Feds Seek To Expand Open Data - InformationWeek

"Five cabinet-level departments in the federal government are taking new steps to expand the market for their agencies' government data. The Departments of Commerce, Labor, Transportation, and Treasury have agreed to conduct "open data roundtables" with some of the biggest users of their agencies' data, through a program developed by the Governance Lab (GovLab) at New York University. The announcement, made during a Center for Data Innovation forum in Washington April 8, prompted Agriculture Department Deputy CIO Joyce Hunter, who was in the audience, to stand up and pledge that the USDA would also participate in the program. The roundtables reflect a shift in approach to how federal agencies view the data they generate -- and the communities of users interested in turning that information into products and services for the public. The open data roundtables will bring together executives from federal agencies and from private sector data users in GovLab's Open Data 500 project, said Joel Gurin, senior advisor at the GovLab and director of the Open Data 500 project. The project bills itself as the 'the first comprehensive study of US companies that use open government data to generate new business and develop new products and services.' As part of the announcement, GovLab also unveiled a new version of its Open Data 500 website Tuesday, which lists all 500 firms and shows how companies in 16 industries are taking advantage of openly available government data ..."