Government should seek to ease any friction that limits developers’ ability to build these tailor-made solutions. Only with bulk data can government harness the creativity and innovation of the open market and leverage the power of the Internet to bring all kinds of information closer to citizens. In the long run, as the tools for interacting with data continue to improve and become increasingly intuitive, we may reach a state in which citizens themselves interact directly with data without needing any intermediary.
Of course, beyond publishing data, government might also decide to build finished websites, and to build APIs. But publishing data in bulk must be government’s first priority as an information provider. The success of a government is measured, ultimately, by the opportunities it provides to its citizens. By publishing its data in a form that is free, open, and reusable, government will empower citizens to dream up and implement their own innovative ideas of how to best connect with their government.