Last November, we asked where the U.S. Open Data Action Plan was. The plan, required as part of an Open Data Charter signed by the G8 (now G7) countries, was originally due last November. Thanks to the government shut down, we assumed that it would be pushed back and released alongside the Open Government Partnership National Action Plan.

The plan was delayed even further, but it’s out now and proves that late is better than never.

We’re working on a more in depth analysis of the plan with our friends at the Center for Data Innovation, along with all of the other G7 Open Data Charter Action Plans, that should be ready in the coming weeks. But for now, we’ve pulled out a few highlights:

• The plan details a number of newly released high-value datasets including adverse reactions to various drugs, medicare reimbursements, product recalls, and more.
• The plan highlights many new datasets that are available in bulk, open formats (although there are still some proprietary formats)
• The plan reveals some new and potentially useful services including a travel warnings and travel alerts API.

The plan also provides a roadmap for data releases over the next two years, outlines a policy of data release based on public feedback, and highlights new projects to be led by Presidential Innovation Fellows. It’s not all perfect, but the plan does serve as a useful window into the administration’s ideas and plans for open data over the coming months.