Data.gov & Data.gov.uk

Pye Kyaw Nyunt1/3/10

http://www.data.gov/

Arrgh If only I thought of data.gov...!

All this data to get through!

There must be an easier

way...

Introduction: what is data.gov?Platform that “democratises”

data.Provides a variety of government

datasets to the public.Tap into ingenuity and

innovativeness of the public.Allows for a more transparent

government

The way it works...Central / Federal organisations

publish data that is not sensitive.Allows public, private sector and

NGOs to search data feeds and create applications.

Aid in research and provide new and innovative ideas to the way in which Government works.

Example of semantic web technology.

Why? Hold public officials accountable.Lower cost of Government operations

through innovative solutions.Transparent and open democracy so

you can see exactly how Government operates.

Help Government drive better policies.

The semantic web: how does data.gov fit in? An example...

Scientists looking for a cure for a newly discovered disease.

Data.gov allows scientists to pull information from many datasets related to the nutrition of certain demographics.

Why did swine flu begin in Mexico?

Share, reuse and respond

How is this useful for economists, statisticians and you?

Share your ideas on where you think Government can improve. Use blogs.

Use data as evidence.Suggest more datasets.Compare and contrast.“Knowledge is power” – how

useful is it?Participate, participate and

participate.

How can the data be used?“Knowledge is power”Develop applications such

as‘Crimemapper’http://maps.police.uk/

Standards Like the document web, the data

web has common standards.Document web has HTML, CSS...Represent data in RDF formatRDF is to data as HTML is to

documents

DisadvantagesInformation overload.How much power is handed over

to users?Must be a way to manage

feedback.

Conclusion

Users becoming authorsData; the sea of change. Access data more effectively across the

globe, put machine power in to filter data.

Allow joining of data to maximise human capability to see correlation and trends.

We may be able to solve problems we’ve never solved before.