Analysts say transparency will take time

The public must be patient as the Obama administration implements online strategies to improve the transparency of government operations, according to industry observers.

Web sites such as Data.gov and Recovery.gov show promise, analysts said, but it could be months before they meet their goal of giving citizens access to new information about government.

Adelaide O'Brien, research manager at Government Insights, called the rollout of Data.gov "an important step for democratizing data at the federal level." She said she was optimistic citizens would come up with innovative uses for the more than 100,000 data feeds Federal Chief Information Officer Vivek Kundra plans to add to the site in the coming weeks, just as they did during the Apps for Democracy contest Kundra sponsored as the District of Columbia's technology chief.

But Ray Bjorklund, senior vice president and chief knowledge officer for FedSources, said despite its potential, the site has a long way to go. With the exception of one or two resources, most of the information currently on Data.gov already is available on other government sites, he said.

"Yeah, [Data.gov] may be useful, but it doesn't make the government more transparent because there's no new information," Bjorklund said. "The fact it's aggregated makes the government more accessible rather than transparent."

Recovery.gov faces similar issues. O'Brien noted most of the site's comprehensive data on stimulus spending already is available on Web sites of individual agencies and state and local governments, but often is opaque.

"I think it's the first step to get as close to real-time information as possible to citizens," O'Brien said. "Many agencies are struggling, but to their credit they are updating their Web sites."

The board overseeing Recovery Act implementation plans to look for a contractor to revamp Recovery.gov, with a solicitation expected in weeks. But Bjorklund said it could take six months for the government to implement a system to track Recovery Act funds and for rank-and-file federal employees to embrace the administration's transparency directives.

"Changing the government's culture is like trying to turn a battleship on a dime," Bjorklund said. "It doesn't happen that quickly. I'm giving the administration a bit of leeway. It will be six months before we can start to compare apples to apples."