WA State Open Data Strategy

Open Data StrategyIntroduction

This strategy was developed with and is endorsed by the members of the Open Data Advisory Group, convened by the State CIO, and announced by the Governor, the State CIO and the participating agencies in the Summer of 2015. The group includes the following members, who were nominated to represent their respective agencies, and have contributed significant time and effort to the Open Data Initiative.Comment by Guest: Suggestion to identify the group and define their roles and responsibilities (Mark Finch/Michelle Blake)

4/30/2015 2:28:00 PM

Baldwin, Marc (OFM) Comment by Saunders, Will (OCIO): Great suggestion to name the members of the group. Here’s my working list – add or edit as needed.

Blake, Michelle (DOT)

Brewer, Daniel N. LTC (MIL)

Cockrill, Michael (OCIO)

Cook, Debbie (UW)

Finch, Mark (DOT)

Forland, Cynthia (ESD)

Francis, Dan (DOH)

Glenn, Kirsta (LNI)

Gorcester, Steve (TIB)

Graves, Harley (PARKS)

Gutholm, James (PDC)

Haglund, Robert (ESD)

Hoff, Staci (WTSC)

Kilmer, Jennifer

Krier, Nancy (ATG)

Krier, Sean M (DOH)

Kurz, Janet (WSSB)

Mann, Michael

Marty, Dave (OIC)

Masterson, Jennifer (RCO)

Rajagopal, Vel (DOL)

Saunders, Will (OCIO)

Schrier, Bill (OCIO)

Smith, Carol (ECY)

Stensager, Tim (OSPI)

Taylor, Janetta (DOR)

Warick, Jim (LOT)

Wasserman, Cathy (DOH)

Wolfe, Carrie (DEL)

At Startup Day 2013 Governor Inslee described the frugal and pragmatic innovation culture of Washington state, emphasizing that our startups deliver high "innovation per dollar." In the context of state government this makes even more sense. We work in a very constrained budget environment, and we have a remarkably broad variety of specialized information systems to support, promote, migrate or deprecate. Large scale open data funding is unlikely in the near term.

  

The evolving and sustainable practice appears to be communities of strong data stewardship offering open data or reporting from distinct platforms optimized for the work of that professional community -- ArcGIS for geospatial folks, SQL services for fiscal, dashboards for workforce. Programs with the technical maturity and without a strong affinity for an existing data platform use data.wa.gov or public-facing SharePoint solutions.

 

Yet this does not fully satisfy the legislature. In order to find and use published data the citizen, the developer, the staffer or the legislator has to find, understand, query and correlate data from multiple portals in a variety of formats. Furthermore, much of the best information is available only in published reports in pdf format - sometimes scanned from a printed copy of an original written in Microsoft Excel.

Table of Contents

Introduction1

Open Data Principles2

Open Data Policy4

Definitions6

Open Data Procedures8

Open Data Standards8

Metadata Standard8

State Enterprise Data Standards Registry13

OCIO Open Data Plan15

Open Data Measures17

Introduction1

Open Data Principles2

Open Data Policy4

Definitions6

Open Data Procedures8

Open Data Standards8

Metadata Standard8

OCIO Open Data Plan16

Open Data Measures18

Open Data Principles

The community of Comment by Blake, Michelle: It might be helpful to have an introductory paragraph as to why the following principles are being adopted as part of the state’s open data strategy.

From the 1995 Task Force Report “Encouraging Widespread Electronic Access”

TASK FORCE GOALS AND GUIDING PRINCIPLES

A. The legislation mandating this reportRCW 43.41A.115 containsed findings which were adopted by the Task ForceAdvisory Group as goals for electronic information accessopen data:

· To manage government information as the vital and important public resource that it is;Comment by James Gutholm: Overall, I think that the 43.41A.115 language verbatim is better and less contentious. It at least feels to me to be more business driven (business as in the business of government, not necessarily commercialism).

· To guarantee improve broad public access to nonrestricted public information and records;Comment by James Gutholm: I really think guarantee is too strong here.

· To empower citizens to participate in state policy decision-making;

· To increase citizen involvement in state policy development;

· To build greater efficiencies into government service delivery.

From the “Ten Principles for Opening up Government Information” – published by the Sunlight Foundation

1. Completeness

Datasets released by the government should be as complete as possible, reflecting the entirety of what is recorded about a particular subject.

2. Primacy

Datasets released by the government should be primary source data.

3. Timeliness

Datasets released by the government should be available to the public in a timely fashion.

4. Ease of Physical and Electronic Access

Datasets released by the government should as accessible as possible, with accessibility defined as the ease with which information can be obtained, whether through physical or electronic means.

5. Machine readability

Information should be stored in widely-used file formats that easily lend themselves to machine processing.

6. Non-discrimination

At its broadest, non-discriminatory access to data means that any person can access the data at any time without having to identify him/herself or provide any justification for doing so.

7. Use of Commonly Owned Standards

Commonly owned (or "open") standards refers to who owns the format in which data is stored. For example, if only one company manufactures the program that can read a file where data is stored, access to that information is dependent upon use of the company's processing program.

8. Licensing

Maximal openness includes clearly labeling public information as a work of the government and available without restrictions on use as part of the public domain.

