[LINK] Open data article

[tomk]

On 16/09/2012 10:22 a.m., Jan Whitaker wrote:
> Interesting article in the Sunday Age about the state of play with
> open data from the Australian government.
> http://www.theage.com.au/technology/from-stolid-to-sexy-vive-la-data-revolution-20120915-25zir.html

Thanks Jan,

Although I note that neither Kate Lundy nor Link was mentioned in the 
article, and after all, was it not Linkers that raised the ridiculous 
status of Copyrighted and Confidential (ant-terrorist?) Public toilet 
GIS data in the first place ?

 From the article:
Quote/ "In that spirit, the taskforce recommended a revolutionary 
approach to the way the Australian government manages its data - throw 
open the floodgates.

Why should the government provide such access? Why would any of this 
matter? The first answer is transparency: better access to government 
data means everyone with the skills can assess the area of government 
activity that interests them.

But some of the best arguments for open data invoke the unknowable 
benefits that might flow from innovation that access to data can stoke.
/Quote.

Yep, at last someone gets it...
Take a bow Link... Well done boys and girls. I think we deserve an 
honourable mention in dispatches for that one....

Crowd Sourced economic development from data paid for by the tax payer...
Much better than lets charge the public for every smidgin of data to 
justify our little bureaucratic empires...
There is hope for Australia yet... although I do note that this 
particular initiative grew out of an economists vision... who ? Err, 
some chap called Rudd...
Curiously, he's the same chap that uttered the "No need to stockpile 
food" comment that resulted in the worlds first positive retail growth 
quarter after the 2008 dip.
Wonder if he's considered a political career...

TomK