The Open Government Directive describes the principles of transparency, participation, and collaboration as the cornerstone of an open government. The Obama Administration has highlighted on the idea of government transparency since taking office, with the belief that the federal government must break down the barriers between it and the people it's supposed to serve in order to bridge the gap between the American people and government.

The Directive establishes and requires deadlines for government agencies to meet in order to comply with the objectives set by President Obama. It specifically calls for agencies to share information with the public through online, open, accessible, machine-readable formats, and requires each agencies to publish at least three "high-level" data sets online within 45 days. It also requires agencies to create an "Open Government Webpage" within 60 days, which will outline their activities online. After that, the must create an "Open Government Plan" within 120 days, which will outline how each agency will improve their transparency and integrate public participation.

The introduction of the Open Government Directive demonstrates the seriousness of the Obama Administration's commitment to data transparency and citizen engagement, two things that were key points in the campaign and are priorities for his presidency.

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