Case Study: Leading Federal Agency achieves a culture of open, machine‑readable data and streamlined sharing with Alteryx

Creating A Culture Of Open Data

Nick Sinai, former Deputy Chief Technology Officer and senior advisor, outlines a federal challenge: government data is often trapped in formats that are hard to analyze or share, hindering transparency and evidence‑based policymaking. To address this, the OPEN Government Data Act—making Obama’s open‑data executive order law—requires federal agencies to publish non‑confidential data and metadata in machine‑readable formats and to appoint Chief Data Officers, while broader efforts push agencies to adopt APIs, open source, and human‑centered design.

The solution centers on systematizing and publishing government data, guided by CDOs and the Foundations for Evidence‑Based Policymaking, with the GAO set to review compliance. Early results include easier internal data access and sharing, improved capacity to mine data for informed decisions, and increased transparency and innovation—an important step toward modernizing government services and driving economic growth.