The OGD Readiness Assessment was created to assist Governments in assessing how prepared a country is to the adoption and implementation of an OGD initiative. Specifically, the assessment helps governments to identify specific areas for improvements and potential niches for the initial start up of OGD initiatives. Based on key factors the assessment can assist governments in adjusting their respective plans to consolidate strengths and address weaknesses.

Currently, there is little evidence-based research available to help implementers understand what precisely might be required for the success of OGD initiatives or how to measure the impact of OGD initiatives. Different countries have differing levels of development as well as different forms and traditions of governance, making it difficult to compare them one-to-one across the board. Thus the OGD Readiness assessment is not aimed to compare or score countries at this stage. One goal of the OGD Readiness project is to allow for cross-country comparisons, which will lead to an index similar to the UNPAN e-government index, based on a better understanding of the factors involved.