U.S. Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra has again turned to the question and answer social platform Quora for ideas on how to “make government more transparent, accountable, and effective.”
“How can we make open government work better for every American?,” Chopra asked Wednesday morning. “Specifically, we’re seeking input about how to encourage best practices and measure public participation in government,” Chopra wrote in an accompanying post.
The current response with the most votes is from Quora member Robert George:
“You need a simplified user interface and to structure the data in a meaningful way. In my previous line of work I spent a considerable amount of time simply gathering together data off opaque and poorly designed government websites to find the information I needed. It is often not clear which document is the one you are looking for, what you want in the document, and the relationship between the documents you pulled. What’s worse each agency has its own filing and reporting quirks. This holds true across agencies, and applies to to private services Congress has created for it’s own use.”
Chopra joined the site on December 8. The outreach is part of the Obama Administration’s efforts related to the U.S. Open Government National Action Plan.
