Cyberspace Policy Research Group
Website Attribute Evaluation System (WAES)

The Website Attribute Evaluation System (WAES), as explained on the Hypotheses page, measures and evaluates openness according to transparency and interactivity. 

Applying WAES requires explicit tests of each attribute.  A 45-point scale roughly equally divided between transparency and interactivity is applied to each website.  They were derived from several years' data gathering experience.

 Detailed WAES criteria

Transparency
Interactivity

Understanding WAES data

WAES data are, for the most part, binary.  This requires that arithmetic manipulation of scores be done with care.  Click here for a brief explanation.
Overview:  Transparency

Transparency measures the effort an agency makes to make information available through its website.  The following five categories are divided into 23 separate criteria.


Ownership: a visitor would want evidence that the organization cares about the site. 

Contacts/Reachability: a visitor would want to know how and whom to contact with regard to the organization's operations. 

Organizational Information: a visitor would want to know about the organization, its structure and operation.

Issue Information: a visitor would want to know about the policy niche of the organization. 

Citizen Consequences/Responses: what responses a visitor can or may have to make. 

Click here to go to detailed descriptions and explanations of Transparency, in table below.

 Overview:  Interactivity

Interactivity measures the ease with which visitors can use information provided on the website.  The following five categories are divided into 22 separate criteria.


Security and Privacy: the more the site is accessible, the less citizens or visitors are obliged to provide personal information in order to easily download or upload material and responses. 

Contacts/Reachability: a visitor would want evidence that the organization is willing to receive input at the gateway (the webmaster within the agency) and the senior level. 

Organizational Information: a visitor would want to be able to contact members inside the organization easily with a click. 

Issue Information: a visitor would want to know how the organization deals with issues in its policy environment.

Citizen Consequences/Responses: a visitor would want to be able to easily follow the issue/organizational operations links with a click into these related sites. Here we place the organizational structure due to its representation of the structure of discretion within an organization. 

Click here to go to detailed descriptions and explanations of Interactivity, in table below.

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Coding Criteria: 
Transparency		    
Ownership  Explanation  Scoring
T1a: agency involvement with site Tests if agency helped in making of website and how different it is from websites of other agencies in same government.  Marked by 0 or 1.
T1b: webmaster appears to be different from the one running the main government page, if one exists Tests if agency, or sub-agency, has some measure of control or direct contact in regard to their website.  Marked by 0 or 1.
T1c: provides obvious tailoring indicating agency itself has ownership of site content Tests how much agency is involved with content of its website. Marked by 0 or 1.
T1d: provides published date (e.g. "2/15/01" or "February 15, 2001") on main page or, if none, a key subordinate page, within the last year, or 0 if no date listed on any of these pages Tests the extent to which website is actively attended to by organization staff. Does not include regular updates to top officialís speeches as press releases.   Was "Freshness" indicator prior to 2001. Marked by giving date in format "2001FEB15" as text, not number
Contacts/Reachability    
T2a: provides central agency non-email addresses Tests if agency can be contacted by regular, non-electronic mail. Marked by 0 or 1.
T2b: provides phone numbers or postal addresses for employees within agency beyond most senior officials Tests if agency provides phone numbers and/or addresses for employees within agency, excluding their managers or any other top level officials. Marked by 0 or 1.
T2c: provides e-mail address to person responsible for both content of the site and technical support for the site Test if one person performs both editorial/content and technical functions. Marked by 0 or 1.
T2d: provides e-mail address to someone solely responsible for technical support for the site Tests if web operation functions are differentiated among several people, testing here for technical support. Marked by 0 or 1.
T2e: provides e-mail address to someone solely responsible for content of the site Tests if web operation functions are differentiated among several people, testing here for editorial or content support. Marked by 0 or 1.
T2f: person responsible for technical support for the site appears NOT to be a commercial firm Tests if agency has out-sourced technical support for website. Marked by 0 or 1.
Organizational Information    
T3a: provides details on senior official's experiences or vision of future for organization Tests if agency provides any information about/by/for head official of agency. Marked by 0 or 1.
T3b: provides mission statement and various activities of agency Tests if agency provides any data as to what function it serves, what it's goals and values are, and how it accomplishes these goals.  Marked by 0 or 1.
T3c: provides organizational structure in graphic form (give "1" for having org chart, add "0.1" for every level) Tests if agency provides an organizational graphic (such as a flow chart). Marked by 1 for having an organization chart, and adding 0.1 for each level shown in graphic.
Issue Information    
T4a: provides issue-related addresses for ohter government agencies Tests if agency provides addresses (URL or regular mail) of other government agencies (or within agency itself) whose function is related to this agency.  Marked by 0 or 1.
T4b: provides non-issue-related addresses for other government agencies Tests if agency provides addresses (URL or regular mail addresses) of any other government agencies (or within agency itself) that are not related to agency at all. Marked by 0 or 1.
T4c: provides issue-related addresses for other NON-governmental information sources Tests for same as T4b, but address must be for a non-government source. Marked by 0 or 1.
T4d: provides reports, research, laws, and regulations in easily readable format on screen Tests if agency has taken time to provides an easily readable, organized, format for reports, research, laws and regulations.  Marked by 0 or 1.
T4e: provides a searchable index for archived newsletters, laws, regulations, and requirements Tests if agency allows user to search to site for old newsletter, laws, regulations, or anything relating to content agency provides online. Marked by 0 or 1.
T4f: provides all downloaded or printed publications for free Tests if agency makes all information freely available. Marked by 0 or 1.
T4g: provides link to or text of public information law or regulation Test sif agency provides the rules under which citizens are entitled to public information. Marked by 0 or 1.
Citizen Consequences/Responses    
T5a: provides in depth explanations of requirements imposed on citizens resulting from agency activities Tests if agency provides any data on regulations, laws, or research which agency carries out or is related to agency.  Marked by 0 or 1.
T5b: provides instructions on how to complete these actions An extension of previous attribute, tests if agency provides citizens with instructions, help, tips on how meet requirements, regulations or laws imposed by agency such as providing instructions on how to file a tax form. Marked by 0 or 1.
T5c: provides instructions for appeal process for decisions or address of an ombudsman inside agency Tests if agency provides -- online -- instructions and/or a way for citizens to appeal agency decisions.  Marked by 0 or 1.

