Office of Science and Technology Policy: Evaluating our Progress
Agency
Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP)
High-Value Data
Score - Meets Expectations 
Rationale
OSTP published three high-value data sets in an open, machine-readable format on January 21st. All three are registered on Data.gov.:
- Interagency Investments in Climate Research and Observations. For the first time, OSTP has published in machine-readable format a compilation of two decades of government-wide investments in observations, research, modeling, and analysis of climate change and its underlying causes. This data set meets the definition of “high-value” as defined by the Directive as it will “further [our] core mission” to fuel innovation through strategic investments in science and technology research and development. In particular, the publication of this data set empowers researchers, non-profits, and advocacy groups to visualize trends over time and thereby identify gaps and strategic opportunities for future investments.
- Decade of Investments in Innovation Coordinated through the National Nanotechnology Initiative. The National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) coordinates Federal nanotechnology research and development among 25 Federal agencies. The data released represent NNI investments by agency and program component area (PCA) from the Initiative’s founding in FY 2001 through FY 2010 (requested). These data were available previously only in fragmented form, in annual supplements to the President’s Budget. Here the contents are compiled in one coordinated dataset and in a format that is amenable to analysis by users wishing to assess trends or examine investment allocations over the 10-year history of the NNI. These and other analyses could provide important guidance as the Nation builds on the cumulative NNI investment of nearly $12 billion to advance scientists’ and engineers’ understanding of the unique characteristics of nanomaterials—generally those smaller than 100 nanometers in size—which show great promise in such areas as energy, medicine, and national security.
- Aggregated Federal R&D Investments in Networking and Information Technology, Coordinated through the National Coordination Office for Networking and Information Technology Research and Development. Thirteen Federal agencies, including all of those with large science and technology responsibilities, as well as a number of other Federal entities, are members of the Networking and Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD) program. This program is the primary mechanism by which the Government coordinates its unclassified networking and information technology (IT) research and development (R&D) investments, and is supported by the National Coordination Office, from which these newly available data are derived. The data allow individuals to track funding trends and identify agencies with investments in technical areas of interest, and can help entrepreneurs and grant seekers better direct their efforts to engage the correct Federal agency. Currently two years (FY2009 and FY2010) of budget numbers are being posted but additional information going back 15 years will be posted shortly.
Data Integrity
Score - Meets Expectations
Rationale
On January 21, 2010 the Office of Science and Technology Policy designated Kei Koizumi, Assistant Director for Federal R&D, to be accountable for the quality and objectivity of, and internal controls over, the Federal spending information publicly disseminated through such public venues as USAspending.gov or other similar websites. You can see the full list of Senior Accountable Officials here.
Open Government Webpage
Score - Meets Expectations
Rationale
On February 5, 2010 the Office of Science and Technology Policy launched its Open Government Webpage at http://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/open/around-government/white-house/OSTP. In line with the Directive, the OSTP Open Government Webpage serves as a portal to our activities related to the Open Government Directive. On our Open Government Webpage, the public can download our high-value data sets, learn about new opportunities to participate in our online policy fora, meet the team who will be drafting our Open Government Plan, and share their ideas for how OSTP can be more transparent, participatory, and collaborative. Of course, our annual FOIA report is there too, in an open format.
Public Consultation
Score - Meets Expectations
Rationale
We are seeking your input on our Open Government Plan, on the information we should prioritize for publication, an on the quality of the information we publish at www.openostp.ideascale.com. This brainstorming tool allows the public to suggest a new idea or to vote and comment on others’. To ensure extensive employee engagement, the Office of Science and Technology Policy will actively encourage all employees to share their ideas for our Open Government Plan either through the public dialogue or through opengov@ostp.gov.
To ensure we capture and respond to all of these good ideas, our Open Government leadership team will summarize the input on a regular basis on the OSTP blog, inviting further comment to flesh out the most promising ideas.
Open Government Plan
Score - Progress toward Expectations 
Rationale
OSTP has completed a self-evaluation of their Open Government Plan, that details how the Plan meets the criteria of the Open Government Directive.