Report Lists State Open Data Policies and Portals

The last decade has seen a partial revolution in the amount and accessibility of government data, and that has sometimes meant story opportunities for environmental reporters. Often this data is collected by states.

Fortunately, the federal government offers a launch pad for a range of journalistic projects, giving you one-click shopping for online state data portals where they exist. These portals bring together links to data from multiple agencies in a single state.

Now a friendly nonprofit, the Center for Data Innovation, has catalogued and rated state open-data policies.

Of course, not every state is equally committed to the transparency needed for effective democracy. The Center for Data Innovation report ranks states on their open-data policies as well as the quality of their data portals. How does your state rate?

Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, New York, Oklahoma, and Utah were among the states with the highest open-data ratings.

• "Open Data in the United States," part of data.gov, an Obama administration initiative (click on "List View").
• "State Open Data Policies and Portals," Center for Data Innovation, August 18, 2014, by Laura Drees and Daniel Castro.