CODE's publications have covered all of CODE's areas of work. This section includes materials and outcomes of work from Roundtables with the U.S. Federal Government, including a series on health data, and with independent and international partners. It also includes the outcomes of CODE's research projects and the online resources we have created.
This section presents CODE’s publications on these topics in reverse chronological order, with the most recent ones listed first. It includes CODE’s official publications, CODE’s articles and blog posts related to our projects, and press coverage of our work.
CODE has held many Roundtables in collaboration with the White House and Federal agencies. These Roundtables have addressed a wide range of issues related to democratizing the use of Federal data, including data quality and privacy, open science, public-private collaboration and business applications, and the use of AI.
Roundtable on Democratizing Government Data with GenAI. On July 29, 2024, CODE planned a Roundtable discussion with the Department of Commerce to identify actionable steps for using GenAI to provide real-time, natural-language interfaces. The aim is to make Federal and other government data much more widely usable AND to improve and prepare open data for inclusion in GenAI systems and for AI/ML model development.
Roundtable on Leveraging Data as a Strategic Asset. In May 2018, CODE co-hosted a Roundtable with the White House Office of Management and Budget on leveraging data as a strategic asset, a cross-agency priority goal of the Administration. CODE’s report on this Roundtable was published in June 2018.
Roundtable on Innovating with Federal Spending Data. In February 2018, CODE co-hosted a Roundtable with the U.S. Department of the Treasury on ways to use the federal spending data now made available under the DATA Act. CODE’s report on the Roundtable was published later that month.
Roundtable on Open Data for Economic Growth. In July 2017, CODE co-hosted a Roundtable on Open Data for Economic Growth with the White House Office of Management and Budget, including Administration officials and business leaders. CODE published a summary report of key takeaways in August 2017.
2016 U.S. Open Data Roundtables: Recommendations from Data Providers and Users. The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy partnered with CODE in 2016 to develop the U.S. Interagency Open Data Roundtable series as a rapid, inclusive way to address and help solve the challenges that are keeping open data from reaching its full potential. Over four months, the Roundtables addressed four open data challenges organized around the following topics: data privacy, data quality, sharing research data, and public-private collaboration.
2016 Open Data Roundtable: Applying Research Data. The third of four Interagency Open Data Roundtables co-hosted with the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Key question: How can we best share and apply government-funded research data?
2016 Open Data Roundtable: Public-Private Collaboration. The fourth and final Interagency Open Data Roundtable co-hosted with the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Key question: How can we collaborate to support open data?
2016 Open Data Roundtable: Improving Data Quality. The second of four Interagency Open Data Roundtables co-hosted with the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Key question: What are the most efficient and scalable ways to improve data quality?
2016 Open Data Roundtable: Protecting Privacy. The first of four Interagency Open Data Roundtables co-hosted with the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Key question: How can we open granular information while protecting privacy?
Open Data for the Labor Market: An Open Data Roundtable with the U.S. Department of Labor. In November 2015, CODE co-hosted this Roundtable with the U.S. Department of Labor to foster a dialogue around the access and use of the Occupational Information Network (O*NET) system. CODE’s report was published in March 2016.
Tracking Federal Spending: An Open Data Roundtable with the U.S. Department of the Treasury. On November 2015, CODE and the U.S. Department of the Treasury held a Roundtable on the new ways to use data on federal spending made available under the DATA Act. CODE’s report was published in June 2016.
Using Data to Help Veterans and Their Families: A Roundtable with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. In May 2015, CODE co-hosted a Roundtable with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to help maximize the value of VA’s data and further the agency’s mission to support Veterans and their advocates. CODE’s report on the Roundtable was published in October 2015.
Data for our Energy Future: A Roundtable with the U.S. Department of Energy. In April 2015, CODE and the U.S. Department of Energy co-hosted a Roundtable with energy entrepreneurs and industry leaders who use Department of Energy open data. CODE’s report was published in November 2015.
Improving Safety Data: A Roundtable with the U.S. Department of Transportation. In March 2015, CODE and the U.S. Department of Transportation co-hosted a Roundtable on ways to use open data to improve roadway safety. CODE’s report was published in October 2015.
