Evaluate Our Progress

DOT is committed to meeting the requirements of the Open Government Directive. To ensure that our plans and policies are aligned with the White House Open Government Initiative, we assess our Open Government Plan against common, government-wide criteria. The results of our assessments are shown on the White House Dashboard. The details of DOT’s responses to this assessment are found below. Each numbered requirement was referenced in Version 1.1 the DOT Open Government Plan assessed on the following scale

Red (R) – plan does not satisfy the requirement
Yellow (Y) – plan partially satisfies the requirement
Green (G) – plan fully satisfies the requirement
N/A - not applicable because agency does not engage in that activity or area

Formulating the Plan in the Open RATING SECTIONS NOTES (if applicable)

Was multidisciplinary collaboration involved in formulating the plan?	Green	Ch 1
Was public consultation involved in crafting the plan?	Green	Ch 1
Was the plan published in an open format, online, on time and on the open government page and with raw data?	Green
Is there a plan for continued public engagement as part of the review and modification of the open government plan?	Green	Introduction

Transparency Strategic Action Plan RATING SECTIONS NOTES (if applicable)

Does the plan contain a strategic action plan that inventories agency high-value information currently available for download?	Green	3.1
Is there a plan to foster the public’s use of this information to increase public knowledge and promote public scrutiny of agency services?	Green	3.1, 4.4, 5.1
Does the action plan identify high value information not yet available and establish a reasonable timeline for publication online in open formats with specific target dates?	Green	3.1
For agencies providing public information in electronic format: Is there a plan for timely publication of underlying data for public information maintained in electronic format?	Green	3.1	Version 1.1 of the DOT Plan provides additional clarification on this requirement.
Does the plan identify key audiences for information and their needs, and the agency endeavors to publish high-value information for each of those audiences in the most accessible forms and formats?	Green	3.1	Version 1.1 of the DOT Plan provides additional clarification on this requirement.
Is there a plan to demarcate educational material as free for re-use?	N/A
Does the plan detail compliance with transparency initiative guidance, and where gaps exist, detailed steps the agency is taking and the timing to meet the requirements for each initiative:	Green	5.1
Data.gov	Green	5.1
eRulemaking	Green	5.1
IT Dashboard	Green	5.1
Recovery.gov	Green	5.1
USAspending.gov	Green	5.1
Are there details of proposed actions (with clear milestones) to inform the public of significant actions and business of the agency (e.g. agency public meetings, briefings, press conferences, town halls)?	Green	3.2
Does the plan address existing record management requirements by providing:	Green	5.2
Website link	Green	5.2	Version 1.1 of the DOT Plan provides the link.
Identifying and scheduling all electronic records	Green	5.2
Timely transfer of all permanently valuable records to the National Archives	Green	5.2
Does the plan address FOIA by providing:	Green	5.3
Website link?	Green	5.3	Version 1.1 of the DOT Plan provides the link.
Staffing, organizational structure, and process for responding to FOIA requests?	Green	5.3
Assessment of capacity to analyze, coordinate and respond to requests in a timely manner?	Green	5.3
If there is a significant FOIA backlog, details on how the agency will reduce the backlog by 10% each year?	Green	5.3
Does the plan address congressional requests by providing a:	Green	5.4
Website link?	Green	5.4
Staffing, organizational structure, and process for responding to Congressional requests?			The plan itself does not include this content, but that information is provided on website that the plan links to. (as per the requirement of the directive: A description or link to a webpage that describes your staffing, organizational structure, and process for analyzing and responding to Congressional requests for information)
Does the plan address declassification, if applicable by providing a:	Green	5.5
Website link?	Green	5.5
Where the public can learn about declassification programs, accessing declassified materials, and provide input about what types of information should be prioritized for declassification?			The plan itself does not include this content, but that information is provided on website that the plan links to. (as per the requirement of the directive: A link to a publicly available webpage where the public can learn about your agency’s declassification programs…)

Participation RATING SECTIONS NOTES (if applicable)

Does the plan explain how the agency will improve participation, including steps the agency will take to revise its current practices to increase opportunities for public participation in and feedback on the agency’s core mission activities (including proposed changes to internal management and administrative policies to improve participation)?	Green	3.2, 3.4, prevalent throughout
Does the plan describe and provide links to websites for the public to engage in existing participatory processes?	Green	3.2.4
Are there proposals for new feedback mechanisms (including innovative tools and practices for public engagement)?	Green	4.2

Collaboration RATING SECTIONS NOTES (if applicable)