9. Permanence

For best use by the public, information made available online should remain online, with appropriate version-tracking and archiving over time.

10. Usage Costs

Imposing fees for access skews the pool of who is willing (or able) to access information. It also may preclude transformative uses of the data that in turn generates business growth and tax revenues.

B. Guiding PrinciplesComment by Guest: As part of the guiding principles, include some of the recognized standards in open data such as the 10 principles for opening up government information - Sunlight Foundation, Mark Finch/Michelle Blake

The Task Force developed guiding principles which offer a policy development base for electronic access issues. These principles are based on agency best practices, the experience of other jurisdictions, and original work done by the 1995 Task Force on Electronic Information Access. They are intended to encourage broad access to government information in electronic form regardless of a user's geographic location, economic condition, or physical abilities. Underlying these principles is the Public Records law (Chapter 42.17 .250 RCW) which defines public records and guarantees access to certain categories of government information (Appendix F).

1. 1. The public is the owner of government information for which it has paid. Governments are the stewards of that information.

2. Accurate and timely government data is essential to government operations and to provide a valued service to citizens. Data and information are strategic, long-term assets for state agencies. State data should be findable, retrievable, and shared.

3. 2. Achieving Bbroad public electronic access should be a consideration in the creation of any government information system containing public records. Public access should be considered in the indexing and electronic storage of public records. Administrative procedures should be established to ensure both ease of access to unrestricted information and security of restricted information.Comment by James Gutholm: “Achieving” implies that the goal is always broad public access. I don’t think this is necessarily true. For example, email systems.Comment by James Gutholm: I’m not sure what the intent here is. Security is already covered by 141.10.

4. 3. Government should collect only information which is necessary for the operation of government and maintain it only as long as needed. Data and information that is not used should not be collected or stored. It should be collected once, stored once, and used multiple times.

5. 4. Electronic access to government records should neither compromise the integrity nor the security of those records. Electronic access to such records should not adversely affect the performance of vital government operations, nor compromise personal privacy.

6. Structure data has its greatest value when made available in structured form, readily used by automated systems or citizens.Comment by Guest: Suggest defining "State Data" in the definition area Mark Finch/Michelle BlakeComment by Guest: Also define Federal DataComment by James Gutholm: I don’t agree necessarily with “should”.

7. The value of state data can be enhanced by strong, multi-agency communities of practice and stewardship that can take long-term responsibility for stakeholder relationships, data quality and master data management.

8.

9. 5. Public accessConsumer devices such as smartphoneselectronic and public access stations such as kiosks and library computer terminals can broaden citizen access to public information, including access by people with disabilities. Electronic access to state and local jurisdiction information should be provided to every citizen without regard to the individual's financial ability to obtain the technology necessary for electronic access.Comment by James Gutholm: I didn’t have an issue with the sentiment, it was just a bit hard to read. I’m not sure I made it any better. + My smartphone wasn’t all that inexpensive

10. 6. The Public Records law guarantees the public's right to inspect unrestricted infom1ation without charge. Agencies may impose a reasonable charge for providing copies of public records and for the use of agency equipment to copy records, so long as the charges do not exceed the amount necessary to reimburse the agency for actual costs of the copying. Agencies may elect, and are encouraged to, provide copies at reduced or no charge.

11. 7. Accurate and timely government information and data is essential to government operations and to provide a valued service to citizens.

12. 8. It is difficult, but highly necessary, to maintain a balance between the public interest and personal privacy in the collection, management, and distribution of government information. The ability to search government records which may contain individually identifiable information, particularly when electronic databases are combined, poses particular challenges in an electronic environment.

From the OCIO Open Data Briefing:

 The Evolving Strategy

1. The state's open data portal should offer public access to almost all of the state's best category 1 data

1. That data should be offered in structured form, readily used by automated systems or citizens.

1. Where possible, data should come from strong communities of practice and stewardship that can take long-term responsibility for stakeholder relationships, data quality and master data management.

1. There should be no policy or financial barrier to the publication of open data by a program or an agency that knows what it is doing.

1. Engage the professionals. Long-term value from data will come from high quality data that aligns with well-understood needs.

1. Governance and standards are ok - we're in Government, after all. Where communities of practice develop or adopt a standard, the CIO will support that standard.

1. Data quality and confidence has value and we should be willing to invest (some) money in projects that expand that value.

Open Data Policy

Published on Office of the Chief Information Officer (https://ocio.wa.gov)

Home > Policies > Open Data Planning

STATUTORY AUTHORITY AND SCOPE

RCW 43.41A.125 (1996) requires agencies to plan for and implement processes for making information available electronically. Specifically, the statute requires agencies to:

Plan for electronic public access and two-way electronic interaction when acquiring, redesigning, or rebuilding information systems;

Focus on providing electronic access to current information, leaving archival material to be made available digitally as resources allow or as a need arises;

Coordinate technology planning across agency boundaries in order to facilitate electronic access to vital public information;

Develop processes to determine which information the public most wants and needs;

Develop and employ methods to readily withhold or mask nondisclosable data.

PURPOSE

Government records and information are a vital resource to both government operations and to the public that government serves. Broad public access to state government records and information has potential for expanding citizen access to that information and for improving government services. Electronic methods for locating and transferring information can improve linkages between and among citizens, organizations, businesses, and governments.

