OMB has launched a website providing access to the vast amount of data the federal government generates each year. Called Data.gov, the site offers data in machine-readable formats such as XML or CSV files that can be easily processed by a wide range of applications for a variety of purposes. OMB said the site is part of an Obama administration open government initiative.
"Data.gov will open up the workings of government by making economic, health care, environmental, and other government information available on a single website, allowing the public to access raw data and transform it in innovative ways," OMB director Peter Orszag said.
"As we develop Data.gov, it will allow the American people to find, use, and repackage data held and generated by the government, which we hope will result in citizen feedback and new ideas," he said.
The site features datasets and tools for parsing them that are searchable by category, agency, keyword and by data format. However, its inventory is rather low at this time. Federal CIO Vivek Kundra stated that much more information is coming.
