Federal Government Information Technology

Agencies struggle with accuracy in DATA Act reporting

Federal Times: According to reports by many inspectors general, who were required to submit assessments today of their agency’s data submissions under the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act of 2014, many agencies failed to report accurate data sets. However, according to a DATA Act expert, this is not yet cause for concern.

Though many inspectors general found that their agency fulfilled the timeliness and completeness standards for financial data reported under the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act of 2014, most uncovered problems of accuracy in that data.

“The OIG identified a material noncompliance in the quality and accuracy of data submitted,” the Department of Justice OIG wrote in their report. “In reviewing the data sample, we applied the Office of Management and Budget guidance, which provides that if any one standardized data element is inaccurate then the entire sample unit is considered to be an error, resulting in an accuracy error rate for DOJ estimated to be between 87 and 92 percent with a 95 percent confidence level. We identified multiple inaccurate data elements in 62 percent of the sample units.”

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