The European Google Public Policy blog notes a recent upsurge in datasets released to http://data.gov.uk – the U.K. online government data repository. I’m not inclined to say they are copying the U.S. (and other countries are doing similar things), in part due to the timing (the site’s been around nearly as long as the U.S. version), and the notable pedigree of the U.K. minds behind that site: Tim Berners-Lee, considered the father of the Internet, and Nigel Shadbot, a pioneer in web research. The new U.K. government has also established a transparency board to drive open data and related initiatives across government.
It’s notable that we have a new government embracing, and expanding on, an initiative of the former. With luck, the next American president will see fit to continue the trends toward open data established during the Obama Administration.
Pasco Phronesis 