With ingenuity and access, any member of the public can dream up and create an application that is commercially or recreationally useful to others. Such innovation can help drive economic growth, and not surprisingly, many cities and states have opened up their data and established policies, standards, and best practices to promote open data. Federal agencies are now required by executive order to ensure that government data is open and machine-readable by default; these requirements are likely to affect federal contracts, grants and research within state government.

When government makes data available in an open and readily usable format we enable citizens, colleagues, companies and communities to understand and amplify the civic purposes we work on. Open data allows collaboration between private and public organizations dedicated to a common cause; it facilitates transparency in government and supports the state's digital economy.

This Policy Ddefines agency and Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) responsibilities and expectations related to the Open Data programimplementation of existing state statute and emerging private, local and federal practices.

POLICY STATEMENT

1. Every state agency in the executive branch must adopt, adapt or develop an Open Data Plan (“Plan for electronic public access and two-way interaction” in the language of the statute or “Data Inventory” in common parlance)

1.1. Agencies may adopt the OCIO model plan

1.2. Higher education institutions, judicial and legislative branch agencies, and local governments may adopt a plan but are not required to do so.

2. Every state agency in the executive branch agency must report not less than periodically quarterly to the public on the status, progress and evolution of the agency’s Open Data Plan.

2.1. The OCIO will report on behalf of agencies adopting the OCIO model Open Data Plan

2.2. Reporting may be accomplished by publishing on the agency’s website a current list of data sets, tables and/or databases published as open data, updated in public form or planned for release as open data.

3. Every agency must determine and report which data and information the public most wants and needs.

3.1. The OCIO will make data requests to agencies to assist in making this determination

3.2. The OCIO will report on behalf of agencies adopting the OCIO model Open Data Plann

4. Every agency must review and report on the agency’s policy, best practices, or procedures for categorizing and handling data.Comment by James Gutholm: While a worthwhile endeavor, I think that this is more of a data management or governance issue and while it encompasses open data, it is much broader and does not fit in the open data scope. Once the scope is reduced to open data, #2 probably covers it. If the scope is intended to be privacy and not security than we should be more explicit.

4.1. Agencies following OCIO standard 141.10 Securing Information Technology Assets may affirm compliance with this standard in satisfaction of this review and report requirement.

4.2. The OCIO will report on behalf of agencies adopting the OCIO model Open Data Plan

4.3. The OCIO will provide guidance, consultation and a library of technical assistance to support agency privacy policies.

5. The OCIO will convene an Open Data Advisory Group to manage and guide the development of open data policy in the state of Washington. Comment by Blake, Michelle: Is this the same group as today, or will this group have a different set of responsibilities/members once the open data strategy has been adopted?

5.1. Every state agency in the executive branch may nominate a senior employee to represent the agency on the advisory group

5.2. Advisory Group members are expected to have the authority to commit their agencies to specific actions in accordance with the state strategy.

IMPLEMENTATION SCHEDULE:

· Not more than 90 days from the Adoption Date of this policy (see below), agencies are expected to indicate whether they will adopt or adapt the model open data plan; or

· Not more than 180 days from the Adoption Date of this policy, agencies are expected to have reportable data on:

· the progress of their respective Open Data Plans and

· which data the public most wants and needs from the respective agencies

·

CONTACT INFORMATION

Contact the Open Data Program Manager via the Open Data program web page for general information.

Contact the OCIO Policy & Waiver Mailbox [6] for additional information or to request a waiver.

 

SUNSET REVIEW DATE:  ADOPTION DATE:   REVISION HISTORY

Date

Action taken

APPROVING AUTHORITY

/s/ Michael CockrillState Chief Information OfficerChair, Technology Services Board

Source URL:

Links:

DefinitionsComment by Guest: Add a definition as what constitutes State government, similar to local government. Mark Finch/Michelle Blake Michelle 6/24: I withdraw this comment since the prior sections have made it clear as to which agencies these policies and principles can apply.I do suggest that we include a definition for the Open Data Program Manager.

Initial text drawn from SHB2202 (2014)

"Data" means final versions of statistical or factual information that:

· Are in alphanumeric form reflected in a list, table, graph, chart, or other nonnarrative form, that can be digitally transmitted or processed;

· Are regularly created or maintained by or on behalf of an agency and controlled by such agency; and

· Record a measurement, transaction, or determination related to the mission of the agency.

As used in this subsection (1document), "statistical or factual information" does not include image files, such as designs, drawings, photos, or scanned copies of original documents, but it does include geographic information system data and statistical or factual information about such image files.

"Data set" means a named collection of related records maintained on a storage device, with the collection containing data organized or formatted in a specific or prescribed way, often in tabular form.

“Data Steward”

“Data Custodian”

“Chief Data Officer (CDO)”

"Local government" means every county, city, town, and every other municipal or quasi-municipal corporation.

"Office" means the office of the chief information officer.

"Open data" means freely available, machine readable, and structured in a way that enables the data to be fully discoverable and usable by end users.

"Open format" means a published, free file format for storing digital data, where such format is in the public domain or otherwise free of restrictions on reuse, and can be used and implemented by anyone.

