“DATA Act” Standards to Improve Quality, Consistency of Data Available on USAspending.gov Finalized

From The White House Blog:

The Federal Government produces a large quantity of spending data, but it is housed in disconnected and siloed systems under various formats using different standards. These fragmentations limited the public’s ability to gain a complete picture of Federal spending. Providing clear and consistent, or standard, information on how taxpayer dollars are spent is a critical component to a transparent democracy and open government that drives opportunity, economic growth and innovation.
Over the past 15 months, the White House Office of Management and Budget (“OMB”) and the Department of the Treasury (“Treasury”) have taken significant steps to achieve this goal by implementing the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act of 2014 (“DATA Act”).  In May 2015, OMB and Treasury began the release of 57 standard data definitions (“data standards”), launched a multi-faceted pilot program focused on reducing financial assistance recipient and contractor burden, and issued formal policy guidance for Federal agencies.
Today, we are pleased to announce that, following a robust engagement with stakeholders, all 57 data standards have been finalized, providing a foundation to improve the quality and consistency of data available on USAspending.gov. By standardizing what is published on USAspending.gov and providing context and a user friendly format, we have taken an important step to provide valuable, usable information on how tax dollars are spent, who they are spent on, and for what purpose.

Read the Complete Blog Post, Learn About Plans Moving Forward
See Also: “OMB, Treasury Hammer Out Final DATA Act Standards” (via NextGov)

Filed under: Data Files, Management and Leadership, News