Survey: Open data gains momentum

What: “2016 Socrata Open Data Benchmark Study,” a survey designed to better understand the current attitudes and opinions on the open data environment among publishers and users of open data in government.

Why: As city, state and federal agencies have release datasets on city budgets, police use-of-force incidents, public transit and even aeronautical data, better understanding of different approaches, benefits and impacts of opening data can foster more efficient development.

Findings: The majority (83 percent) of all respondents said their agency’s goal is to make the most important and useful data open. Federal agencies went further, with 56 percent of respondents saying they’re working to make as much of their data as open as possible. Investment in open data continues, with a quarter of all respondents saying their agency plans to invest more on open data by the end of 2016.

One-fifth of respondents say that reducing the costs of government employee work is the top benefit of open data, with 50 percent of respondents at both the state and federal levels agreeing that open data helps cut spending by reducing staff time spent on maintaining records and responding to information requests.

Read the full report here.