"Public data set" means data maintained on a computer system by, or on behalf of, an agency that the agency is permitted, required, or able to make available to the public. "Public data set" does not include:

· Any data set or portion of a data set to which an agency may deny access pursuant to the public records act, chapter 42.56 RCW, or any other provision of a federal or state law, rule, or regulation or local law;

· Any data set that contains a significant amount of data to which an agency may deny access pursuant to (a) of this subsection, the redaction of which would impose undue financial, operative, or administrative burden on the agency;

· Data that reflects the internal deliberative process of an agency or agencies, including but not limited to negotiating positions, future procurements, or pending or reasonably anticipated legal or administrative proceedings;

· Data subject to copyright, patent, trademark, confidentiality agreements, or trade secret protection;

· Proprietary applications, computer code, software, operating systems, or similar materials;

· Data related to internal agency administration, including employment records, internal employee-related directories or lists, and facilities data;

· Data or data sets related to externally funded research and development activities, unless specifically identified for inclusion in the open data portal by the agency in the compliance plan required under section 3(6) of this act;

· Data or data sets related to and specifically used for teaching activities, unless specifically identified for inclusion in the open data portal by the agency in the compliance plan required under section 3(6) of this act;

· Any data or data set that cannot feasibly be converted to an open format as required by the uniform standards adopted by the office without undue financial, operative, or administrative burden on the agency; or

· Data or data sets that the head of an agency, after due consideration and consultation with the office, determines should not be published on the open data portal because publication would be detrimental to the public interest, however the agency must prepare a detailed rationale for its determination and publish the rationale on the open data portal.

"Public record" means any document that meets the definition of a public record as provided in RCW 42.56.010 or chapter 40.14 RCW.

"State agency" or "agency" means every state office, department, division, bureau, board, commission, or other state agency of the executive branch, including offices headed by a statewide elected official.

Open Data Procedures

Agencies should adopt administrative procedures that best meet their needs and capacity. These procedures are not intended to be mandatory – they represent procedures identified by some agencies as effective. These procedures have been reviewed by the OCIO and [tbd]represent best practices identified by the Advisory Group.

Data Steward – Roles and ResponsibilitiesComment by Blake, Michelle: Perhaps we can make this a bit more generic by stating something to the effect, “It is recommended that agencies adopt a publication procedure for their open data products that includes a review and approval process to ensure that the provided open data is indeed vetted, approved agency information. Establishing “Data Stewards” for open data products helps to ensure that data will be documented and maintained on a regular basis. A Data Steward is a state employee responsible for a set of data elements used by the agency. Data stewards have knowledge of where data is located, how it is structured, and provide insight into the use and classification of the data. Data Stewards are knowledgeable about their business area and customer base, have experience performing data analysis, and answer customer questions.” Comment by James Gutholm: I’m really having a hard time understanding the broad and generally applicable value of this highly prescriptive section. This may be perfectly sensible for WSDOT but it doesn’t speak at all to intended outcome. I’m sure WSDOT designed this from the intended outcomes but I think we should recognize that this level of detail is organization specific.

Initial text drawn from WSDOT policies & Procedures

A data steward is a state employee responsible for a set of data elements used by the agency. Data stewards have knowledge of where data is located, how it is structured, and provide insight into the use and classification of the data. “Operational Stewards” create and update data and are often subject matter experts on the proper use of data. “Managerial Stewards” are responsible for the business processes that create and change data, and are accountable for the quality of the data they produce. “Executive Stewards” are responsible for business functions that create and manage data, and have authority over the personnel and operations that produce a set of data resources.

In general, Data Stewards shall:

• Be knowledgeable about their business area and customer base.

• Have experience performing data analysis.

• Be available for consultation with Data Management Services during data planning, database design, database implementation, testing and validation, documentation, and troubleshooting.

• Help determine the level and types of security required for data.

• Answer customer questions and act as a first-line contact for issue resolution.

• Create metadata suitable for publication.

• Provide data acquired from outside entities in a format agreed to by DMS.

• Participate in IT Change Management processes to ensure a smooth transition for database changes.

• Help determine data archiving needs.

• Help manage data access.

• Notify DMS of any performance, access, or data quality issues.

• Establish a Data Sharing Agreement between their office, ITD, and other offices, both internal and external to WSDOT.

For data used by an agency that originates outside the agency, a Data Steward:

• Shall be assigned, regardless of the data’s origination.

• Is identified in the data set’s metadata as the “Point of Contact.”

Examples of the Data Steward’s responsibilities for externally provided data include:

o Obtaining and updating data,

o Processing data so that it is compatible with other state data and applications,

o Coordinating with the source agency,

o Creating metadata, and

o Fielding questions from data users.

Comment by Blake, Michelle: And after the above, I suggest including this graphic from the NEW YORK OPEN DATA HANDBOOK as to potential suitable open data candidates with perhaps an introductory paragraph like,“Suitable open data candidates include those data items that are: •Frequently requested by the public•Often used to create published reports•Reported to regulatory entities.The best open data products tend to be of high value, of high quality, and are readily available and vetted.”

