government decision-making processes.
4. Strengthened democracy – Open Government initiatives can help to strengthen democracy by increasing the transparency and accountability of government institutions and by enhancing public participation in government decision-making.