Sunlight Foundation: the year in open data

2013 was a banner year for open data at the state and local levels as there were 13 new open data policies or major updates to existing policies, according to the Sunlight Foundation, a government watchdog group.

The new or updated policies means more than half of the existing open data policies at the state and local level have been passed or updated in the past year.

“It’s a major win for local transparency, as cities, counties, states and towns express their commitment to proactively sharing information online in a way that encourages access, analysis and reuse,” Alisha Green wrote on the foundation’s blog.

Some notable achievements from the year in open government.

• South Bend, Ind., became the smallest city in the country to have an open data policy with a population of approximately 100,000 people.
• Louisville, Ky., became the first city to set the default to open with its policy, while Oakland, Calif., used public input in the drafting of its policy.
• San Francisco advanced its open data policy twice this year, passing an amendment in March and another amendment in December. San Francisco’s policy is now in its fourth iteration.
• Utah, New York, Hawaii and New Hampshire all passed open data policies this year.