Data.gov.uk Launches Soon!
Looks like the UK version of data.gov, developed by Sir Tim Berners-Lee, is going to be released soon. It is "language-based" where "linkages are based on human language, rather than hard-coded hyperlinks", a.k.a. the Semantic Web concept that Berners-Lee has been touting for years. I like the way Nancy Scola of Personal Democracy Forum describes the Semantic Web:
[Berners-Lee] vision is of a web that understands the connections between disparate bits of information in a way similar to how the human mind might effortlessly connect an address on London's Whitehall with the events of World War II that Winston Churchill directed from an underground bunker there. Data woven through with more human ways of interpretation might, just might, make the gap between making government information public and making it useful a little smaller.The BBC reports that "Data.gov.uk is built with semantic web technology, which will enable the data it offers to be drawn together into links and threads as the user searches...we will also be able to look for patterns...visitors to data.gov.uk will want to make their own mash-ups from the information available." Yes, and we should be making mashups from our country's data.gov for our library patrons too! Let's get to it! I'll be working on mine and will show you how it can be done. Continue reading
DataTO.org
Check out DataTO.org, which is similar to data.gov, but users request data sets from the Toronto municipal government. The first phase of the website will allow one to:
...publish a request for data to the community, where members can comment and rate the request. In future iterations of this site, publishers and others will be able to post details of known and existing data sources so that community members can rate them for prioritization. Users will then be able to find data sources that have been published.Kudos to O'Reilly Radar. Continue reading
Review of Congressional Committee Webcast Archives
Joshua Tauberer of GovTrack.us surveyed House and Senate standing committee websites this week and has written up his findings here:
- Congressional Committee Webcast Archives Review, Joshua Tauberer, Joshua Tauberer’s Blog (November 10th, 2009).
FAQ for Recovery.Gov
ProPublica’s FAQ for Recovery.gov. ProPublica has been doing some fine work with public information. Their latest is a Frequently Asked Questions file for recovery.gov. As they say:
While it’s fabulous that the stimulus oversight board has made so much data available on Recovery.gov, understanding it all can be a daunting task. In response to some of the questions we’ve had from reporters about the data and Recovery.gov, we’ve started a tip sheet.Continue reading
CRS report on Congressional Printing
Congressional Printing: Background and Issues for Congress, by R. Eric Petersen, Congressional Research Service, R40897 (November 5, 2009).
This report, which will be updated as events warrant, provides an overview and analysis of issues related to the processing and distribution of congressional information by the Government Printing Office. Subsequent sections address several issues, including funding congressional printing, printing authorizations, current printing practices, and options for Congress. Finally, the report provides congressional printing appropriations, production, and distribution data in a number of tables.Continue reading