Open Data Standards

Open data should be provided in a manner that is freely available, machine readable, and structured in a way that enables the data to be fully discoverable and usable by end users.Comment by Blake, Michelle: This is adapted from “Open New York”

Tabular

The following exportable tabular file formats are commonly recognized by the open data community:

· CSV

· JSON

· PDF

· RDF

· RSS

· XLS

· XLSX

· XML

Geo-Spatial

Geospatial data contains geographic features and attribute data that defines the properties of geographic features. Attributes are stored in a tabular format with unique key references to the associated geographic features. Two export methodologies are supported for exporting geographic information: geospatial and attribute. Attribute layers can be exported as tabular data export file formats as identified above under Tabular. Geospatial data can be downloaded in any of the tabular formats defined above, as well as the following formats:

· Shapefile

· Keyhole Markup Language (KML/KMZ)

Application Program Interface (API)

The developer community is encouraged to dynamically query Washington State agencies’ raw open data. To facilitate this use, raw open data shall be:

1. Readily and uniformly accessible.

2. Be available for automated processing by applications and systems

3. Have a standard API endpoint.

The Endpoint points to a RESTful implementation of the underlying dataset that has been accessed. All communication with the API is done through an HTTPS protocol. The platform provides the following preferred response types which are made available by specifying the format as part of the URI, or by sending the appropriate HTTP “Accepts” header:

· JSON

· XML

· CSV

· RDF

Metadata Standard

Effective: February 6, 2003

 

SCOPE

This standard applies to state of Washington executive branch agencies, agencies headed by separately elected officials, and institutions of higher education referred to as “agencies” throughout this document.  Academic and research applications at institutions of higher education are exempt. 

PURPOSE

This standards establishes and references the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) Content Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata.  The objective of this standard is to protect state investments in significant location based data/databases and geospatial data holdings through standardized data documentation, and where appropriate, facilitate data reuse and data discovery.

This standard requires metadata development for all existing, new or newly redesigned location based databases and geospatial data sets.  

STANDARD

Washington State adopts the Federal Geographic Data Committee FGDC-STD-001-1998 Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata as the metadata standard to follow when documenting all location based data/databases and geospatial data sets.  The use of the complete FGDC Content Standard for Geospatial Metadata is required for all Washington State governmental entities that collect geospatially referenced information. FGDC has adopted ISO 191* standards for metadata development for geospatial datasets.  Washington State is currently adopting the full FGDC metadata documentation standard to remain consistent with its previous basic documentation effort established in 2003.  However, it is anticipated that within two or three years, a conversion to ISO standard will be necessary.  Agencies are encouraged to be familiar with both standards.

Geospatial datasets that meet one or more of the following criteria must create and publish metadata.  A significant geospatial dataset is defined as:

· Is mission critical or is required for regulatory purposes;

· Has estimated investment or expected life cycle costs that exceed $500,000

· Is regularly distributed outside of the agency; and/or

· Has been designated significant by an agency CIO/Director or the Technology Services Board.

Metadata created pursuant to this standard will be published on the HYPERLINK "http://metadata.gis.washington.edu/" Washington State Geospatial Clearinghouse which is administered by WAGIC and the University of Washington.  Agencies shall download and review their published metadata holdings from the Clearinghouse yearly to ensure it is current and that all new data holdings are published. 

This sections provides links to current FGDC CSDGM standard and details about the data that explain what it is to be used for, limitations of use, how the data was assembled and other key information to help the data be used in an appropriate manner.  These components make up the metadata documentation.  There are a number of components, mandatory and mandatory if applicable.  Agencies are recommended to use existing tools which will help complete the information and provide it in a compatible format (XML) for sharing via the Washington State Clearinghouse.

· Link to HYPERLINK "http://wiki.data.gov/wiki/Mandatory_FGDC_metadata_fields" FGDC Mandatory Fields

· List of HYPERLINK "https://ocio-website-files.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Metadata%20Light%20Std..pdf" Previous Metadata Required Elements

· List of HYPERLINK "https://ocio-website-files.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/MetadataQuickGuide.pdf" 2014 Required Metadata Elements

 

Metadata Development Tools

FGDC Metadata workbook.  HYPERLINK "http://www.fgdc.gov/metadata/documents/workbook_0501_bmk.pdf" http://www.fgdc.gov/metadata/documents/workbook_0501_bmk.pdf

 

Harvest Module for GIS Inventory by National State Geographic Information Council. 

HYPERLINK "http://www.nsgic.org/gis-inventory" http://www.nsgic.org/gis-inventory

 

Metadata and GIS. 

HYPERLINK "http://www.esri.com/library/whitepapers/pdfs/metadata-and-gis.pdf" http://www.esri.com/library/whitepapers/pdfs/metadata-and-gis.pdf

 

References

Washington State Geospatial Clearinghouse: 

HYPERLINK "http://wa-node.gis.washington.edu/geoportal/catalog/main/home.page" http://wa-node.gis.washington.edu/geoportal/catalog/main/home.page

 

Federal Geographic Data Committee website:  HYPERLINK "http://www.fgdc.gov/" http://www.fgdc.gov/

  CONTACT INFORMATION

For questions about this policy, please contact the  HYPERLINK "http://ofm.wa.gov/ocio/resources/consultants.pdf" OCIO.

