Data.gov: Listing May Be Enough
I am all for slipshod work, particularly when delivered by government contractors. Hey, the emphasis is on scope changes and engineering change orders, not on delivering what the wild and crazy statement of work requires.
I was delighted to read the Hacker News thread at http://bit.ly/MW4epC about broken links and missing data sets on Data.gov at www.data.gov. The thread contains a number of interesting comments. These may be evidence that substandard attention to detail suggests digital eczema. Just Bing it.
Examples range from corrected links that fail to odd ball outputs. See, for example, http://1.usa.gov/1qiegkT. There are some gems in the comments; for instance, http://1.usa.gov/1lI1Fqj.
In the early days of www.firstgov.gov, some effort was expended to minimize the number of dead links on US government servers. In the present incarnation as www.usa.gov, there are some interesting changes.
My view is that the dead links are a lesser problem than content that is no longer available and to which the links have been removed. If I were younger, I would suggest that you, gentle reader, look for information about MIC, RAC, and ZPIC contract awards. But I will not.
Stephen E Arnold, March 8, 2014
Phi Beta Iota: Long long ago, in a land far far away, Robert Steele briefed the COSPO Industry Day and the National Defense University (appearing together with Alvin Toffler) on the need for a national information strategy. OMB has a senior officer that focuses on regulation and appears — regardless of who the incumbent is from year to year — capable of actually understanding the importance of addressing strategy, policy, acquisition, and operations simultaneously and in depth. Smart Nation? Not even close…more like pre-school for the disadvantaged.
See Also:
1995 National Information Strategy 101 Presentation to CENDI/COSPO*
INVITE Robert Steele to Speak & Nurture & Energize!
OSINT Literature Review, Name Association, Lessons Learned
