Government and the Micro-Data Economy

We’re still in the early stages of what can happen when we deliver valuable data quickly and easily to those who need it. But the momentum is shifting from "Should we do it?" to "How do we make the biggest impact with our data?"

The release of weather data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration into the public domain changed scores of industries and even created a new one: the weather industry. That was followed by the release of GPS data, which changed our lives and brought us all of the location services we can’t live without today.

In each case, entrepreneurs seized the opportunity to turn a new asset class of government-collected data into life-changing innovations. What’s next? Where will the next wave of data-driven innovation come from? And what kind of impact will it have on our collective quality of life?

If weather and GPS data are macro data, the next wave will be found in thousands of micro datasets: crimes in our neighborhoods; real-time bus locations; restaurant inspections; permit and license applications–the list is virtually endless, and so are the applications of this data.

By Beth Blauer

Full Story: http://www.govtech.com/e-government/Opinion-Government-and-the-Micro-Data-Economy.html