2: High-Value Data and Content

Make Existing High-Value Data and Content Available through Web APIs

Other Information:

Recognizing that change will not happen overnight, we need to adopt an efficient and cost effective implementation strategy that will not place an undue burden on agencies to transition all existing systems and information upfront. While the open data and web API policy will apply to all new systems and underlying data and content developed going forward, OMB will ask agencies to bring existing high-value systems and information into compliance over a period of time—a “look forward, look back” approach. To jump-start the transition, agencies will be required to: ••Identify at least two major customer-facing systems that contain high-value data and content; ••Expose this information through web APIs to the appropriate audiences; ••Apply metadata tags in compliance with the new federal guidelines; and ••Publish a plan to transition additional systems as practical. Given the scope, scale, and complexity of some of these systems, agencies will be asked to prioritize release of data and content so the most valuable information is made available first. In cases where the system supports a website, content must also be structured, published through web APIs and tagged appropriately. Agencies will be required to engage with their customers within three months to identify the highest priority systems to transition, and work internally across communications, content, and infrastructure teams (e.g. program leads, digital strategists, web managers, Chief Information Officers (CIOs), Chief Financial Officers (CFOs), Chief Technology Officers (CTOs), Chief Acquisition Officers (CAOs), Chief Public Affairs Officers, Geographic Information Officers (GIOs), and data managers to select the final candidates. GSA will help agencies develop web APIs through the Digital Services Innovation Center (see section 3). Additionally, Data.gov will be expanded to include a web API catalog to serve as an interactive directory of information made available to the public by agencies via web services so that customers may more readily utilize that information in their own applications. Web APIs posted on agencies’/developer pages will be automatically aggregated in this catalog.

Indicator(s):

Indicator:1

Content