8: Transparency

Be a leader in making data available to the public and facilitate the disclosure of data in more usable formats.

Other Information:

Even prior to the Open Government initiative, DOL published a dizzying array of information online. Our Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has been a leader in making data available to the public, and was one of the early contributors to Data.gov – the central site that enables users to find, download, and utilize datasets which are generated and held by the Federal Government. We currently have 40 datasets and three tool catalogs featured on Data.gov. We recently conducted an initial inventory of data collected throughout the Department. The initial data call produced a list of more than 300 datasets from 14 of our agencies. Almost all responses included a description of the dataset, the format(s) in which it is currently available, whether or not it is currently published online, and whether any of the data elements pose privacy concerns. While some of these datasets are already online in a structured format, the majority of our data is only currently available through search interfaces or as a part of aggregate statistics. We are currently in the process of poring through this list to prioritize additional highvalue data for publication as well identify any data that was not included as a part of the initial inventory. It is clear from this initial inventory that a primary objective within DOL must be to facilitate the disclosure of existing data in more usable formats such as XML and CSV. The “Other” category in the chart below includes a number of items currently in XLS, which may be easily converted to CSV files. Based on an initial analysis of this initial inventory, nearly a quarter (24%) of the data that is not currently published online contains information protected by the Privacy Act and therefore disclosure of this information is subject to important legal constraints. This is especially true of the data collected by our Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP). Other examples of information not currently available include data on grant applications which may contain proprietary information, data that contains specific information regarding ongoing investigations, and yes, even some historical data that has traditionally been collected in hard copy only.

Stakeholder(s):

• Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)

Objective(s):

8.1: Transparency Initiatives

8.1.1: Data.gov

8.1.2: eRulemaking

8.1.3: IT Dashboard

8.1.3.1: DOL IT

8.1.3.2: IT Investments

8.1.3.3: Updates and Quality

8.1.4: Recovery.gov

8.1.5: USASpending.gov

8.1.6: Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)

8.1.7: Congressional Inquiries

8.1.8: Record Keeping

8.1.9: DOL Declassification Programs

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