This We Know:

ThisWeKnow: New Semantic Web App Tames Massive Data Sets from Data.gov

Data.gov launched in May this year to make huge data sets of information from federal agencies available in machine-readable formats. While incredibly valuable, these data sets are not particularly useful in their current format to anyone but researchers, statisticians, sociologists, developers, or others used to parsing databases searching for trends. At least for geographically relevant information, ThisWeKnow provides one use case for the data sets. Users can enter the name or ZIP code of any community and get details on all kinds of factors, from violent crime to companies releasing pollutants.

Removing the Shroud of Secrecy: Making Government More Transparent and Accountable

"For example ThisWeKnow.org empowers citizens by presenting Government data in an easy to understand and consistent manner. Anyone can view cancer rates in San Diego, CA, or the level of toxicity in Beaufort, NC, or the number of bills introduced by Members of Congress since 1993 in Los Alamos, NM by simply typing in a zip code." - Vivek Kundra, Federal Chief Information Officer

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Web mashups put transparency to the test

Builders of these public interest Web sites say government could do more to make its data more accessible. This We Know was built as a Semantic Web mashup from the beginning. The site takes data that agencies have uploaded to Data.gov and converts it into an RDF database, which is used to organize and present the data according to geographic communities.

ThisWeKnow.org brings gov data on cities to life Ranks unemployment rates, toxin levels, and some good things too

ThisWeKnow.org makes it easy for a regular Joe to see what the government knows about his town... or anyone's town, for that matter. Freshly presented, in a convenient list form that any reader of Men's Health or Cosmo will appreciate, the data on factories and pollutants, crime rates, citizen demographics, and the breakdown of home owners vs. renters is available to any person with access to the internet.

Killer Startups: ThisWeKnow.org - Governmental Data About Your Area

Everybody knows that the U.S. government collects information about every single community in the country. That is important because experts are provided with data they can use to solve different problems that could appear anywhere. This website was created in order to present this information to the public in a simple and easily accessible way. This means everybody will be able to understand what is going on in their communities, and have more power when it comes to making wiser decisions.

Brattelboro Reformer

The two Southern Vermont companies joined together to design a Web site that would make it easier for citizens to access the thousands of pages of data that the various government agencies produce every year.

POWERING THE PUBLIC'S RIGHT TO KNOW -- (Senate - September 10, 2009)

The public's right to know is a cornerstone of our democracy. By using technology, a site such as this can provide citizens with access to data that is relevant to them and that can enable and encourage them to make informed decisions. This site is designed to make what was once a difficult and time-consuming process into a faster and more streamlined experience.

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