The Open Data Roundtables were originally launched as an initiative of the GovLab at NYU before being run by CODE. The following three Roundtables were held by CODE’s founding team, working at the GovLab, before CODE was launched in January 2015.
Open Data Roundtable with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. This Roundtable was held In December 2014 to provide feedback on ways to improve the patent data system following up on the recommendations from the earlier Department of Commerce Roundtable. The report on the Roundtable was published in April 2015.
Using Open Data to Protect the Food Supply: A Roundtable with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This Roundtable, held in August 2014, focused on food resilience in conjunction with the White House Climate Data Initiative. The report on the Roundtable was published in January 2015.
Realizing the Potential of Open Government Data: A Roundtable with the U.S. Department of Commerce.
This first-ever Open Data Roundtable with “America’s data agency,” held in June 2014, focused on the potential of open data from the Census Bureau, National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration, the Patent and Trademark Office, and Bureau of Economic Analysis. The report on the Roundtable was published in October 2014.
This section presents CODE's work around the various intersections of healthcare and open data. CODE has worked extensively with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services including a Roundtable series on Health Data Sharing which explored the topics of artificial intelligence in healthcare, health data privacy, social determinants of health (SDOH), and SDOH and COVID-19.
Roundtable and Webinar on Cross-Sectoral Collaboration on the Social Determinants of Health. In September 2021, The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and CODE co-hosted a Roundtable and Webinar on Cross-Sectoral Collaboration on the Social Determinants of Health to develop shared understanding of the SDOH as measures of well-being and begin collaborating across sectors to design discrete targets to reduce and eliminate inequities associated with SDOH factors.
LymeX Roundtable and Webinar on Bridging the Trust Gap. In April 2021, The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation, and CODE co-hosted a LymeX Roundtable: Bridging the Trust Gap to collaborate on inclusive strategies for patient-driven research and patient-driven innovation. The Roundtable was part of the LymeX Innovation Accelerator (LymeX), a public-private partnership between HHS and the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation.
The Social Determinants of Health: Improving Population Health With Data-Driven Insights. As much as 80% of a person's health is determined by the social and economic conditions of their homes and communities, their Social Determinants of Health (SDOH). Healthcare organizations pursuing value-based care must go beyond standard claims and medical data and integrate data sources that measure SDOH to effectively treat the whole person. In this white paper, co-authored with ZeOmega, we present a new approach to improving population health outcomes by applying public and proprietary data sources to the identification and addressing of SDOH needs.
Roundtable and Webinar on Using SDOH Data to Fight COVID-19 and Support Recovery Efforts. In August 2020, CODE convened a Roundtable and public Webinar with the Office of the Chief Technology Officer of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services identify data resources, gaps, and strategies for using SDOH data to help address the COVID-19 pandemic.
Roundtable on Leveraging Data on the Social Determinants of Health. In October 2019, CODE convened a Roundtable with the Office of the Chief Technology Officer of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to discuss how HHS can catalyze the use of data on the social determinants of health at the federal, state, local, and individual levels to improve health outcomes. This event was the third in a series of three Roundtables designed to improve how health data is shared and utilized for the public good.
Roundtable on Balancing Privacy with Health Data Access. In July 2019, CODE convened a Roundtable with the Office of the Chief Technology Officer of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to discuss strategies for appropriately accessing sensitive health data while safeguarding its privacy. This event was the second in a series of three Roundtables designed to improve how health data is shared and utilized for the public good.
Roundtable on Sharing and Utilizing Health Data for AI Applications. In April 2019, CODE convened a Roundtable with the Office of the Chief Technology Officer of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on using health data for artificial intelligence (AI). This event was the first in a series of three Roundtables designed to improve how health data is shared and utilized for the public good.
Lyme Innovation Roundtable. In December 2018 CODE co-hosted the first-ever Lyme Innovation Roundtable, together with the Office of the Chief Technology Officer of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and other partners. This unique event brought together scientists, clinicians, patient advocates, and other diverse participants with an interest in Lyme Disease and tick-borne conditions.
Roundtable on Data Sharing Policies, Data-Driven Solutions, and the Opioid Crisis. In July 2018, CODE co-hosted a Roundtable on data for the opioid crisis with the Office of the Chief Technology Officer of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. CODE’s report on the Roundtable was published in September 2018.
