Usability and Accessibility of Open Government Data Portals of Countries Worldwide: : An Application of TOPSIS and Entropy Weight Method
Pages 1 - 25
Abstract
The open government data (OGD) portal is an initiative by governments worldwide to promote transparency and accountability and enhance citizen participation and public value creation. The ability of these portals to deliver the expected benefits depends on their usability and accessibility, besides their content. This study conducts an integrated assessment and comparison of the OGD portals of 75 countries based on their usability and accessibility. The usability of the portals is measured through several technical indicators, classified into performance metrics, browser timings, and optimisation using automated diagnostic tools. Accessibility is evaluated through portals' conformance to web content accessibility guidelines (WCAG). The ‘technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution' (TOPSIS) and entropy weight method are used to rank the portals. The findings of this study could be helpful for policymakers and internal stakeholders of OGD initiatives to identify the focus area and make decisions on resource allocation.
References
[1]
Acosta-VargasP.Luján-MoraS.AcostaT.Salvador-UllauriL. (2018). Toward a Combined Method for Evaluation of Web Accessibility. In RochaÁ.GuardaT. (Eds.), Proceedings of the International Conference on Information Technology & Systems (ICITS 2018) (pp. 602–613). Springer International Publishing. 10.1007/978-3-319-73450-7_57
[2]
Acosta-Vargas, P., Luján-Mora, S., & Salvador-Ullauri, L. (2016). Evaluation of the web accessibility of higher-education websites. 2016 15th International Conference on Information Technology Based Higher Education and Training (ITHET), (pp.1–6). IEEE. 10.1109/ITHET.2016.7760703
[3]
Akgül, Y. (2019). The Accessibility, Usability, Quality and Readability of Turkish State and Local Government Websites an Exploratory Study. [IJEGR]. International Journal of Electronic Government Research, 15(1), 62–81.
[4]
Albano, C. S., & Reinhard, N. (2014). Open Government Data: Facilitating and Motivating Factors for Coping with Potential Barriers in the Brazilian Context. In Janssen, M., Scholl, H. J., Wimmer, M. A., & Bannister, F. (Eds.), Electronic Government (pp. 181–193). Springer.
[5]
Alderete, M. V. (2020). Towards Measuring the Economic Impact of Open Data by Innovating and Doing Business. International Journal on Management of Innovation & Technology, 17(03), 2050022.
[6]
Almuqrin, A., Mutambik, I., Alomran, A., Gauthier, J., & Abusharhah, M. (2022). Factors Influencing Public Trust in Open Government Data. Sustainability (Basel), 14(15), 15. Advance online publication.
[7]
Altayar, M. S. (2018). Motivations for open data adoption: An institutional theory perspective. Government Information Quarterly, 35(4), 633–643.
[8]
Anthopoulos, L. G., Siozos, P., & Tsoukalas, I. A. (2007). Applying participatory design and collaboration in digital public services for discovering and re-designing e-Government services. Government Information Quarterly, 24(2), 353–376.
[9]
Arribas-Bel, D., Green, M., Rowe, F., & Singleton, A. (2021). Open data products-A framework for creating valuable analysis ready data. Journal of Geographical Systems, 23(4), 497–514. 34697537.
[10]
Arzberger, P., Schroeder, P., Beaulieu, A., Bowker, G., Casey, K., Laaksonen, L., Moorman, D., Uhlir, P., & Wouters, P. (2004). An International Framework to Promote Access to Data. Science, 303(5665), 1777–1778. 15031482.
[11]
Attard, J., Orlandi, F., Scerri, S., & Auer, S. (2015). A systematic review of open government data initiatives. Government Information Quarterly, 32(4), 399–418.
[12]
BertotJ. C.ChoiH. (2013). Big data and e-government: Issues, policies, and recommendations. Proceedings of the 14th Annual International Conference on Digital Government Research, (pp. 1–10). IEEE. 10.1145/2479724.2479730
[13]
BhagatS.JoshiP. (2019). Evaluation of Accessibility and Accessibility Audit Methods for e-Governance Portals. Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Theory and Practice of Electronic Governance, (pp. 220–226). IEEE. 10.1145/3326365.3326394
[14]
Bogdanović-Dinić, S., Veljković, N., & Stoimenov, L. (2014). How Open Are Public Government Data? An Assessment of Seven Open Data Portals. In Rodríguez-Bolívar, M. P. (Ed.), Measuring E-government Efficiency: The Opinions of Public Administrators and Other Stakeholders (pp. 25–44). Springer.
