As courts face increasing demands for data, the National Open Court Data Standards (NODS) are improving data quality and governance nationwide. Over the past five years, NCSC has worked to implement the National Open Court Data Standards (NODS) to establish business and technical standards to facilitate the sharing of standardized case-level data. The standards are intended to make data more accessible, understandable, and useful for the public, researchers, and justice system stakeholders. NODS is currently being adopted by at least 16 courts across multiple states, and an evaluation of the implementation shows great promise in helping courts ensure consistency and reduce the cost and effort required to respond to data requests.

Survey responses from 106 court professionals across 40 states, one territory, and the District of Columbia, informed the evaluation of the NODS implementation. Nearly 79% of respondents from implementing courts reported using NODS to establish data standards. More than half created a case-level data repository, and 57% reported improved data governance.

Supported by the Conference of State Court Administrators (COSCA) and the State Justice Institute (SJI), NODS has been endorsed by COSCA, the National Association for Court Management (NACM), and the Joint Technology Committee (JTC).

Read the full National Open Court Data Standards Implementation Project Evaluation Report.