CODE has been committed to applying data for climate action since 2015. Our projects have included Roundtables, research reports, and the development of online resources with both U.S. and international partners.
Roundtable on Achieving Equity in the Use of Flood Risk Data by Disadvantaged Communities. CODE supported the Federal Emergency Management Agency in hosting a Roundtable to identify the needs of disadvantaged communities to understand and mitigate flood risk. The project aimed to identify ways that FEMA, in partnership with others, can best deliver flood hazard and risk information and services in equitable ways.
NAPA Technology Leadership Standing Panel: Series on Solving the Data Problem for the Climate Crisis
Climate Data forAdaptation and Resilience Typology (DART). CODE developed the Climate Data for Adaptation and Resilience Typology (DART) to facilitate the use of global and local data for climate action worldwide within a climate Change Data Ecosystem (CCDE) approach. Climate DART was developed as part of a collaborative project led by PARIS21 and including Open Data Watch (ODW).
The Climate DART identifies and prioritizes the focus areas, drivers, and relevant factors that contribute to the risk of climate impacts or support adaptation and resilience. Data is needed to assess risks and drive informed policy to adapt and build resilience to the impacts of climate change. Review the Climate DART and learn more:
Roundtable and Webinar on Data for Climate Risk Assessment in Vulnerable Communities. In June 2021, CODE co-hosted a Roundtable and Webinar with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on Data for Climate Risk Assessment in Vulnerable Communities. CODE's work on this event was supported by Amazon Web Services and the Amazon Sustainability Data Initiative.
Envisioning a Climate Change Data Ecosystem: A path to co-ordinated climate action By envisioning and developing an effective climate change data ecosystem (CCDE), national leaders, international organizations, and climate experts can work across data silos and leverage data to address all aspects of the climate crisis. This paper describes the rationale for developing an effective CCDE, the benefits it could bring, important challenges, principles, and best practices to consider and proposed next steps. It presents use cases from around the world that demonstrate relevant and innovative ways to put climate change data to use. Finally, it lays the groundwork for new or adapted country assessment frameworks to help low and middle-income countries understand and leverage their climate change data.
CODE worked with PARIS21 to develop this paper. We hope that it will contribute to the current urgent debate about the best ways to apply data rapidly and effectively to the greatest global challenge of our time.
Challenges and Opportunities for Ocean Data to Advance Conservation and Management Since 2019, CODE has been working with partners including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Ocean Conservancy, Esri, Microsoft, and Amazon to explore the current state and future of ocean data in the United States and around the world. In February 2020, we co-hosted a Roundtable with those partners that explored ways to make NOAA’s ocean data, part of one of the largest data inventories of any federal agency, more accessible and useful for the public through NOAA’s Big Data Program (BDP). The Roundtable connected NOAA and its private-sector partners in the BDP with potential data users at other federal agencies, state, local, and regional groups, and private organizations like Esri and Ocean Conservancy. The Roundtable helped inform a larger research project that CODE conducted in partnership with Ocean Conservancy that surveys the current state of ocean data in the U.S. and proposes policy changes to strengthen the ocean data ecosystem. The resulting paper was released on May 20, 2021.
Roundtable on Data for Automated Vehicle Safety. In December 2017, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) hosted the Roundtable on Data for Automated Vehicle Safety, in collaboration with CODE and Booz Allen Hamilton. CODE drafted a summary report that was published by the USDOT in January 2018.
Open Data to Combat Climate Change. CODE collaborated with the World Resources Institute and the Open Data Charter to publish a guide to using open data for climate change mitigation and resilience. This guide will drew on research and workshops held by CODE since 2015.
Since 2020, CODE has collaborated with government officials, advocates, nonprofits, and local decision makers to identify how data can be used to drive solutions and advance equitable outcomes for marginalized people through our Open Data for Equity (OD4E) program. We explore how data can be used to advance equity in health, environmental justice, workforce opportunity, housing, and policing.
Mapping Racial Equity: From Data to Communities. CODE's program on Open Data for Racial Equity is designed to support efforts to advance racial equity, with a focus on finding ways the Federal government can partner with groups outside of government to develop data-driven solutions. There are many areas of inequity in American society in need of data-driven solutions, including inequities in income, education, and opportunity. We chose to focus specifically on racial equity to contribute to the national conversation around race that has intensified since 2020. Much of that conversation has been framed by the Black Lives Matter movement, and the examples in this project relate largely to inequities that impact African Americans. However, we have covered issues affecting Latino and Indigenous Americans as well, and plan to continue our work on issues that affect all BIPOC communities and individuals.
