OMB upgrades IT Dashboard with new tools, better data

Technology

OMB upgrades IT Dashboard with new tools, better data

The portal provides more access to individual agency projects, lets departments find duplication and improves overall data quality. OMB also has published the s...

Federal News Network Staff

March 7, 2012 5:12 am

< a min read

By Beth Reardon
and Jason Miller

Version 2.0 of the IT Dashboard is up and running.

In a blog post Tuesday, federal Chief Information Officer Steven VanRoekel wrote the portal is giving insight into federal IT spending like never before.

“The dashboard now provides access to individual projects and activities associated with an investment, links investments to funding sources and includes enhanced visualizations to better track investment performance year-to-year,” VanRoekel wrote.

That is one of four improvements to the IT Dashboard.

OMB launched the portal in 2009 to increase oversight and better track IT programs.

The dashboard has come under fire from the Government Accountability Office for poor data quality over the last few years. The audit agency’s most recent report found data quality is improving.

VanRoekel said Version 2.0 of the Dashboard focuses on the data quality challenge.

He wrote the dashboard improves validations of data and provides warnings to prevent erroneous data from entering into the system. New data quality reports also will help agencies to identify improvements they can make to their existing data.

VanRoekel also wrote there are new tools, including one to let the public download and build applications, and more data available.

He said each investment’s performance history and trend now is available as a data feed, letting developers “embed charts of any investment’s history directly into news articles, blogs or interactive visualizations.”

Finally, VanRoekel said the new data will help agencies identify duplication.

The data also will let visitors view investments over the last decade by the using the “trend” tool.

The “Treemap” feature uses a color coded spectrum to let users see how IT spending is spread through various departments and projects. OMB also created an “ITDashboard” Channel on YouTube to help with navigation of the site.

The administration also posted the source code for the IT Dashboard, letting the public download the program and use the same portfolio management tool as federal CIOs.

Users are also encouraged to leave feedback about investments being made by agencies or about what they think of the IT portfolio program in general.