Does the plan list steps the agency will take to revise its current practices to further collaboration:
With other Federal and non-Federal government agencies? Including the use of technology platforms to this end?	Green	4.1, 4.3, 4.4, 5.2, prevalent throughout
With the public? Including the use of technology platforms?	Green	3.2, 3.3, 4.1, 4.3, prevalent throughout
With non-profit and private entities? Including technology platforms?	Green	3.1, 3.3, 4.1, 4.3, prevalent throughout
Are there links to websites that describe existing collaboration efforts of the agency?	Green	3.2.4
Does the plan describe the Innovative methods (e.g. prizes and collaborations) to increase collaboration with the private sector, non-profit, and academic communities?	Green	3.3

Flagship Initiative RATING SECTIONS NOTES (if applicable)

Does the plan include at least one specific flagship engagement?	Green	4.1
Does the description provide an overview of the initiative: how it addresses one or more of the three openness principles and how it aims to improve agency operations?	Green	4.1
Does it identify external partners for collaboration (if appropriate)?	Green	4.1
Is there a plan for public participation in contributing innovative ideas to the flagship?	Green	4.1
Does the description explain how the improvements to transparency, participation and/or collaboration will be measured?	Green	4.1
Does the flagship include a description of sustainability and room for improvement?	Green	4.1

	Score	Rationale
High-Value Data	Meets Expectations	DOT published three high-value data sets in an open, machine-readable format (XML Web Services) on January 21st. All three are registered on Data.gov and available for free download here: http://www.data.gov/ogd The three datasets are listed below. "Child Passenger Safety (CPS) Ease of Use Ratings”: The Ease of Use program has the potential to drive consumer purchasing decisions of child restraints by providing star ratings that reflect the ease of using child restraint features. Manufacturers strive to meet the standards that the Ease of Use program promulgate, which materially affects the health and well being of every child occupying a safety seat. Considering that crashes are the leading cause of death for children aged 3 to 6, the value of the dataset is well established by the entire child safety seat market. “Uniform Tire Quality Grading System (UTQGS)”: The information supports the Department’s strategic goal of Customer Service. The information in the dataset is used to assist consumers in purchasing new replacement tires. NHTSA has rated more than 4,200 lines of tires, including most used on passenger cars, minivans, SUVs and light pickup trucks using a grading system known as the Uniform Tire Quality Grading System (UTQGS). UTQGS allows consumers to compare tire tread wear, traction performance and temperature resistance of these replacement tires. The UTQGS is the de facto tire grading protocol in the industry and is highly integrated into automotive culture on a world-wide level. “New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) – 5 Star Safety Ratings”: The New Car Assessment Program serves to drive vehicle manufacturers to make safety improvements to their vehicles without regulation through the its 5-star safety ratings program. The safety ratings are a matter of commercial pride by manufacturers that utilize those ratings in their promotional marketing efforts. The 5-star safety rating is the de facto safety rating in the world today and is also highly integrated into automotive culture, making it a valuable US Government information asset.
Data Integrity	Meets Expectations	On January 14, 2010 the Department of Transportation designated Mr. Chris Bertram, Assistant Secretary for Budget and Programs/Chief Financial Officer, 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. DOT has also nominated two data quality experts to the inter-governmental working group.
Open Government Webpage	Meets Expectations	On January 22, 2010 the Department of Transportation launched its Open Government Webpage at http://www.dot.gov/open/. In line with the Directive, the DOT Open Government Webpage serves as a portal to our activities related to the Open Government Directive. On our Open Government Webpage, the public can learn about our high-value data sets and be linked to data.gov to rate those sets and request new data, learn more about the methodology DOT is using to approach Open Government, learn more about the governance structure and scope of our effort, view and comment on the proposed content for the DOT Open Government plan, and share their ideas for how DOT can be more transparent, participatory, and collaborative. Of course, our annual FOIA report is there too, in an open format. The Web page will continue to be updated as our efforts progress.
Public Consultation	Meets Expectations	DOT is actively soliciting public input on our Open Government Plan, on the prioritization of information for public release, and on the quality of the information DOT publishes via the public engagement tool at opendot.ideascale.com. This comment tool allows the public to post their own ideas or to vote and comment on posted ideas. We have developed a comprehensive work-flow process to moderate all commentary posted on opendot.ideascale.com, ensure timely response to public questions posted on the site, successfully incorporate relevant ideas into the Open Government Plan, and inform the public of the way in which their ideas have been used to enhance the DOT Open Gov plan and initiatives. Comments can also be send to open@dot.gov. To ensure extensive employee engagement, each operating administration within DOT has representation within working groups charged with developing the concepts and content of the agency’s Open Gov Plan, and the Plan will be routed through every DOT office for internal review during the month of March to provide all employees with the chance to provide feedback and suggestions.

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