18F/18f.gsa.gov

---
agency: Department of the Interior
title: Visualizing public lands data
subtitle: Opening up complex data
permalink: /what-we-deliver/onrr-data-site/
redirect_from: /project/onrr-data-site/
excerpt: Natural Resources Revenue Data (NRRD) helps the public learn about extractive activities on public lands and waters.
image: /assets/img/projects/nrrd-site.png
image_accessibility: Screenshot of the revenuedata.doi.gov front page
project_weight: 12
tag: nrrd
github_repo: "[ONRR/doi-extractives-data](https://github.com/ONRR/doi-extractives-data)"
project_url: "[Natural Resources Revenue Data site](https://revenuedata.doi.gov/)"
resources:
---

Previously, if you looked out your window and saw an oil rig on public
land, there was no place to go to learn about the costs and benefits of
that operation. The Department of the Interior and 18F worked together
to create a new way of reporting on natural resource extraction on
federal land. The Natural Resources Revenue Data (NRRD) site is designed
to help the public learn more about that oil rig and other extractive
activities on public lands and waters.

<div class="testimonial-blockquote">
Our small digital team at the Office of Natural Resources Revenue continues the work of user-centered and open-data design started by 18F.
    <span>- Digital team at the Office of Natural Resources Revenue</span>
</div>

<div class="small-caps">Approach</div>
### Moving from PDFs to interactive websites using the Federalist platform

Traditionally, these types of reports were compiled once a year as
printed documents or PDFs. 18F worked with Interior, extractive industry
representatives, and civil society groups to produce a user-centered
interactive website that makes the data easier to explore, download, and
understand. Data visualizations allow people to dive into the
information that’s most important to them. Throughout the site, plain
language explanations help people understand the complex issues of
extractive policy and included a glossary for terms like “lease
condensate” and “wet gas.”

To build the website, the team chose
[Federalist](https://federalist.18f.gov/) as the platform to develop a
working prototype. Federalist allowed the team to quickly launch to
production, collect feedback from users, and continuously make
improvements to the site’s infrastructure.

Since the release of the first report, the interactive website has
become a model for other countries working on opening up extractive
industries data. The Office of Natural Resources Revenue, the Interior
office responsible for the report, has also adopted user-centered design
and plans to apply it to their other digital services. You can follow
the The Natural Resources Revenue Data project and the Office of Natural
Resources Revenue at their [blog](https://revenuedata.doi.gov/blog/).