Annals of Great Data Visualization

Via kottke, the good folks at 26 Variable have produced a startling interactive chart of market capitalization for various firms over the past year.

This isn't directly government related, but with all the clamor for sites like Recovery.gov to post data, it's worth pointing out the great things that ordinary folks could do if government freed more of its raw data unto the masses. As platforms for mashing up data become more and more ubiquitous and user-friendly, the claim that government is the only source of "official" data is going to get less tenable. (Google Flu Trends, anyone?) More cynically, the rise of the interactive web has only added truth to the old adage that a lie can travel halfway round the world while the truth is still putting on its shoes.

If government is going to keep ensuring that its data is "The Data" on any given issue, it's going to have to make sure that this data is utterly ubiquitous, transparent, and easy to spin into any number of eye-catching and (hopefully) elucidating mashups. Data should be a national asset, and making it free is a critical way to maintain government's relevance to the citizen.