 

REVISION HISTORY

Date

Action taken

September 5, 2014

Policy adopted by the State CIO

June 5, 2014

Draft policy approved by the Geographic Information Technology (GIT) Committee

September 10, 2014

Adopted by the Technology Services Board

APPROVING AUTHORITY

/s/ Michael CockrillState Chief Information OfficerChair, Technology Services Board

SCOPE

This standard applies to state of Washington executive branch agencies, agencies headed by separately elected officials, and institutions of higher education referred to as “agencies” throughout this document.  Academic and research applications at institutions of higher education are exempt.

  PURPOSE

Establishes the requirement for documenting agency applications and data services through the creation and use of metadata.  Metadata plays a fundamental role in the successful management of information and services.  The objective of this standard is to protect the states investment in significant information assets through standardized documentation.

 

STANDARD Comment by Guest: We should also consider New York's metadata standard for tabular information and standard Dublin Core Metadata Open Data Michelle Blake/Mark Finch6/24 Michelle – I withdraw this comment. I think that the presented standard provides a good overall approach to data description. I do still suggest that “Time Period of Content” be included.

Washington State adopts the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) and International Organization for Standards (ISO) standard for documenting applications and data services.  ISO 15836:2009 establishes the Dublin Core Metadata Element Set as an internationally recognized standard.  The Dublin Core Metadata Elements are described below and constitute the minimum metadata elements and are required for all state applications and data services. 

References

· The Dublin Core Metadata Element Set.  http://www.dublincore.org/documents/dces/

· Federal Geographic Data Committee FGDC-STD-001-1998 Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata.  http://www.fgdc.gov/metadata/csdgm

· ISO 15836:2009, Information and Documentation –The Dublin Core metadata element set.   http://www.iso.org/iso/catalogue_detail.htm?csnumber=52142

· The Singapore Framework for Dublin Core Application Profiles. http://dublincore.org/documents/singapore-framework/

Definitions

· Metadata – data about data.  Metadata is a summary document providing content, quality, type, creation and spatial information about a data set or other resource (for example, MP3 files, books, reports, websites, satellite images or GIS datasets).

· Dublin Core Metadata Element Set – establishes a standard for cross-domain resource description and has been standardized as the ISO Standard 15836:2009.

· ISO – the International Organization for Standardization.  They develop and publish international standards.

· Resource – refer to any objects of interest such as books, reports, datasets, services, applications, websites, satellite images, videos, etc.

Dublin Core Basic StandardComment by Guest: Recommend including time period of content. Mark Finch/Michelle Blake

Identification Information

Element

Description

Format/Example

Title

The name given to the service or resource

Format: Character

Example:  Water Rights Applications

Abstract

An account, description or overview of the service or resource

Format:  Character

Example: Pending Water Right Applications in Washington State. Includes both applications for new water rights and to change existing water rights.

Service URL

Standard web address to access or link to the service or resource.

Format: Character

Example: https://data.wa.gov/Natural-Resources-Environment/Water-Right-Applications/9ubz-5r4b

Resource Type

To describe the file format, physical medium or dimension of the resource.

Format: Character

Example: OGC KML XML, REST

Originator

The entity responsible for publishing the service or resource.

Format: Character

Example: Washington Department of Ecology

Publication Date

The date the service or resource was made available.

Format: Date

Example: Oct 11, 2012

Metadata language

The language the service or resource is published.

Format: Character

Example: English

 

Data Theme

Element

Description

Format/Example

Theme Topic

Identifies which of the 19 ISO Data Categories that the service or resource falls

Format: Character

Example: Economic, Environmental, Public Safety

 

CONTACT INFORMATION Comment by Guest: This contact seems too high level. Mark Finch/Michelle Blake6/24 Michelle – I withdraw this comment since now it is apparent that the contact information is about the policy and not as a metadata element for the data.

For questions about this policy, please contact the OCIO.

  REVISION HISTORY

Date

Action taken

September 5, 2014

Policy adopted by the State CIO

June 5, 2014

Draft policy approved by the Geographic Information Technology (GIT) Committee

September 10, 2014

Adopted by the Technology Services Board

September __, 2015

Edited and expanded from Geospatial Application & Data Systems to State Metadata

APPROVING AUTHORITY

/s/ Michael CockrillState Chief Information OfficerChair, Technology Services Board

State Enterprise Data Standards Registry Comment by Guest: Should this also include a catalog with unique identifiers for the various objects so they can be tracked. Michelle Blake/Mark Finch

The State Enterprise Data Registry is designed to promote better business processes, and improve data quality, consistency, and interoperability. It provides governance standards and processes for data commonly used across multiple agencies. The Registry is a listing or directory of Tier One data.

· Check the Internet for federal, state, and industry standards, including HYPERLINK "http://niem.gov/" \t "_blank" NIEM.gov.

· For new data standards, use the HYPERLINK "file:///\\\\filedepot.eclient.wa.lcl\\ofm\\OCIO\\Communications\\WebsiteOld\\ocio%20from%20ofm\\ofm.wa.gov\\ocio\\ea\\documents\\enterprise_data_standards_framework.pdf" \t "_blank" Enterprise Data Standards Framework, including the Business Case and Data Dictionary templates.

