Because public transit is taxpayer funded, these companies are subject to state public records laws. Relevant to companies vying for contracts or riders who want to understand why fares are increasing, these records can provide insight into how public transit is operated.
The Illinois Comptroller’s Open Book is a searchable database that returns side-by-side results for state contracts and campaign contributions. The data is drawn from public records that are available separately from the Comptroller’s office and the Illinois State Board of Elections, but Open Book makes it easier for researchers to search for potential conflicts of interest.
Earlier this week Google announced that Caffeine, its new web search indexing system, now provides search results for all Google search users. Caffeine indexes hundreds of thousands of gigabytes daily by continuously crawling the web to process newly published content.
The San Jose Mercury News recently launched a database reporting salary information for Bay Area public employees. This data has been available via written requests under the California Public Records Act since a unanimous 2007 California Supreme Court decision mandated public employee salary data was a public record, but this new online database makes the information readily accessible and searchable online.
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is an excellent resource if you need to compare public school systems or public universities across several states or nationwide. This division of the US Department of Education is responsible for collecting and publishing information related to elementary, secondary and postsecondary educational institutions.
The California Department of Education (CDE) collects and reports on numerous school indicators beyond the Base Academic Performance Index (API) report that we discussed last week. School budgets, class sizes, student-to-teacher ratios and access to technology are all cataloged and reported alongside school performance.
Data on school performance is in high demand among the parents of school age children and real estate professionals working to fully communicate a particular property’s value (i.e., “the schools are wonderful”). This data is also widely used in political campaigns.
The California Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) recently announced that it has started posting online the Statements of Economic Interest (SEIs) for California elected officials.
California Watch reported last week that Pfizer has begun disclosing payments to doctors. Pfizer’s newly launched database includes payments to individual healthcare professionals, medical practices and medical institutions from July 1 to December 31, 2009. Several other major pharmaceutical companies have also started increasing transparency, in anticipation of the Physician Payment Sunshine Act which will require this type of payment disclosure to be universal by 2012.
Publications pre-dating the Internet can be difficult to access, typically requiring a trip to a specialized library or private collection. However, several organizations and individuals are working toward digitizing older content for an online audience.
