Wednesday, September 9th, 2009 at 1:39 pm
The Ingenuity of the American People
Peter R. Orszag, Director
On May 21, 2009 the Administration launched data.gov to drive transparency and innovation by making federal data easily accessible. This was immediately followed by the Apps for America contest, challenging the American people to develop innovative solutions using data.gov. The contest was run by the Sunlight Foundation, a non-profit, non-partisan organization focused on "using the revolutionary power of the Internet to make information about Congress and the federal government more meaningfully accessible to citizens."
Initiatives such as Apps for America are just the beginning. Data transparency can spur economic, scientific, and educational innovation—as well as civic engagement—by making it easier to build applications, conduct analysis, and perform research. The Administration is leading a national movement towards data transparency with subsequent initiatives launching in San Francisco and New York City.
In the contest, we see the principles of transparency and public engagement working to deliver real solutions. The government doesn’t have a monopoly on the best ideas. We look forward to unleashing the creativity of the American people to show us what is possible and help us find the innovative path forward.
Before you click away, check out these other great ideas that rose to the final round of the competition:
