Learn from the UK. Open up data sources in South Asia

[categories governance]
Thanks to Isa Daudpota I learnt of this excellent initiative.

Professors lead development of Government’s one-stop shop for data

Sir Tim Berners-Lee and Nigel Shadbolt from the School of Electronics and Computer Science, Southampton University, were given a special role by Prime Minister Gordon Brown to help transform public access to Government information. They played a key role in the development of the new data.gov.uk web site that was launched by the Government in January.

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India: RTI activist appointed central information commissioner

Source:

Sixty-one-year-old Shailesh Gandhi, who was awarded the Nani Palkhiwala Award for civil liberties this year, is widely known for using the RTI Act effectively for better governance and accountability in public life
The recent appointment of Mumbai-based Right to Information (RTI) activist Shailesh Gandhi as one of four central information commissioners has been widely hailed as a boost to civil society.
Other newly-appointed central information commissioners are Satyananda Mishra, presently secretary with the department of personnel and training, M L Sharma, special CBI director, and Annapurna Dixit, widow of veteran diplomat and former national security adviser J N Dixit.

Blogging for governance: on countries and governments

Kauffman writes on here on blogging and its importance for making governments and their actions more transparent and accountable to their citizens….

 Notwithstanding the reality that the positive impact of blogs to promote improved accountability, governance and transparency far outweigh some of its negatives, the question of when blogging does cross the line cannot be begged — and figuring out what is the appropriate response when such line is crossed.  Does the (demand-driven) market test suffice and the more responsible blogs end up dominating, so that the system is self-correcting?  Or, to fend off unwarranted calls for outright ban (or closing down of sites), editorial accountability or some degree of filtering is at times needed?