The Social Life of Visualization
Jeremy Yuille
RMIT University | [e-mail]
Hugh Macdonald

RMIT University | [e-mail]
[ 1] Data.gov; http://
www.data.gov/about/
[ 2] Power of Information
Taskforce; http://
powerofinformation.
wordpress.com/
[ 3] Government 2.0
Taskforce; http://gov2.
net.au/about/
January + February 2010

[ 4] Felten, E., Robinson, D., Yu, H., and Zeller, W. “Government Data and the Invisible Hand.” Yale Journal of Law and Technology 11 (2008): 161.

interactions

Data.gov is an open government initiative of President Barack Obama’s administration, designed to increase the public’s ability to find, download, and use high-value, machine-read-able data sets generated by the executive branch of the federal government. The site sees public participation and collaboration as one of the keys to the success of Data.gov; it will enable the public to participate in government by providing downloadable data sets to build applications, conduct analyses, and perform research [ 1].

Data.gov is part of a wider
movement called “open data,”
which various (mainly govern-
ment) organizations around
the world are exploring. In
Great Britain, the Power of
Information Taskforce has out-
lined its vision for public sector
reform. Of particular note is its
concept for open information,
whereby “to have an effective
voice, people need to be able
to understand what is going on
in their public services.” Also
of interest is its vision for open
discussion that seeks to promote
greater engagement with the
public through more interactive
online consultation and col-
laboration [ 2]. A similar move is
under way in Australia with the
Government 2.0 taskforce, which
is concerned with encouraging
online engagement with the aim
of “drawing in the information,
knowledge, perspectives and
even, where possible, the active
collaboration of anyone wishing
to contribute to public life” [ 3] .