Governments collect huge amounts of information, which is publicly, if not easily, available. Access to that information has been made simpler through the creation of data portals. The UK Government’s portal gives you access to crime statistics, public library use, road accidents – just about anything imaginable, including a report on the percentage of people who believe people of mixed backgrounds get along well together!
The Australian version is equally fascinating. Browse for a list of public toilets, the number of frogs in South Australia, Economic Stimulus Package project data, or get a list of Australian properties listed on the World Heritage List.
The Guardian has pulled together the public datasets of governments from all around the world, so all that information is at your fingertips in one convenient location. World Government Data allows you to search or browse by country, keyword or year. At present, it only contains datasets from UK, USA, Australia and New Zealand, but promises more in the future.
A feature of these datasets is that they are ‘mashable’ – that is you can combine the information and create new ways for it to be used. For example, creating an application that shows where available parking spaces can be found in your area.
There’s a wealth of information out there just waiting for you to discover it. Use these websites to do a bit of rewarding exploration of your own.
