About 80% of citizens are concerned with the accountability and openness of government. To help address this issue, open data has been quietly growing popularity for the past few years (also see open data mentioned in the League’s Year in Review blog). And if you haven’t heard about it yet, open data will certainly be a topic of discussion in Michigan throughout 2015.

According to the Open Data Handbook, open data is “data that can be freely used, reused, and redistributed by anyone.” But don’t worry, data isn’t just anything — it’s not email messages and it’s not personal information. This type of data is often public information governments already collect, but don’t always use to its greatest potential — things like statistics on crime, education, waste management, street lights, and housing.

The big idea behind open data is that public information is shared in a format that’s easy for people (citizens, government departments, businesses, developers, etc.) to access and use. Taking a closer look at data can help increase government efficiency, transparency, and accountability, boost civic participation, and encourage economic development.

So far, the federal government, 16 U.S. states, and more than 30 local governments have adopted open data policies. The city of Jackson is the only Michigan municipality to adopt an ordinance and the community is currently working with students from the University of Michigan’s School of Information Citizen Interaction Design program to establish internal policies to better implement open data strategies.

Because the concept is new to Michigan, the League wanted to get ahead of the game and compile a few useful resources for local leaders interested in learning more.

On our Open Data Resource Page, you’ll be able to find helpful open data publications, resources, and sample policies from across the country.

As communities discuss open data, be sure to keep the League in the loop! We’re glad to help collect information, examples, and resources to help leaders make the case, question, and explore open data.