Government 2.0 is a growing expression that promotes the adoption of new technologies by governments, so they can become an open platform to share information and data. This data covers topics such as real-time crime feeds, school test scores and health statistics.
One of the innovations requested by those who advocate Government 2.0, is the opening of government datasets using an Application Programming Interface (API). API is a generic term used to describe computer programming formats (e.g., XML or JSON) that make it easier for computer applications to share and index data.
A benefit of government adoption of open protocols is programmers can build applications and user interfaces that provide important information to people in innovative and useful ways. It could be a stylish and easily navigable website, an application for your mobile phone, or a database that can quickly display multiple layers of government data about your area.
The following list demonstrates how you can get involved with a growing movement that will eventually allow easier access to valuable data.
1. Experience It Now
One implementation of a government API comes from Sunlight Labs. They have built an iPhone and Android application using data from recovery.gov’s “Where’s The Money Going Map”. The application meshes augmented reality with government data so when you aim your phone’s camera at objects (buildings, streets, constructions sites, etc) they will be labeled with contract information if they’ve been funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
For more examples please explore Programmable Web’s list of recent government API implementations.
2. Access The APIs
The Federal government has recently launched a site which offers a limited collection of Federal government APIs.
Opensecrets.org, a nonpartisan guide to money’s influence on U.S. elections and public policy, has provided an API for the data they have collected.
Sunlight Foundation, a non-profit, non partisan Washington, DC based organization focused on digitization of government data, offers an API with datasets about members of Congress and a second one that highlights word frequency from the Congressional Record.
Cities like San Francisco, New York City, and Vancouver have also started the process of opening up their data to the public.
3. Join The Movement
Tim O’Reilly, founder of O’Reilly Media, and advocate of Government 2.0 is sponsoring a showcase of the latest implementations of technology and government at the Gov 2.0 expo in May of 2010.
Competitions and collaborations are one way governments answer the challenge to open up their data. Apps for Democracy offered one of the first competitions that challenged developers to take a city’s public datasets and create tools and resources that can save money and inform.
The City of New York recently launched a competition called NYC BigApps which will reward developers with cash prizes for useful ways of delivering the city’s information to the public.
As always, one of the best ways to begin your journey is to start locally, research your municipal and state governments and see if they currently have data available in an API format for developers.
If you’re anxious to build your own application that uses public data then you may find the book Pro Web 2.0 Mashups: Remixing Data and Web Services to be a useful resource.
Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/heypaul / CC BY 2.0
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