Plans for Increasing the Public Availability of Information about Agency Operations
The U.S.
Open
National Address Database Summit Report
The National Address Database Summit was held at The Conference Center at the Maritime Institute in Linthicum, MD on April 8-9, 2015. The Summit was sponsored by the United States Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) and facilitated by Applied Geographics, Inc. and LEAD Alliance. The Summit provided a specialized forum for generating ideas and gathering input on the feasibility and format of a shared address database for the nation. The summit was attended by 58 participants and an additional 25 observers from across the federal, state, local government, tribal, non-profit and private sector stakeholders.
Developing a Systemic Approach for Increasing the Public Availability of Information about Agency Operations
In order to implement a commitment U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) made in its third Open Government Plan, we are requesting each DOT Operating Administration (OA) to submit a plan establishing a system under which it makes appropriate proactive releases of DOT information and data. Our goal is not to direct how OAs manage information and data releases; rather, our goal is to ensure that all DOT OAs have a systemic approach to effectively generate and manage public releases of data useful to the public.
Plain Writing Act of 2010 2013 Compliance Report
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is committed to communicating with the American people in plain, easy-to-follow language. We understand that people cannot comply with a safety bulletin that is too dense and technical to understand, or offer comments on a proposed regulation that is written with too much jargon for a layman to follow.
Plain Language Checklist
U.S. Department of Transportation Plain Language Checklist
Writing Checklist for Web Content
Checklist for Creating New Content
Writing User-Friendly Documents
The Federal government’s traditional way of writing has not worked well. Too often, complicated and jargon-filled documents have resulted in frustration, lawsuits, and a lack of trust between citizens and their government. To overcome this legacy, we have a great responsibility to communicate clearly.
Studies show that clearly written documents improve compliance and decrease litigation. Writing that considers our readers’ need for clear communication will improve the relationship between the government and the public it serves.
Plain Language Contacts
DOT Plain Language Points of Contact
Plain Language
At the Department of Transportation, we have a long-standing commitment to using plain language, and we see plain writing as an integral part of achieving the goals of our Open Government Plan.
News
A collection of news, announcements and events about DOT's Open Government Initiative.