HYPERLINK "file:///\\\\filedepot.eclient.wa.lcl\\ofm\\OCIO\\Communications\\WebsiteOld\\ocio%20from%20ofm\\ofm.wa.gov\\ocio\\ea\\default.html" Contact the EA Program to add new entries or for assistance. The State of Washington adopts the following standards for the management of state data. Agency or Enterprise information systems that invoke and demonstrably conform to one or more applicable standards listed below will be presumed to comply with OCIO policies on the management of data.

These standards do not modify, supersede, or relieve agencies from contractual obligations, policies and standards governing information and systems security, or legally mandated specific data requirements.

This Registry merely confirms the state’s adoption of the standards in question and provides pointers to the actual resource. Standards are evolving concepts, often managed by multi-industry or international bodies. The descriptions and citations provided here do not modify or supersede the standards themselves.

 

Line of Business Data Standards, Data Sets, or Process Description/Purpose Owner/Steward Type

General Government

HYPERLINK "file:///\\\\filedepot.eclient.wa.lcl\\ofm\\OCIO\\Communications\\WebsiteOld\\ocio%20from%20ofm\\ofm.wa.gov\\ocio\\ea\\documents\\enterprise_data_standards_framework.pdf" \t "_blank" Enterprise Data Standards Framework

HYPERLINK "file:///\\\\filedepot.eclient.wa.lcl\\ofm\\OCIO\\Communications\\WebsiteOld\\ocio%20from%20ofm\\ofm.wa.gov\\ocio\\ea\\documents\\Data%20Standards%20%20Business%20Case%20-%20Template.doc" \t "_blank" Business Case Template

HYPERLINK "file:///\\\\filedepot.eclient.wa.lcl\\ofm\\OCIO\\Communications\\WebsiteOld\\ocio%20from%20ofm\\ofm.wa.gov\\ocio\\ea\\documents\\Data%20Standards%20with%20Data%20Dictionary%20-%20Template.doc" \t "_blank" Data Dictionary Template

How to develop new enterprise data standards. Includes data governance steps, roles and responsibilities, and more

 

Enterprise Architecture

OCIO

General Government

HYPERLINK "file:///\\\\filedepot.eclient.wa.lcl\\ofm\\OCIO\\Communications\\WebsiteOld\\ocio%20from%20ofm\\ofm.wa.gov\\ocio\\policies\\documents\\141.10.pdf" \t "_blank" IT Security Standards - Data SecuritySecuring Information Technology Assets Standards

Classify data security levels for data sharing privacy, integrity, and confidentiality – see Section 4

OCIO

OCIO Standards

Financial Management

HYPERLINK "http://www.ofm.wa.gov/isd/standards/acct_budget_standards.pdf" \t "_blank" Accounting and Budgeting Data StandardsUniform Chart of Accounts

 

HYPERLINK "file:///\\\\filedepot.eclient.wa.lcl\\ofm\\OCIO\\Communications\\WebsiteOld\\ocio%20from%20ofm\\ofm.wa.gov\\ocio\\ea\\documents\\acct_budget_data_stnd_bus_case.pdf" \t "_blank" Accounting and Budgeting Business Case

Account, Account Title, GL Account, Object, Subobject, Sub-Subobject, Major Source, Expenditure Authority, Capital Project Type, Agency, Program

OFM

OFM Standards

Financial Management

Chart of Accounts, Project Type Codes - IT Data Needs

IT Cost Codes for acquisition/new development, and maintenance and operations

OFM

OFM Standards

Financial Management

HYPERLINK "file:///\\\\filedepot.eclient.wa.lcl\\ofm\\OCIO\\Communications\\WebsiteOld\\ocio%20from%20ofm\\ofm.wa.gov\\ocio\\ea\\documents\\ufi_proposed.xls" \t "_blank" Unique Facilities Identifier (UFI)

HYPERLINK "file:///\\\\filedepot.eclient.wa.lcl\\ofm\\OCIO\\Communications\\WebsiteOld\\ocio%20from%20ofm\\ofm.wa.gov\\ocio\\ea\\documents\\ufi_data_standard_qa.pdf" \t "_blank" Q&A

HYPERLINK "file:///\\\\filedepot.eclient.wa.lcl\\ofm\\OCIO\\Communications\\WebsiteOld\\ocio%20from%20ofm\\ofm.wa.gov\\ocio\\ea\\documents\\ufi_business_case.pdf" \t "_blank" UFI Business Case

Facilitates identification number to designate state owned or leased facility location and cost data

OFM

OFM Standards

Supply Chain Management

HYPERLINK "file:///\\\\filedepot.eclient.wa.lcl\\ofm\\OCIO\\Communications\\WebsiteOld\\ocio%20from%20ofm\\ofm.wa.gov\\ocio\\ea\\documents\\Commodity_Codes_Data_Standards.pdf" \t "_blank" NIGP Commodity Codes Data Standards

 

Supply chain management, procurement, purchasing, grants, contracts, and loans

moves to DES

DES Standards

Geospatial

HYPERLINK "file:///\\\\filedepot.eclient.wa.lcl\\ofm\\OCIO\\Communications\\WebsiteOld\\ocio%20from%20ofm\\ofm.wa.gov\\ocio\\policies\\documents\\161.10.pdf" \t "_blank" Geodetic Control Data Standards