Leveraging Data to Improve Racial Equity in Workforce Opportunity. CODE worked with the IBM Center for the Business of Government to develop this report as part of our larger program on Open Data for Racial Equity. This paper shows the effects of workforce discrimination and other historic practices and explores a number of current opportunities to strengthen longstanding data-driven tools to address workforce inequity.
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Leveraging Data to Improve Racial Equity in Fair Housing. CODE worked with the IBM Center for the Business of Government to develop this report as part of our larger program on Open Data for Racial Equity. This issue brief explores the history of housing discrimination in the United States, examines the present day effects of these historical inequities, and identifies opportunities to apply data for progress in areas such as homeownership, housing security, and the impacts of poor housing on health and well-being.
Roundtable and Webinar on Improving Data for Racial Equity in Policing. In January 2022, CODE co-hosted a Roundtable on Improving Data for Racial Equity in Policing with the nonprofit Measures for Justice that brought together a wide range of stakeholders with an interest in using data to improve policing, support new criminal justice reform policies, and provide insight on police involvement in marginalized communities.
Roundtable and Webinar on Using Data to Advance Racial Equity in Healthcare. CODE hosted a public Webinar, virtual Roundtable, and produced a Briefing and Summary Report for publication by the IBM Center for the Business of Government on using open data for racial equity in healthcare. By addressing data on SDOH, COVID-19, climate and the environment, and emerging technologies, that relates to health risk, healthcare access and bias in healthcare, this project analyzed and developed recommendations on how data can support racial equity in healthcare from diverse perspectives.
Roundtable on Leveraging Data to Address Sickle Cell Disease. In June 2020, CODE convened a Roundtable with the Office of the Chief Technology Officer of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as part of the Health+ Sickle Cell Disease project to identify data resources, gaps, and strategies for data application that can help policymakers, healthcare providers, and other stakeholders improve the care of individuals who suffer from Sickle Cell Disease.
Aligning Open Data, Open Source, and Hybrid Cloud Adoption in Government Federal agencies are increasingly adopting cloud infrastructure, sharing their data across agencies and with the public, and relying on open source software (OSS) as they seek to enhance their capabilities, improve efficiency through IT modernization, and leverage their data for policymaking and administration. In this report published by the IBM Center for the Business of Government, CODE examined how these trends in analytics and technology intersect and can mutually reinforce one another. Drawing on insights from an expert roundtable that brought together leaders in government use of data, software, and cloud approaches to discuss how these domains can best be integrated under current federal policies, the paper explores how government leaders and stakeholders can leverage the intersection of open data, open source, and hybrid cloud models to drive improved performance and productivity.
Public-Private Standards Development and Use by Government. The United States has developed a unique public-private approach to standards development and use. As data from public and private sources is increasingly leveraged to address challenges in the talent marketplace it is more important than ever to break down silos within and across sectors. CODE worked with the T3 Network to explore how the unique U.S. approach to standards development can be most effectively applied in the talent marketplace. This report makes recommendations on how to further strengthen public and private collaboration in the development and use of voluntary consensus standards.
Agile Problem Solving in Government: A Case Study of The Opportunity Project. The Opportunity Project (TOP) — a program hosted by the Census Bureau at the U.S. Department of Commerce — is transforming the culture of open data in the federal government. This CODE report, published by the IBM Center for the Business of Government, shows how TOP accomplishes its goals and how federal agencies can learn from its success.
Open Data and the Private Sector. CODE has done extensive research on the use of open data by the private sector, and has included private sector representatives in its Open Data Roundtables. These reports summarize some of their findings.
Protecting privacy while releasing data. CODE has done research on strategies to balance the value of releasing highly detailed data with the need to protect privacy in granular data. This chapter summarizes those findings and recommendations.
U.S. SDG Data Revolution Roadmap. In January 2017, CODE published recommendations for the U.S. government’s role in promoting and achieving the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals. This Roadmap was based on a December 2016 Roundtable held with the Global Partnership on Sustainable Development Data and accompanying research.
