Open Information and Data the Earth 911 Way
Silicon Valley - Dan Gillmor’s eJournal - Earth 911, Model of E-Governance, Not Part of Government
Gillmor describes the innovative environmental web site Earth 911 where “government workers and volunteers are feeding all kinds of environment-related information into Earth 911, an environmental clearinghouse of unparalleled scope and value, serving both governments and communities.”
Gillmor notes that Earth 911 combines databases and the “staff members massage the data, then arrange it so the public can use it. The result is a highly centralized core, yet relying on a thoroughly decentralized data-collection system, that feels utterly local to the person looking for information.”
When you visit the Earth 911 site and put in your ZIP code, you don’t see a list of agencies. You see a list of topics — and only when you drill deep into the site do you ever learn which, if any, government agency is providing the service.
This is more than an interesting and useful site. It iis a model for collaborative research and ease of use of complex information.