Connecticut
Open Data
Policy
Effective April 22, 2015
Promulgated in accordance with and
under the authority of Executive
Order 39 of Governor Dannel P.
Malloy
Contents
1.0 Definitions .......................................................................................................................... 3
2.0 Introduction...................................................................................................................... 5
2.1 Intent ............................................................................................................................ 5
2.2 Scope ............................................................................................................................ 5
2.3 Legal Considerations ....................................................................................................... 5
3.0 Open Data Policy Requirements ......................................................................................... 6
3.1 General Requirements .................................................................................................... 6
3.2 Open Data Criteria and Assessment Requirements ............................................................. 6
3.3 Additional Requirements ................................................................................................. 7
4.0 Governance and Oversight ................................................................................................. 7
Connecticut’s Chief Data Officer (CDO) ........................................................................................ 7
4.1 Agency Data Officer (ADO) .............................................................................................. 7
4.2 Agency Data Stewards (ADS) ............................................................................................ 7
5.0 State Data Standards ......................................................................................................... 8
5.1 Data Set Selection .......................................................................................................... 8
5.2 Data Set Publishing ......................................................................................................... 8
5.3 Maintenance ................................................................................................................. 8
5.4 Ownership & Responsibility ............................................................................................. 8
1.0 Definitions
Agency Data Officer: Responsible for fulfilling a State agency’s responsibilities under Executive
Order 39 of Governor Dannel P. Malloy. The Agency Data Officer shall be an employee,
knowledgeable about the overall business practices of the agency and the data it collects.
API: An application programming interface, which is a set of definitions of the ways one piece
of computer software communicates with another. It is a method of achieving abstraction,
usually (but not necessarily) between higher-level and lower-level software.
Catalog: A catalog is a searchable and interactive collection of data sets or web services often
known as a portal or repository.
Chief Data Officer: An individual within the Office of Policy and Management, designated by
the Governor, to coordinate implementation of and compliance with Executive Order 39 of
Governor Dannel P. Malloy, and coordinate initiatives to improve access to state data.
Data: Statistical or factual information that: (a) is reflected in a list, table, graph, chart, or other
non-narrative form, that can be digitally transmitted or processed; (b) is regularly created and
maintained by or on behalf of an executive branch agency; and (c) records a measurement,
transaction, or determination related to the mission of the agency or is provided to the agency
by third parties pursuant to law.
Database: A collection of data stored according to a schema and manipulated according to the
rules set out in one Data Modelling Facility.
Data Inventory: An itemized list of current data assets such as: databases, data sets,
spreadsheets, collections, or geospatial data in the possession of a State Agency
Data Set: A data set is an organized collection of data. The most basic representation of a data
set is data elements presented in tabular form. Each column represents a particular variable.
Each row corresponds to a given value of that column’s variable. A data set may also present
information in a variety of non-tabular formats, such as an extensible mark-up language (XML)
file, a geospatial data file, or an image file, etc.
Machine Processed: Refers to information or data that is in a format that can be easily
processed by a computer without human intervention while ensuring no semantic meaning is
lost.
Metadata: To facilitate common understanding, a number of characteristics, or attributes, of
data are defined. These characteristics of data are known as “metadata”, that is, “data that
describes data.” For any particular datum, the metadata may describe how the datum is
represented, ranges of acceptable values, its relationship to other data, and how it should be
labeled. Metadata also may provide other relevant information, such as the responsible
steward, associated laws and regulations, and access management policy. Each of the types of
data described herein has a corresponding set of metadata. The metadata for structured data
objects describes the structure, data elements, interrelationships, and other characteristics of
information, including its creation, disposition, access and handling controls, formats, content,
and context, as well as related audit trails. Metadata includes data element names (such as
Organization Name, Address, etc.), their definition, and their format (numeric, date, text, etc.).
In contrast, data is the actual data values such as the “US Patent and Trade Office” or the
“Social Security Administration” for the metadata called “Organization Name” and including a
description of the data sources. Metadata may also include metrics about an organization’s
data including its data quality (accuracy, completeness, etc.).
Standardized: Utilizing standards developed or adopted by voluntary consensus standards
bodies, both domestic and international. These standards include provisions requiring that
owners of relevant intellectual property have agreed to make that intellectual property
available on a non-discriminatory, royalty-free or reasonable royalty basis to all interested
parties.
Web Service: A Web service is a method of communication between two or more electronic
devices over a network. It has an interface described in a machine-processable format
(specifically Representational State Transfer or REST).
2.0 Introduction
2.1 Intent
Connecticut Open Data, as supported by the Open Data Policy (ODP) is intended to:
● Increase agency accountability and responsiveness
● Improve public knowledge of the government and its operations.
● Provide timely data that is easily accessible to the public
● Encourage public participation and interaction with government agencies, policies and
issues
● Foster agency/interagency efficiency
● Create economic opportunity
● Facilitate partnerships with non-governmental organizations
● Empower citizens to create value from Open Data
● Encourage the use of open frameworks and products, allowing third parties to embrace
and expand on the state’s open data services.
2.2 Scope
The ODP applies to data in the custody or under the control of the State Agencies with a
department head as defined by section 4-5 of the General Statutes. While the ODP applies to all
government data: legal, policy, and contractual obligations limit the application of this ODP in
some cases. In addition, this ODP sets out specific criteria that must be met before data can be
considered Open Data.
2.3 Legal Considerations
The following legal considerations guide the development of the ODP and provide context for
its application.
Federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
Enacted in 1966, and taking effect on July 5, 1967, FOIA provides that any person has a right,
enforceable in court, to obtain access to federal agency records, except to the extent that such
records (or portions of them) are protected from public disclosure by several exemptions or by
one of three special law enforcement record exclusions. For additional information regarding
the FOIA, visit www.foia.gov.
Connecticut Freedom of Information Act
The Connecticut Freedom of Information Act (CTFOIA) is under the authority of the Connecticut
Freedom of Information Commission. Their mission is “to administer and enforce the provisions
http://www.cga.ct.gov/current/pub/chap_046.htm#sec_4-5
http://www.foia.gov/
http://www.foia.gov/
of the Connecticut freedom of information act, and to thereby ensure citizen access to the
records and meetings of public agencies in the state of Connecticut”. For additional information
on the Connecticut Freedom of Information Commission, go to www.ct.gov/foi.
Open Data Licensing
Explicit licensing is essential to provide clarity and certainty to users and reusers. Generally,
Open Data provided by State Agencies should be identified as “Public Domain,” however in
some instances it may be necessary, or desirable to apply an Open Data license. Open Data
licenses are available from Open Data Commons: http://opendatacommons.org/licenses/odbl/.
3.0 Open Data Policy Requirements
3.1 General Requirements
The following poli
