Challenges and Supports for Accessing Open Government Datasets: Data Guide for Better Open Data Access and Uses

Abstract

The importance of open government data is often associated with increased public trust, civic engagement, and accountable administrations. While there is a myriad of benefits, the existing literature suggests that many open government datasets lack accessibility and usability for diverse users. This study seeks to explore what contextual information users require when they access these datasets. Using mixed methods, we aim to discover the challenges of accessing data, and the necessary contextual information needed by the users to overcome these challenges. As the outcome of this study, we propose a framework called "Data Guides", which is composed of the identified important contextual information. In future work, we will test the effectiveness of the Data Guide in aiding users' accessing and understanding open government data.