The movement towards transparency and free information in government is gaining ground, yet a recent incident proves there are fights to be had. Earlier this month a California state assembly member introduced legislation that would make it harder for citizens to access valuable mapping data. The California First Amendment Coalition (CFAC) reports:

The legislation, AB 1978, submitted by Assembly member Jose Solorio (D-Orange County), would exempt from the California Public Records Act the basemap data essential for many local applications of digital mapping or “geographic information systems” (GIS). This exclusion would free local governments--Orange County included--to restrict access to the data to a handful of corporations able to pay five- and six-figure access fees.

Translation: previously free and available information that serves a variety of civic purposes is being threatened, most likely because it's better business to restrict access and charge for it.
In protest, CFAC wrote a letter to Solorio, the author of the offending legislation, calling it "a misguided attempt to convert public information---paid for by California taxpayers and belonging to all California citizens---into a proprietary government asset to which access will be limited to a handful of private corporations able to pay huge licensing fees."

If this gets your goat and you live in CA, tech and marketing consultant Adina Levin has suggestions: "If you live in California, call your member of the state Assembly. If you happen to live or work in Mountain View, you can be especially helpful. Your rep, Sally Lieber is on the Local Gov't Committee where this bill is being reviewed."

transparency
Joshua Levy's blog | email this page | delicious | digg | technorati