The Dynamics of Opening Government Data

Governments around the world are working to advance open government principles in a way that responds to their own unique context. One way they are doing this is by developing the appropriate policies and management practices that allow them to open their government data by taking full advantage of the increasing power of information and communication technologies. Many governments have asked for the help of academic researchers, industry, and the public in developing these capabilities.

There is growing interest at all levels of government to increase access to and use of government data in support of good governance. The information polity perspective described in this white paper produced by the Center for Technology in Government, State University of New York (SUNY), provides government a way to identify the various stakeholders and their patterns of interaction that influence or control the generation, flows, and uses of enhanced information resources in open data initiatives.