To really harness the promise of data, it needs to be more than just open and public, but actually findable and usable by the right users.

10x believes that data can do a lot of good. The government has a lot of data that's open and freely accessible to everyone, but not always easy to find or use. In order for data to deliver, a lot has to go right and some things can't go wrong.

Doing data right means knowing which data is useful to collect in the first place, how to structure it, keep it safe, and ensure that sensitive data is always stored securely, and only when and for as long as is appropriate. And even if all of the above are true, the civil servants working with it need to understand how data can cause harm if used irresponsibly, and have the tools to avoid doing so.

10x's portfolio of data projects are all about making things go right with data whenever we can, and avoiding the dangers of data-driven harm. We've been investing in this space for years, and we're excited to share a few of our successes with you.

Check out some of our projects designed to improve access to data:

Expanding access to complex economic data

The federal government has a wealth of economic data, but it is so complex it is largely inaccessible to users who do not have deep technical expertise. 10x looked at ways to make the data easier to access for non-technical users.

Finding grant-funded results and products

The outputs of some federally funded grants can be hard to find and are not easily available to those who can most benefit from them. 10x looked at ways to help people discover the products and other results.

Across the federal space are hundreds of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) libraries, but the libraries are decentralized, making it challenging to find specific records. 10x investigated how to provide cross-library access to the records.

Open data for small-scale farmers

Small-scale farmers do not have easy access to federal data that might be of use to them, such as data on crop production. 10x looked at what data small-scale farmers need access to and if there was a good way for them to access it.

Digital Access to Justice Platform

State and local government fees and fines disproportionately impact and marginalize low-income communities and people of color. 10x looked into whether an integrated dashboard would make it easier for people to find and resolve outstanding fines. Check out the A2J Prototype.

U.S. Data Federation

The wide array of data sources and structures makes sharing the data across the federal government very difficult, impacting the ability of public officials to do complete analyses. 10x created tools and processes to make sharing data easier. See U.S. Data Federation.

Find out more:

The U.S. Data Federation graduates the 10x program, launches new repository
July 2, 2020
Announcement of the launch of the U.S. Data Federation and background on its development.

An introduction to the U.S. Data Federation
April 17, 2019
A video showcasing the goals and capabilities of the U.S. Data Federation.

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