Delhi emphasises importance of machine-readable data in budgets
Writers from Delhi’s Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability have emphasised the importance of machine-readable data in getting government budget information out to the general public.
The writers highlight India’s open data policies as key for facilitating access to data. Firstly, the National Data Sharing and Accessibility Policy (NDSAP), 2012, which facilities access to government data in both machine-readable and human readable format. Secondly, The Digital India Initiative, 2015, which requires people-related documents, like budget materials, to be made available electronically in standardised format. Initiatives like these are increasingly important in a digital future, where new modes of dissemination of data can help increase public participation and government transparency
The lesson here? For data to be usable, it needs to be accessible – ideally published in open, machine-readable formats. Fundamentally, in all industries where data is central, data should be structured and based on standards, or reporting will be less useful!
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