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U.S. government websites provide valuable information for the population or advertise a specific government program or service. In this regard their primary aim is to do the public good or to do well for the government. The both sides of the aim are incorporated into Data.gov which serves as an open data federal government website that targets the population so that they have access to datasets of primary concern. The resources include high value information about application programming interface, open source projects, developer resources and updates on the website infrastructure. The datasets across the website correspond to open source projects, software applications which allow making informed decisions. On the other hand, the government advertises their products and services through public access to mobile applications.
The U.S. General Services Administration has created the website Data.gov which runs on two open source projects, and represents “a rich resource for civic hackers, tech entrepreneurs, data scientists, and developers of all stripes” (“Developers,” n.d., para 1), so. The first project CKAN powers the data catalog where 191,481 datasets can be currently observed. The most popular ones are National Stock Number Extract, USCIS My Case Status and Consumer Complaint Database which are intended for public access and use, and are daily refreshed. Specifically, the first dataset establishes the listing of National Stock Numbers supplied with the vendor description of the item as well as selling price. In addition, USCIS My Case Status allows checking the status of applying for U.S. citizenship online. As for Consumer Complaint Database, it indicates anonymized complaints about financial products and services. As for the second project WordPress, it powers the content seen throughout the whole website.
Besides open source projects, the website generates software applications which enable the population to make informed decisions, which in turn cover a wide range of solutions relating to government, community and business areas, and the public can access them freely. For instance, with the help of interactive maps and bank report cards BankLocal allows connecting the population with the banks which invest in local communities. Furthermore, the IDEAL Currency Identifier application focuses on disadvantaged people, and helps people with visual impairments count cash. Also, SBA Loan Search provides current information about U.S. government loan, grant, tax incentive and venture capital applicably either online or offline.
Open access to the relevant government information implies advertising 32 products or services. The major applications are associated with the key areas. In particular, SpotCrime relates to the area of local government and aggregates crime data in the United States on a large scale. Besides, the consumer area deals with Mercaris, and its market data are applicable to agricultural companies in order to find the true market value of organic products. Moreover, Calcbench enables users to make informed decisions on the basis of U.S. listed companies in the business area. The example of AccuWeather, the climate application, poses precipitation forecasts and predicts weather for the next 15 days across several countries. Also, the ZocDoc health application is intended as an award-winning healthcare experience. Furthermore, the area of energy suggests the Simple Energy application with a view to compare energy consumption. Additionally, in the agricultural area Cattlefax supplies data about market information in the beef industry. Lastly, SoFi helps find student loans on an educational basis.
In conclusion, the impact of the open government data is indispensable. Data.gov provides a range of specialists with high value information through CKAN and WordPress as open-source projects as well as the public with software applications in order to make relevant informed decisions. Also, the website advertises products and services in key areas so that the U.S. population will have free access to them through mobile applications.
References
Developers. (n.d.). Retrieved from: https://www.data.gov/developers-intro/