[15]
Bouzas‐Lorenzo, R., & Mahou‐Lago, X. M. (2015). An evaluation of citizen service web portals in Latin America. Academia (Caracas), 28(1), 99–114.
[16]
Cabitza, F., Locoro, A., & Batini, C. (2020). Making Open Data more Personal Through a Social Value Perspective: A Methodological Approach. Information Systems Frontiers, 22(1), 131–148.
[17]
Cai, X., Li, S., & Feng, G. (2020). Evaluating the performance of government websites: An automatic assessment system based on the TFN-AHP methodology. Journal of Information Science, 46(6), 760–775.
[18]
Chokki, A. P., Simonofski, A., Clarinval, A., Frénay, B., & Vanderose, B. (2022). Fostering Interaction Between Open Government Data Stakeholders: An Exchange Platform for Citizens, Developers and Publishers. In Janssen, M., Csáki, C., Lindgren, I., Loukis, E., Melin, U., Viale Pereira, G., Rodríguez Bolívar, M. P., & Tambouris, E. (Eds.), Electronic Government (Vol. 13391, pp. 228–243). Springer International Publishing.
[19]
Csontos, B., & Heckl, I. (2021). Accessibility, usability, and security evaluation of Hungarian government websites. Universal Access in the Information Society, 20(1), 139–156.
[20]
de Souza, A. A. C., d’Angelo, M. J., & Lima Filho, R. N. (2022). Effects of Predictors of Citizens’ Attitudes and Intention to Use Open Government Data and Government 2.0. Government Information Quarterly, 39(2), 101663.
[21]
Dias, G. P. (2020). Global e-government development: Besides the relative wealth of countries, do policies matter? Transforming Government: People . Transforming Government, 14(3), 381–400.
[22]
Dominic, P., Jati, H., & Kannabiran, G. (2010). Performance evaluation on quality of Asian e-government websites – an AHP approach. International Journal of Business Information Systems, 6(2), 219–239.
[23]
Dominic, P., Jati, H., Sellappan, P., & Nee, G. K. (2011). A comparison of Asian e-government websites quality: Using a non-parametric test. International Journal of Business Information Systems, 7(2), 220–246.
[24]
Dwivedi, Y. K., Janssen, M., Slade, E. L., Rana, N. P., Weerakkody, V., Millard, J., Hidders, J., & Snijders, D. (2017). Driving innovation through big open linked data (BOLD): Exploring antecedents using interpretive structural modelling. Information Systems Frontiers, 19(2), 197–212.
[25]
Gill, M., & Corbett, J. (2017). Downscaling: Understanding the influence of open data initiatives in smaller and mid-sized cities in British Columbia, Canada. The Canadian Geographer. Geographe Canadien, 61(3), 346–359.
[26]
Gray, W. D., & Salzman, M. C. (1998). Damaged Merchandise? A Review of Experiments That Compare Usability Evaluation Methods. Human-Computer Interaction, 13(3), 203–261.
[27]
Hashemian, B. J. (2011). Analyzing web accessibility in Finnish higher education. ACM SIGACCESS Accessibility and Computing, 101(101), 8–16.
[28]
Hivon, J., & Titah, R. (2017). Conceptualizing citizen participation in open data use at the city level. Transforming Government: People . Transforming Government, 11(1), 99–118.
[29]
Hossain, M. A., Dwivedi, Y. K., & Rana, N. P. (2016). State-of-the-art in open data research: Insights from existing literature and a research agenda. Journal of Organizational Computing and Electronic Commerce, 26(1–2), 14–40.
[30]
HuangJ. (2008). Combining entropy weight and TOPSIS method for information system selection. 2008 IEEE Conference on Cybernetics and Intelligent Systems, (pp. 1281–1284). IEEE. 10.1109/ICCIS.2008.4670971
[31]
Hwang, C.-L., & Yoon, K. (1981). Methods for Multiple Attribute Decision Making. In Hwang, C.-L., & Yoon, K. (Eds.), Multiple Attribute Decision Making: Methods and Applications A State-of-the-Art Survey (pp. 58–191). Springer.
[32]
Jaeger, P. T. (2006). Assessing Section 508 compliance on federal e-government Web sites: A multi-method, user-centered evaluation of accessibility for persons with disabilities. Government Information Quarterly, 23(2), 169–190.
