Open Government Data: NYU’s GovLab Launches Open Data 500 Study, Website

From the NYU GovLab Blog:

…The GovLab at NYU is pleased to launch the website of the Open Data 500, the first research study to document the large number of U.S.-based companies that are already using open government data.  The Open Data 500 is an ongoing study that will be updated on a continuing basis. It shows that open data is not just a theoretical concept but a real-world business resource that is already being put to value- and job-creating use.
The study is supported by funding from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, were announced today at an event hosted by the Center for Data Innovation in Washington, DC.
“The Open Data 500 is giving us the first detailed, in-depth view of a new business reality,” said Joel Gurin, senior advisor at the GovLab and director of the Open Data 500 study. “We’re finding all kinds of companies that just wouldn’t exist without open government data. Open data is now a part of American business, and companies that learn how to use it will have a competitive edge.” The 500 companies covered by the study primarily use open federal data, said Gurin, but some use state, city, and local open data as well.  Gurin is also author of the recently published book, Open Data Now, which describes the uses and potential of open data.

Read the Complete Blog Post
Also New Today… (via The White House Blog)

• The launch of Data.gov/Impact, which features examples of companies using open data in innovative ways, and insights about how they use open data in key sectors including education, transportation, energy, consumer finance, and consumer products;

• The U.S. Open Data Institute’s new open authentication system, which will make it easier for data producers to get “signatures” on information without locking them into PDFs – making that data more available for innovators to use once it’s released.

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