I spent most of this week with “my people,” open government advocates whose work is animated by Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis’ observation that “sunlight is the best disinfectant.”
They say you can do well by doing good. During his appearance before the National FOI Day Conference, U.S. Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra shared how some companies have flipped the script and are using our good work to do well for themselves. They are repurposing open datasets from federal departments and agencies and creating new products and services.
Companies like Bloomberg Government, a subscription- based service that aggregates and filters raw data to help subscribers “understand the government’s impact on business.” Yesterday, @BloombergGov held product demos at Union Station.
VC-backed BrightScope is using data from the Department of Labor, Securities and Exchange Commission and other federal agencies to rate 401k plans.
Weatherbill, a crop insurance company, is mashing up open data from the National Weather Service to help farmers adapt to climate change.
The good government folks who created the Open Data Manual ask, So I’ve Opened Up Some Data, Now What?:
While we’ve looked at how to make government information legally and technically reusable, as well as easy for the public to find, those who publish open datasets may wish to do more to proactively encourage others to make interesting and useful things with it. This section looks at additional (optional) things which can be done to promote the reuse of your data.
Well, the Institute of Medicine is looking for citizen developers and innovators. The Health Data Initiative is a public-private partnership that encourages innovators to use data from the Department of Health and Human Services to develop apps that promote prevention and wellness.
For more info, sign up to attend the “Community Health Data Forum: Harnessing the Power of Information to Improve Health,” which will be held on June 9, 2011 at the National Institutes of Health.