[33]
Janssen, K. (2011). The influence of the PSI directive on open government data: An overview of recent developments. Government Information Quarterly, 28(4), 446–456.
[34]
Janssen, M., Charalabidis, Y., & Zuiderwijk, A. (2012). Benefits, Adoption Barriers and Myths of Open Data and Open Government. Information Systems Management, 29(4), 258–268.
[35]
JatiH.DominicD. D. (2009). Quality Evaluation of E-government Website Using Web Diagnostic Tools: Asian Case. 2009 International Conference on Information Management and Engineering, (pp. 85–89). IEEE. 10.1109/ICIME.2009.147
[36]
Jati, H., Nurkhamid, & Wardani, R. (2018). Quality Analysis of University Websites from Usability Side with Multicriteria Decision Analysis Method. Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 1140, 012038.
[37]
Karat, J. (1997). Evolving the scope of user-centered design. Communications of the ACM, 40(7), 33–38.
[38]
Kassen, M. (2018). Adopting and managing open data: Stakeholder perspectives, challenges and policy recommendations. Aslib Journal of Information Management, 70(5), 518–537.
[39]
Kesswani, N., & Kumar, S. (2022). Government website accessibility: A cross-country analysis of G7 and BRICS countries. Universal Access in the Information Society, 21(3), 609–624.
[40]
Khayyat, M., & Bannister, F. (2017). Towards a model for facilitating and enabling co-creation using open government data. Information Polity, 22(4), 211–231.
[41]
Kraemer, K., & King, J. L. (2006). Information Technology and Administrative Reform: Will E-Government Be Different? [IJEGR]. International Journal of Electronic Government Research, 2(1), 1–20.
[42]
Lazar, J., Dudley-Sponaugle, A., & Greenidge, K.-D. (2004). Improving web accessibility: A study of webmaster perceptions. Computers in Human Behavior, 20(2), 269–288.
[43]
Lecerof, A., & Paterno, F. (1998). Automatic support for usability evaluation. IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering, 24(10), 863–888.
[44]
Lourenço, R. P., Piotrowski, S., & Ingrams, A. (2017). Open data driven public accountability. Transforming Government: People . Transforming Government, 11(1), 42–57.
[45]
Luján-MoraS.NavarreteR.PeñafielM. (2014). Egovernment and web accessibility in South America. 2014 First International Conference on EDemocracy EGovernment (ICEDEG), (pp. 77–82). IEEE. 10.1109/ICEDEG.2014.6819953
[46]
Luthfi, A., & Janssen, M. (2019). Open Data for Evidence-based Decision-making: Data-driven Government Resulting in Uncertainty and Polarization. International Journal on Advanced Science, Engineering and Information Technology, 9(3), 1071–1078.
[47]
Luthfi, A., Janssen, M., & Crompvoets, J. (2020). Stakeholder Tensions in Decision-Making for Opening Government Data. In Shishkov, B. (Ed.), Business Modeling and Software Design (pp. 331–340). Springer International Publishing.
[48]
Máchová, R., Hub, M., & Lnenicka, M. (2018). Usability evaluation of open data portals: Evaluating data discoverability, accessibility, and reusability from a stakeholders’ perspective. Aslib Journal of Information Management, 70(3), 252–268.
[49]
Martin, C. (2014). Barriers to the Open Government Data Agenda: Taking a Multi-Level Perspective. Policy and Internet, 6(3), 217–240.
[50]
Matheus, R., & Janssen, M. (2020). A Systematic Literature Study to Unravel Transparency Enabled by Open Government Data: The Window Theory. Public Performance & Management Review, 43(3), 503–534.
[51]
McBride, K., Olesk, M., Kütt, A., & Shysh, D. (2020). Systemic change, open data ecosystem performance improvements, and empirical insights from Estonia: A country-level action research study. Information Polity, 25(3), 377–402.
[52]
Meng, A., DiSalvo, C., Tsui, L., & Best, M. (2019). The social impact of open government data in Hong Kong: Umbrella Movement protests and adversarial politics. The Information Society, 35(4), 216–228.
[53]
Molich, R., Ede, M. R., Kaasgaard, K., & Karyukin, B. (2004). Comparative usability evaluation. Behaviour & Information Technology, 23(1), 65–74.
[54]
Moreno, L., & Martínez, P. (2019). Accessibility Compliance for E-Government Websites: Laws, Standards, and Evaluation Technology. [IJEGR]. International Journal of Electronic Government Research, 15(2), 1–18.