Horizontal datum, state plane coordinate system, vertical datum

GIS

OCIO Standards

Geospatial

HYPERLINK "file:///\\\\filedepot.eclient.wa.lcl\\ofm\\OCIO\\Communications\\WebsiteOld\\ocio%20from%20ofm\\ofm.wa.gov\\ocio\\policies\\documents\\161.12.pdf" \t "_blank" Hydrography Data Standards

Surface water, National Hydrography Dataset (NHD)

GIS

OCIO Standards

Geospatial

HYPERLINK "file:///\\\\filedepot.eclient.wa.lcl\\ofm\\OCIO\\Communications\\WebsiteOld\\ocio%20from%20ofm\\ofm.wa.gov\\ocio\\policies\\documents\\161.11.pdf" \t "_blank" GIT Standards for Metadata

Entity and attribute information including FGDC Hierarchy and SGML tag name

GIS

OCIO Standards

Geospatial

Geospatial Data Sets

Inventory, data title, description, and availability for significant WA geospatial data sets

GIS

OCIO Standards

Public Safety and Justice

Justice Information Network GJXDM and NIEM Data Standards

Justice related data definitions and structures, XML-based schemas and information exchange package documents (IEPD)

OCIO Open Data Plan

Build Agency Data Inventories or Catalogs

Identify Data RelationshipsData Sharing Agreements

The Open Data Program Manager will prepare a summary of significant data sharing agreements in collaboration with agency data stewards. Aggregate summary data will be reported as requested by the legislature, the Executive and in the State IT Strategic Plan or similar document.

Interstate, Inter-local and Federal data exchanges

The Open Data Program Manager will work with agency data stewards to identify existing and potentially beneficial data exchange opportunities with federal agencies, other states, and local governments.

Frequent Public Records Requests

The Open Data Program Manager will prepare a summary of frequent public records request topics in collaboration with the Attorney General’s Office and agency data stewards.

Academic Research

The Open Data Program Manager will facilitate contact and collaboration between researchers and state agencies, and will report as needed on the nature and outcomes of that collaboration.

Federate or cross-link Existing Data Portals

The Open Data Program Manager will collaborate with agency data stewards to identify existing and evolving open data portals within the enterprise of state government and promote or pursue opportunities that will enhance interoperability, collaboration, usability and value to the state. The following are the currently identified State Open Data Portals.

Data.wa.govGeography.wa.govFiscal.wa.gov

Develop a State Data Pipeline

The Open Data Program Manager will collaborate with agency data stewards and outside stakeholders to prepare and maintain a “pipeline” of upcoming open data improvements, releases and updates. Public comment and utilization data will be accepted and considered in prioritizing releases and improvements to agency open data offerings.

The agency will generally prioritize the following topical areas for open data offerings, as well as utilization data and comments from the public.

Generic suggested priorities (Original Source: Kevin Meritt, 2012)Comment by James Gutholm: This kind of list makes sense from a state wide perspective but is not helpful at the agency level. Perhaps it wasn’t meant to and if that’s the case, can we be more clear. Even then, it is pretty hard to swallow without some reasoning and is highly context sensitive. Perhaps in 2012, geospatial data was severely lacking and that was the reasoning.

· Geospatial data

· Parcels

· Addresses

· State Facilities

· Public safety data:

· Traffic fatalities, moving violations by highway, etc.

· Crime

· Environmental hazards

· Consumer Protection

· Consumer complaint databases

·

· Fiscal Data

· State Salary data

· Expenditure data

· Budget Data

· Purchasing Data

· Public Health data

· Education data

· Census and demographic data

· Business data

· Aggregate changes in license counts

· Government Directory Data

· State Facilities

· State Employees

· State Services

Open Data Measures

Open Data maesuresmeasures will be delivered through Results Washington

Measure Name

How it’s Calculated

What it Shows

Source, Status or Model

Open Data Availability

Number of Rows or Features in known open data portals

An increasing volume of open data expands the scale of potential returns.

As an activity measure, it shows effort by state agencies.

Adopted by Results WA

Goal 5 Measure 3.1

Open Data Variety

Number of published datasets or canned reports in known open data portals

A broad variety of datasets from many agencies affords the citizen, company or community user of our open data assets a good indication of the diversity of our services. A growing number of accurate and supported datasets also indicates adoption of open data principles by more programs and staff.

Adopted by Results WA

Goal 5 Indicator 3.1.1

Open Data Utilization

Aggregate number of “hits” on web URL’s containing open data, including calls on published open data API’s

What data is most useful to the public? Popular data sets and reports should be developed to enhance value, unused data should be deprecated or culled to minimize costs.

Model: State of Oregon data.oregon.gov

Open Data Impact

Aggregate number of citizens, communities and companies using State data for their own purposes. Start with direct Utilization, then add known user stories, and aggregate users of derivative products.

Authority and utility of state data to citizens.

Though Open Data (and data sharing) is usually a secondary use of data collected in the process of state work, the citizen scale impact of state data is large.

Open Data ROI

(Aggregate money value of derivative products + aggregate market capitalization of companies + money value of estimated hours saved by agencies + change in litigation costs) / cost of Open Data program

Return on Investment in Open Data