<commit_before>Types of Information in OpenSpending
====================================

OpenSpending is very flexible with regards to the financial data types 
it supports. While there is a strong focus on government finance, this
is of course not a technical constraint. Most of the data we present can be categorized as either spending or budgetary data:

Spending data
'''''''''''''

Spending data can include various types of records, including information on government grants, commitments and actual expenditure. However, we don’t expect spending data to include aggregate information. This means that while several physical payments may be consolidated into a single item, each payment from one entity to another made for a specific purpose (project, service) on a given date or during a given duration should be listed individually. Reporting data about spending that has been further aggregated will demand different modes of analysis and should instead be treated as budget data.

Budgetary data
''''''''''''''

Budget information generally reflects the outcome (or status) of a financial programming process within government. For this purpose, data on past outcomes and appropriations for a future period are often presented jointly. Allocation is typically structured across one or many classification schemes (rather than by the actual recipients of funds). Since budget information is often based on aggregated data and statistical estimates, much of the literature on the publication of statistical information applies to it.

Other types of data
'''''''''''''''''''

Of course, we're actively looking to support further types of financial
information, such as corporate balance sheets and cash flow statements.<commit_msg>Update copy from lucy's pad. fixes #417. <commit_after>Types of Information in OpenSpending
====================================

OpenSpending is very flexible with regards to the financial data types 
it supports. While there is a strong focus on government finance, this
is of course not a technical constraint. Most of the data we present can
be categorized as either transactional or budgetary data. The main 
difference between these types from a technical point of view is level
of granularity.

Budgetary data
--------------

In a budget, expenditures and incomes will be aggregated into categories
of expenditures or income, to aid the reader in understanding the budget.
The budget is, after all, still a policy document that is used to provide
the reader (be it politicians, citizens, journalists or academics) with
an overview of the most important choices.

Various different types of budgetary information may be available depending
on your region for example: Pre-Budget Statements, Executive's Budget
Proposals, Enacted Budgets and Citizen's Budgets (simplified versions of
the budget for the benefit of citizens). 

For this purpose, data on past outcomes and appropriations for a future
period are often presented jointly (i.e. amounts spent in previous years
on a particular sector are used to inform how much should be allocated
for the coming budgeting period). 

Allocation is typically structured across one or many classification
schemes (rather than by the actual recipients of funds). Since budget
information is often based on aggregated data and statistical estimates,
much of the literature on the publication of statistical information
applies to it.

Transactional spending data
---------------------------

Typically transactional level data - we don’t expect spending data to
include aggregate information.

This means that while several physical payments may be consolidated into
a single item, each payment from one entity to another made for a specific
purpose (project, service) on a given date or during a given duration
should be listed individually.

Spending data can include various types of records, including information
on government grants, commitments and actual expenditure. Reporting
data about spending that has been further aggregated will demand different
modes of analysis and should instead be treated as budget data.

Public procurement data
-----------------------

Another related type of data deals with the public procurement procedures.
Public Procurement data is data about public tenders: what was tendered,
for how much, and who has won the tender. As such, public procurement data
can be seen as a subset of Spending Data, because it also reflects the
actions, instead of the plans, of an administration. 

Other types of data
'''''''''''''''''''

Of course, we're actively looking to support further types of financial
information, such as corporate balance sheets and cash flow statements.
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