[55]
Nascimento, F. R. A., Cesar da Rocha, J., & Garcia, A. C. B. (2018). Automated Evaluation of Open Government Data Portals: A Case Study. [IJEGR]. International Journal of Electronic Government Research, 14(3), 57–72.
[56]
Nielsen, J. (1994). Usability engineering. Morgan Kaufmann.
[57]
Nikiforova, A. (2021). Smarter Open Government Data for Society 5.0: Are Your Open Data Smart Enough? Sensors (Basel), 21(15), 15. 34372440.
[58]
Nikiforova, A., & Lnenicka, M. (2021). A multi-perspective knowledge-driven approach for analysis of the demand side of the Open Government Data portal. Government Information Quarterly, 38(4), 101622.
[59]
Nikiforova, A., & McBride, K. (2021). Open government data portal usability: A user-centred usability analysis of 41 open government data portals. Telematics and Informatics, 58, 101539.
[60]
Ojo, A., Porwol, L., Waqar, M., Stasiewicz, A., Osagie, E., Hogan, M., Harney, O., & Zeleti, F. A. (2016). Realizing the Innovation Potentials from Open Data: Stakeholders’ Perspectives on the Desired Affordances of Open Data Environment. In Afsarmanesh, H., Camarinha-Matos, L. M., & Lucas Soares, A. (Eds.), Collaboration in a Hyperconnected World (pp. 48–59). Springer International Publishing.
[61]
Olalere, A., & Lazar, J. (2011). Accessibility of U.S. federal government home pages: Section 508 compliance and site accessibility statements. Government Information Quarterly, 28(3), 303–309.
[62]
Oliveira, V. H. O. de, Pinheiro, P. G., & Pinto, N. G. M. (2021). Value generation from open government data in the public sector: Development and validation of a multidimensional scale. JeDEM - EJournal of EDemocracy and Open Government, 13(2). 10.29379/jedem.v13i2.667
[63]
OsagieE.WaqarM.AdebayoS.StasiewiczA.PorwolL.OjoA. (2017). Usability Evaluation of an Open Data Platform. Proceedings of the 18th Annual International Conference on Digital Government Research, (pp. 495–504). IEEE. 10.1145/3085228.3085315
[64]
Palmer, J. W. (2002). Web Site Usability, Design, and Performance Metrics. Information Systems Research, 13(2), 151–167.
[65]
ParkS.Gil-GarciaJ. R. (2017). Understanding Transparency and Accountability in Open Government Ecosystems: The Case of Health Data Visualizations in a State Government. Proceedings of the 18th Annual International Conference on Digital Government Research, (pp. 39–47). IEEE. 10.1145/3085228.3085318
[66]
Parmanto, B., & Zeng, X. (2005). Metric for Web accessibility evaluation. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 56(13), 1394–1404.
[67]
Parycek, P., Höchtl, J., & Ginner, M. (2014). Open Government Data Implementation Evaluation. Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research, 9(2), 2.
[68]
Raca, V., Velinov, G., Cico, B., & Kon-Popovska, M. (2021). Application-based Framework for Analysis, Monitoring and Evaluation of National Open Data Portals. [IJACSA]. International Journal of Advanced Computer Science and Applications, 12(11), 11.
[69]
Ruijer, E., Détienne, F., Baker, M., Groff, J., & Meijer, A. J. (2020). The Politics of Open Government Data: Understanding Organizational Responses to Pressure for More Transparency. American Review of Public Administration, 50(3), 260–274.
[70]
Ruijer, E., Grimmelikhuijsen, S., & Meijer, A. (2017). Open data for democracy: Developing a theoretical framework for open data use. Government Information Quarterly, 34(1), 45–52.
[71]
Ruijer, E. H. J. M., & Martinius, E. (2017). Researching the democratic impact of open government data: A systematic literature review. Information Polity, 22(4), 233–250. Scopus.
[72]
Scott, J. K. (2005). Assessing the Quality of Municipal Government Web Sites. State & Local Government Review, 37(2), 151–165.
[73]
Tang, R., Gregg, W., Hirsh, S., & Hall, E. (2019). U.S. state and state capital open government data (OGD): A content examination and heuristic evaluation of data processing capabilities of OGD sites. Proceedings of the Association for Information Science and Technology, 56(1), 255–264.
[74]
Teo, T. S. H., Srivastava, S. C., & Jiang, L. (2008). Trust and Electronic Government Success: An Empirical Study. Journal of Management Information Systems, 25(3), 99–132.