Open Data Transition Report: An Action Plan for the New Administration. This report, supported by a grant from the Laura and John Arnold Foundation, presented 27 recommendations for developing U.S. data policies and programs. Published in October 2016, the report was based on extensive interviews, research, and an expert working group and advisory board.
Open Data for Sustainable Development. CODE authors developed this policy note for the World Bank in August 2015, in conjunction with the development of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Resource and Data Hubs. CODE’s roundtables and research identify a range of resources including reports, organizations, datasets, and data portals. Our Resource and Data Hubs present this valuable information in searchable, sortable tables. They provide a single source of access for anyone looking to understand the state of data, related research, and key organizations and individuals involved in a wide range of topics.
Our largest Resource Hubs are a pair of tables with about 700 resources on Environment/Climate Data: one with information on Portals and Databases, and one on Organizations and Resources including research papers, use cases, and best practices. These two tables draw on CODE's ongoing research, as well as a roundtable held in February 2022 with the Bezos Earth Fund and the Kapor Center. They are designed to be of value to any individual or organization working on the use of data to solve environmental and climate challenges. CODE welcomes comments and additions to this and our other Resource Hubs at contact@odenterprise.org. Our other Resource Hubs include:
Video Demo: How to Use CODE's Resource Hubs
This video introduces the Center for Open Data Enterprise's (CODE) Resource Hubs, demos how to use the Airtable platform that hosts them, and highlights some possible use cases. Hosted by CODE President Joel Gurin.
Stakeholder Engagement Toolkit for Evidence Building is designed as a resource for individuals at Federal agencies who are interested in how to meaningfully engage stakeholders in policy and program decisions. It is informed by existing evidence on public engagement, two expert convenings, and semi-structured interviews with Federal officials and other members of the evidence-building community. This toolkit is the result of a collaboration between CODE and the Data Foundation, with generous support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Open SDG Platform. Open SDG is an open-source reporting platform developed for managing and publishing data and statistics related to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This platform, which was created in collaboration with teams from the U.S. government and the UK Office for National Statistics, is being used by national and subnational governments around the world for SDG reporting.
Open Data for Business (OD4B) Tool. The Open Data for Business (OD4B) assessment tool, developed by CODE and the World Bank, was the first effort to assess and enable the private sector’s use of government data from the demand-side perspective. The assessment tool combines roundtable and interview methodology. The OD4B has been used in countries in Africa, Asica, Europe, and Latin America, and Latin America and the Caribbean to help prioritize government data for private sector use.
HealthDataSharing.org was developed as part of the Open Data Roundtable Series: Sharing and Utilizing Data to Enhance and Protect Health and Well-Being, which allowed the Office of the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at HHS and the Center for Open Data Enterprise (CODE) to co-host a series of three roundtables for experts inside and outside of government to find ways to improve how health data is shared and utilized for the public good. HealthDataSharing.org presents findings from those roundtables, further research by CODE, and additional input from key stakeholders. The Roundtable Series and HealthDataSharing.org were funded by an Engagement Award from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). Healthdatasharing.org is no longer active and was last updated in 2021.
SDG National Reporting Initiative. The Initiative was launched to facilitate greater information-sharing for reporting on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) between international, regional, and local communities. SDG reporting involves publishing and disseminating data and statistics on the SDG indicators for key stakeholders. It is an essential tool for helping to achieve the SDGs and to monitor progress. The SDG National Reporting Initiative is no longer active and was last update in July 2019.
U.S. Open Data Toolkit. The Toolkit is designed to help federal data providers and data users better understand and harness the strategic value of open government data. Among other sources, the Toolkit draws on insights gathered during CODE’s Roundtables, which have convened hundreds of experts from federal agencies, academia, nonprofit organizations, and the private sector. The U.S. Open Data Toolkit is no longer active and was last updated in 2017.
Open Data Impact Map. A project of the Open Data for Development Network (OD4D) that is developed and managed by CODE, the Map is a public database of organizations that use open government data from around the world. It showcases open data use cases across 7 geographical regions and 13 sectors. The Impact Map was developed to provide governments, international organizations, and researchers with a more comprehensive understanding of the demand for open data. The Open Data Impact Map is no longer active and was last updated in 2018.
