SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Socrata, the global leader in software solutions designed exclusively for data-driven digital government, and EMC Research, today announced results from a new benchmarking study on government open data initiatives. The key findings included: broad commitment and increasing investment in open data, and a strong correlation between open data and both economic development and improved government efficiencies.
“The objective of this study was to capture the state of open data advancements at every level of government and identify the outcomes the initiatives are creating,” said Eric Eden, Socrata Chief Marketing Officer. “The benchmark study uncovered the power of open data in bolstering economies and creating efficiency within government. Expanding commitment and investment from government entities spanning federal, state, and local are very promising signs that more communities will benefit from open data in the near-term.”
The survey was designed to better understand the current attitudes and opinions on the open data environment among publishers and users of open data. The findings reveal:
- Commitment to open data is broad, with the federal government leading the way—The vast majority (83%) of all respondents say that it is their goal to make the most important and useful data open. The federal government is leading the way on open data, with more than half (56%) saying their organization’s goal is to make as much of their data open as possible. Federal organizations are also taking the lead on executing opening their data; 6 out of 10 federal respondents say their stated mission on open data goes beyond basic sharing, and they are taking action on this mission.
- Investment in open data is continuing to grow at all governmental levels—A quarter (25%) of respondents at all levels of government say their organization is planning on investing more in open data initiatives in the next 6 months. This percentage is even higher among federal (44%) and state or state agency employees (36%), but counties (18%) and cities (25%) are also planning to invest more. It is clear that more governments are planning for a future with more open data.
- Open data is leading to economic development across the country—A majority of respondents at each level of government believe open data can lead to economic development. Of those who have seen a direct boost in economic development, the most benefit is seen in the area of new businesses forming, but jobs, business retention, and increased tax revenues are also direct benefits of open data.
- Open data is strongly linked to improving governmental efficiency—One-fifth of respondents say that reducing the costs of government employee work is the top benefit of open data, and a majority (50%) of respondents at both the state and federal levels agree that open data helps reduce budgets by reducing staff time on maintaining records and responding to information requests.
The full report can be found here: http://discover.socrata.com/rs/851-SII-641/images/2016_open_data_benchmark_report.pdf
Methodology
The survey was programmed on a website, and respondents were invited to complete the survey via email. Using a list of respondents connected to open data provided by Socrata, a total of 506 were completed. All respondents identify themselves as working for a government entity in the United States. The survey was conducted during February and March of 2016.
About Socrata
Socrata is the global leader in software solutions that are designed exclusively for digital government, delivering unprecedented data-driven innovation and cost savings for hundreds of public sector leaders and millions of their constituents around the world. Built on an affordable, cloud-based, Software as a Service (SaaS) platform, Socrata equips governments, public safety and law enforcement agencies and NGOs of every size to rapidly transform outdated and expensive data access models, websites and legacy applications into intuitive, visually rich, intelligent consumer-grade apps and user experiences that can now be enriched and sustained by real-time government data, perhaps the most economically powerful public asset in history. To learn more about Socrata, visit www.socrata.com.
