This graph has been generating attention recently about whether Obama’s cabinet lacks the private-sector experience present in other administrations. It reminds me of the incredible power of data to inform – or deceive. Original story was made public here in Forbes. Politifact.com said it was false and inaccurate here.
Many local governments are figuring out how to use the Internet to make government data more accessible. The goal is to spawn useful Web sites and mobile applications — and perhaps even have people think differently about their city and its government.
“It will change the way citizens and government interact, but perhaps most important, it’s going to change the way elected officials and civil servants deliver programs, services and promises,” said Gavin Newsom, the mayor of San Francisco, which is one of the cities leading the way in releasing government data to Web developers. “I can’t wait until it challenges and infuriates the bureaucracy.”
Advocates of these open-data efforts say they can help citizens figure out what is going on in their backyards and judge how their government is performing.
This op-ed reminds me of once again of the purpose of Data360: to bring clarity to the world about what is so. For many of us, complicated analysis is overrated and we forget that many basic truths are not shared. It chills my spine to think about the number of people who exist day-to-day with beliefs that are patently untrue, whether it be that America has declared war on Islam or that the holocaust did not occur.
