CHAPTER D USABILITY OF INFORMATION Effective government transparency is contingent upon the tools and technologies that provide access: the type of technologies deployed by the government to disseminate information; the degree to which government employees and experts are at liberty to speak freely with the public; and the extent to which the general public can access and incorporate pertinent and accurate government information into their everyday decision making processes. The usability of government information depends on several factors. Foremost is the ability of the public to find the information. Additionally, the ease with which the public can interpret the information and compare it to and combine it with other data affects the value of the information. The quality of the information is also a factor. Information is more useful when it is accurate, complete, and timely. The current state of the usability of government information is plagued by fundamental problems. First, the form in which some government information is stored often makes it difficult to access, search, and find. Second, government agencies have placed restrictions on who can speak to the general public about what. Third, there is a lack of leadership regarding the implementation of cutting-edge technologies to foster interactions with the public. Fourth, most new government information is stored in electronic format, but the government lacks adequate procedures to 1) preserve this information and 2) ensure electronic public access to the preserved information. The current challenges to public usability of information reduce the efficacy of government and, ultimately, threaten the interests and quality of life of Americans. These challenges may be summarized as problems of access to information, understanding the information, and quality of the information. By solving these problems of usability, many other benefits would result.
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