[75]
Thorsby, J., Stowers, G. N. L., Wolslegel, K., & Tumbuan, E. (2017). Understanding the content and features of open data portals in American cities. Government Information Quarterly, 34(1), 53–61.
[76]
Verkijika, S. F., & De Wet, L. (2017). Determining the Accessibility of e-Government Websites in Sub-Saharan Africa Against WCAG 2.0 Standard. [IJEGR]. International Journal of Electronic Government Research, 13(1), 52–68.
[77]
Vetrò, A., Canova, L., Torchiano, M., Minotas, C. O., Iemma, R., & Morando, F. (2016). Open data quality measurement framework: Definition and application to Open Government Data. Government Information Quarterly, 33(2), 325–337.
[78]
Viscusi, G., Spahiu, B., Maurino, A., & Batini, C. (2014). Compliance with open government data policies: An empirical assessment of Italian local public administrations. Information Polity, 19(3–4), 263–275.
[79]
Wang, D., Richards, D., Bilgin, A. A., & Chen, C. (2021). Advancing open government data portals: A comparative usability evaluation study. Library Hi Tech. 10.1108/LHT-10-2020-0250
[80]
Welle Donker, F., & van Loenen, B. (2017). How to assess the success of the open data ecosystem? International Journal of Digital Earth, 10(3), 284–306.
[81]
Wiencierz, C., & Lünich, M. (2022). Trust in open data applications through transparency. New Media & Society, 24(8), 1751–1770.
[82]
Williams, R., & Rattray, R. (2003). An assessment of Web accessibility of UK accountancy firms. Managerial Auditing Journal, 18(9), 710–716.
[83]
Youngblood, N. E., & Mackiewicz, J. (2012). A usability analysis of municipal government website home pages in Alabama. Government Information Quarterly, 29(4), 582–588.
[84]
Zhao, Y., & Fan, B. (2021). Effect of an agency’s resources on the implementation of open government data. Information and Management, 58(4). Information & Management, 58(4), 103465.
[85]
Zou, Z., Yun, Y., & Sun, J. (2006). Entropy method for determination of weight of evaluating indicators in fuzzy synthetic evaluation for water quality assessment. Journal of Environmental Sciences (China), 18(5), 1020–1023. 17278765.
[86]
Zuiderwijk, A., Helbig, N., Gil-García, J. R., & Janssen, M. (2014). Special Issue on Innovation through Open Data - A Review of the State-of-the-Art and an Emerging Research Agenda: Guest Editors’ Introduction. Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research, 9(2), 2. Advance online publication.
[87]
Zuiderwijk, A., Janssen, M., Choenni, S., Meijer, R., & Alibaks, R. S. (2012). Socio-technical Impediments of Open Data. Electronic Journal of E-Government, 10(2).
Recommendations
Transparency portals versus open government data: an assessment of openness in Brazilian municipalities
dg.o '14: Proceedings of the 15th Annual International Conference on Digital Government ResearchSince the launch of the Open Government Partnership, several countries have acceded to this multilateral agreement to develop and to implement ambitious reforms to make their governments more open. Brazil, as one of the eight founding countries, has ...
Brazilian government open data: implementation, challenges, and potential opportunities
dg.o '14: Proceedings of the 15th Annual International Conference on Digital Government ResearchTechnological advances and real-time worldwide communications hold great promise for transforming the efficiency and effectiveness of public services through the ease of publishing and access to government public information or through the offer of new ...
Open government and e-government: democratic challenges from a public value perspective
Special issue on Open Government and Public Participation: Issues and Challenges in Creating Public ValueWe argue that the Obama Administration's Open Government Initiative blurs distinctions between e-democracy and e-government by incorporating historically democratic practices. now enabled by emerging technology. within administrative agencies. We ...
Comments
Please enable JavaScript to view thecomments powered by Disqus.Information & Contributors
Information
Published In
Copyright © 2023.
Publisher
IGI Global
United States
Publication History
Published: 28 April 2023
Author Tags
Qualifiers
- Article
Contributors
Other Metrics
Bibliometrics & Citations
Bibliometrics
Article Metrics
- 0Total Citations
- 0Total Downloads
- Downloads (Last 12 months)0
- Downloads (Last 6 weeks)0
Reflects downloads up to 23 Nov 2024
Other Metrics
Citations
View Options
View options
Login options
Check if you have access through your login credentials or your institution to get full access on this article.
Sign in