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Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Ind. Gov't. - "DC's Real-Time Data Program Wins Award"

Kari Lydersen reported in the Washington Post on Sept. 14th:

The District of Columbia's real-time city data program and a water measurement system developed by the Idaho Department of Water Resources and the University of Idaho were among the six winners of the Innovations in American Government awards announced Monday by the Harvard Kennedy School's Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation.

The District's is the first government initiative in the country to make real-time, raw government data available to citizens online, according to the Ash Institute.

The District's Citywide Data Warehouse (CityDW) holds raw data from multiple government agencies, which is distributed over 320 data feeds to various websites, including the Digital Public Square and D.C. Data Catalogue, and sites created by residents. City officials say the program has reduced staff workloads since they get fewer information requests. The city also held a contest last year for software developers to create applications using the data, getting 47 entries and avoiding $2.6 million in software development costs. * * *

The awards are meant to highlight creativity in the public sector and government projects that are novel, politically strategic, measurably effective and transferable to other locations.

This is where, in my opinion, Indiana needs to go. I linked to a law journal article a while back also making this point, but am still trying to relocate it.

[More] Here it is, "Government Data and the Invisible Hand" 11 Yale J.L. & Tech. 160 (2009), mentioned at the end of this entry from July 14, 2009, headed "Delays hurt plan to link state courts: Millions spent, progress scant, and legislators growing weary."

Posted by Marcia Oddi on September 22, 2009 10:55 AM
Posted to Indiana Government