Assessing whether the design of a state forensic portal of test results complies with requirements of open government data

Abstract

Open government initiatives can empower the public with timely access to information. The new front in these efforts is diversification of services with emphasis on enabling customizable searches, in addition to, data querying and manipulation by end users. One area of public service that can benefit from advances in communication technology is the Criminal Justice System. Such integration will decrease the time and number of pending processes. Recent expansion in online data portals is not necessarily leading to participatory governance. The simple act of uploading data onto a public portal does not automatically equate with transparency and accountability. Public data portals are not necessarily and outrightly open data portals. Specific requirements must be satisfied to render public data portals as being open portals. Here, design features of a state forensic portal of test results are evaluated for compliance with requirements of open government data initiatives. The aim of this report is to serve as a valuable reference in guiding government agencies through the design and implementation process. Keywords: EGovernment, Database, Data portal, Open data, Data delivery, Forensic