Version 1.1 of the Department of Commerce’s Open Government Plan makes further progress towards making the agency more open, participatory, and collaborative. Impressively, the updated plan adds significantly to Commerce's well-documented data sharing projects, building from its substantial lead in releasing high-value scientific, demographic, and economic data to the public. The updated plan also notably expands on Commerce’s participation and collaboration plans and accomplishments. Commerce also introduces a timely new flagship initiative (its fourth) that delivers real-time, cross-agency information on the Deepwater Horizon oil spill to the public.

As with its first release, Commerce’s Plan would benefit from more concrete milestones and from greater specificity on its planned internal reforms. The Department should also continue to consider ways to harmonize its decentralized governance structure with the Open Government Directive’s department-level requirements, such as with regard to its records management programs.

View the original evaluation here.

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