I used their openstates repo a while back and found it amazing how well they could distill the data. I had tried writing scrapers before for the same purposes, but it took forever just to get a fraction of what they had. Best of luck to sunlight devs in the transition.
First of all, these organizations don't pop up or maintain themselves magically, it takes a leader to get this started and a smart team to keep it going. They deserve to be recognized for truly great work.
Second, I think having open government data in a truly ACCESSIBLE format is extremely important. If you've ever tried to look up data on the FEC site, you'll know what I mean. Not to take away from the FEC data site -- it's an incredible data resource, but tech companies certainly do a better job productizing these large amounts of data from the government.
Sharp thinking. Our business (GovPredict) is built around structuring fragmented government data. We've profited a great deal by it, and have some bandwidth and the inclination to now perform a public service and give the public access to a good deal of formerly unnavigable data.
So do we. Until then, there is such an expanse of publicly available data that hasn't been touched: local ordinances, lobbying at the state level, campaign contributions at the state level, just to name a few.
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[ 2.7 ms ] story [ 53.2 ms ] threadFirst of all, these organizations don't pop up or maintain themselves magically, it takes a leader to get this started and a smart team to keep it going. They deserve to be recognized for truly great work.
Second, I think having open government data in a truly ACCESSIBLE format is extremely important. If you've ever tried to look up data on the FEC site, you'll know what I mean. Not to take away from the FEC data site -- it's an incredible data resource, but tech companies certainly do a better job productizing these large amounts of data from the government.