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Coding Criteria: 
Interactivity or Accessibility 		    
Security and Privacy  Explanation  Scoring
I1a: does NOT use information gathering techniques such as cookies to gather information about site visitors Tests whether site uses techniques such as cookies or web bugs to gather information about user access or behavior on the site, thereby prividing a degree of privacy to site visitor.  Marked by 0 or 1.
I1b: does NOT require personal information (beyond return e-mail address) to communicate with agency Tests whether site requires that users provide any other information than e-mail return address as a condition of communicating with the agency, thus providing a ldegree of anonymity to site visitor.  Marked by 0 or 1.
I1c: site entails use of security access method, such as a password, or secure server (https://...) Tests whether site provides access to site with password protection or via secure server. Marked by 0 or 1.
I1d: security access method, such as password or secure server use, is associated with transaction with agency or access to personal information Tests whether site access involving transmission of sensitive or personal information is accompanied by use of security feature such as password or secure server.  Marked by:
+1 if site IS associated with financial transaction or access to personal information; 
0 if donít know or none found;
-1 if site IS NOT associated with financial transaction or access to personal information.
Contacts/Reachability    
I2a: provides e-mail link to webmaster Tests if e-mail link to webmaster is (a mailto link).  Marked by 0 or 1.
I2b: provides e-mail link to senior agency official Tests if the e-mail link to any senior officials is clickable. Marked by 0 or 1.
I2c: provides e-mail link to a number of agency employees Tests if agency provides e-mail links to a large portion of its employees.  Marked by 0 or 1.
I2d: agency avoids dictating format or content of citizen communication, e.g., no preset subject or manual insertion of contact information. Tests if agency attempts to reduce transaction costs in citizen-agency communications.  Marked by 0 or 1.
I2e: provides an online issue-related forum for outsider participation such as chat lines, and listserves. Tests if agency provides a chat line or listserve for citizens, agency employees and other interested individuals to discuss topics related to agency. Marked by 0 or 1.
Organizational Information    
I3a: provides link to listed sub-elements within agency (give "1" for having org chart, add "0.1" for every sub-element hotlinked) Tests if subdivisions within agency have a link made to them from main page.  Marked by giving 0.1 for each link provided. 
I3b: provides link to sublevels noted in agencyís organizational structure graphic (give "1" for having org chart, add "0.1" for every level) Tests if elements within agencyís organizational graphic (such as area for president, vice president, etc) are clickable.  Marked by 0.1 for each element available to be clicked.
I3c: provides automatic update announcement or newsletter via subscription Tests if agency has a newsletter, either hard copy or email, which user can subscribe to which provides up to date information about agency and its activities.  Marked by 0 or 1.
Issue Information    
I4a: provides link to outside issue-related government addresses Test if addresses provided are clickable. Marked by 0 or 1.
I4b: provides link to outside non-issue-related government addresses Tests if addresses provided are clickable. Marked by 0 or 1.
I4c: provides link to outside issue-related  non-governmental information sources Tests if addresses provided are clickable.  Marked by 0 or 1.
Citizen Consequences/Responses    
I5a: provides any required submission forms onscreen for download (give 0.1 for every form accessible for download) Tests if user can easily download any forms needed/required by agency for compliance with certain laws/regulations.  Marked by giving 0.1 for each form available for download.
I5b: provides online form completion and submission (give 0.1 for every form accessible for online completion and submission) Tests if user can complete and submit a form online to agency.  Marked by giving 0.1 for every form available for online completion and submission.
I5c: provides an automatic response limit for response to online submissions  This attribute notes if agency tells user how long it will take until he/she receives a response from agency.  Marked by 0 or 1.
I5d: provides link to appeal process for decisions and/or an ombudsman Tests if appeals process provided is and easy to use.  Marked by 0 or 1.
I5e: provides other language access to site for visitors unable to speak or read the language of the host country Tests if site provides other language than principal language of the country.  If country is officially multilingual, at least two official languages are used on site.  Marked by 0 or 1.
I5f: provides iconographic access to site for visitors unable to speak or read the language of the host country Tests if site provides icons or images that help users with limited reading or text processing skills to make rudimentary use of site. Marked by 0 or 1.
I5g: provides audio access to site Tests extent to which site provides audio services, either for visually impaired users, or to capture verbal agency activities, such as hearings, presentations or speeches. Marked by 0 or 1.
I5h:  disability access score: "Priority 1 Accessibility" and "User Checks" by Bobby Tests extent to which site is accessible to disabled users, using evaluation criteria of the Center for Applied Special Technology, http://www.cast.org/bobby. 

The lower the score, the more accessible the site.

 Marked by basic accessibility measure (Prinority 1 Accessibility) to left of decimal, and number of "user checks" for first level of accessibility to right of decimal.  Thus, "0.3" indicates no errors, three things to check, "2.8" means two major errors, eight things to check. 

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