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Government Should Focus on Data Feeds, not Web Sites, Researchers Say

August 15, 2008 By Steve Towns

Is the best government Web site not a government site at all? A June paper released by Princeton University researchers said government agencies should feed information to third-party sites instead of developing their own sites.

"Today, government bodies consider their own Web sites to be a higher priority than technical infrastructures that open up their data for others to use. We would argue that this understanding is a mistake," the researchers said. Government should understand providing reusable data, rather than Web sites, is its online main publishing responsibility.

The paper recommended agencies focus on delivering data in structured, machine-readable formats like XML that third-party Web developers can quickly consume. Researchers said the approach would encourage mash-ups of diverse data sources, greater use of government information on discussion forums and wikis, and better incorporation of government data into advanced third-party visualization tools.

"Private actors, either nonprofit or commercial, are better suited to deliver government information to citizens and can constantly create and reshape the tools individuals use to find and leverage public data," the paper said.

A draft version of the paper is available online. A final version will be published in the Fall 2008 Yale Journal of Law and Technology.

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Otto Doll, CIO of South Dakota, Discusses Web Strategy for Rural States

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WHITEPAPER: D Block Spectrum Act and the FirstNet Broadband Network. What does it all mean?: On Feb 22, 2012, the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 was enacted into law. This law will ensure the establishment of a nationwide, interoperable public safety broadband network in every state and territory in the U.S. Learn about the new law and what you can do to prepare for it now.
New Research Reveals Surprising Trend for Funding Innovation: Listen to an informative discussion with Digital Communities members to learn how you can use your IT savings and efficiencies to do the new things you have been waiting to do.
Continuity with Cloud Solutions: Cloud solutions provide agility, flexibility and scalability to government agencies. In an emergency situation where an agency’s infrastructure and resources are impacted, prioritization and restoration become critical elements of a disaster recovery plan. The flexibility of cloud services helps agencies make adjustments to processing capacity on demand.

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The Future of the Desktop in Government

Until recently, there was no alternative to the familiar desktop computer, and its expensive upgrades and maintenance requirements. For cash-strapped local governments, the desktop computer is quickly becoming an unsustainable option for future progress. Now, a technology known as virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) offers an alternative. It can be significantly more affordable than buying individual computers for every employee, and it provides similar capability. This paper shows how VDI is the future of the desktop and is a game-changer for local governments.

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