Well, we made it this far! it has been a rollercoaster ride but we finally have the new site up and running. When I first took on the role of Head of Data.gov.uk I knew that we had a challenging task ahead; making the best government data portal around into something even better.  I think the amazing team at Data.gov.uk has achieved just that. Adopting the mantra of 'meaningful experience' we wanted to achieve several things: Simplify the process of finding data without taking away the more complex aspects expected by the seasoned users Expand the amount of information available around a dataset as to promote better contextualisation Make it easy to 'discover' data be it through search or through perusal of publishers or tags Make the engagement aspects of the site more comprehensive, dynamic and substantial Strengthen the location data presence across the site Bring back the emphasis on new developments and innovation around open data technologies Make it easier and better for data owners to publish more data With this in mind we set out to re-rationalize the experience of the site, as a result you will notice a series of new functionalities both in the catalogue and the engagement section.

The British government is doubling down on the notion that open data can be a catalyst for increased government transparency, civic utility and economic prosperity. Yesterday, the United Kingdom's Cabinet Office hosted an event in London, England to highlight the release of a new white paper on "unleashing the potential of open data," linked at the bottom of the post, and the relaunch of a Data.gov.uk, the country's open data platform. The site now has over 9,000 data sets on it, according to the Cabinet Office.

outh Carolina has become the latest state in the union to pass a state-level bill that effectively makes it difficult, if not impossible, for municipalities to create their own publicly owned Internet service provider that could compete with private corporations. The bill passed the South Carolina General Assembly and Senate on Wednesday and awaits the signature of the state's governor.

Stationnement de Montréal explique l'approche privilégiée pour l'offre d'un service de paiement à distance des droits de stationnement en bordure de rue.

Modeled after hackerspaces, a makerspace is a place where young people have an opportunity to explore their own interests, learn to use tools and materials, and develop creative projects. It could be embedded inside an existing organization or standalone on its own. It could be a simple room in a building or an outbuilding that's closer to a shed. The key is that it can adapt to a wide variety of uses and can be shaped by educational purposes as well as the students' creative goals.

Il y a longtemps qu'on en parle, qu'on l'attend, que plusieurs l'espèrent même, mais cette fois pourrait être la bonne: nous vivrons vraisemblablement la première vraie campagne électorale 2.0 au Québec très prochainement.

Vidéo présentée dans le cadre de la rencontre nationale des gestionnaires de l'éducation, mars 2012

Après avoir lancé en 2011 une consultation publique sur le cloud computing, la Commission nationale informatique et libertés (CNIL) estime urgent de clarifier le cadre juridique applicable aux offres d'informatique distribuée, infrastructures (Iaas), plateformes de développement (PaaS) et logiciels en tant que service (SaaS).

Pour Bruno Marzloff, sociologue et fondateur du Groupe Chronos, il ne suffit pas d'optimiser le fonctionnement des infrastructures de la ville avec des données et des outils numériques pour la rendre « intelligente ». Le numérique nous offre des leviers pour nous mesurer aux défis de la ville durable, dans toute leur complexité. Et il est temps d'y réfléchir. 

The report, part of the Future of the Internet/Imagining the Internet series, surveyed "1,021 experts and analysts from the tech world, universities, government agencies, corporations, and other stakeholders" on how close we are to a "smart" world, one which uses energy-efficient "smart structures," integrated appliances and automobiles and "smart grids" that enable a more efficient delivery of electricity and water.

Les technologies mobiles sont devenues un secteur économique majeur au Québec. Selon une étude publiée l'an dernier, elles employaient plus de 43 000 personnes dans 71 sociétés.

IdeaScale est un outil collaboratif qui va vous permettre de faire participer votre audience ou vos équipes à l'amélioration d'un service ou d'un produit.

Experts think tech-enhanced homes, appliances, and utilities will spread. But those systems are complex and so far there is low public demand, so they advise: Don't expect to see the 'Home of the Future' by 202...

Infographic essay on the meaning of life.

he Honourable Tony Clement, President of the Treasury Board and Minister responsible for FedNor, today announced the recent addition of more than 1,000 data sets to the Open Data Portal at www.data.gc.ca . "The release of these additional datasets will help spur innovation. The information in these data sets provides Canadian entrepreneurs with business opportunities that will benefit them and all Canadians," said Minister Clement.

Le gouvernement du Québec s'est engagé, le 2 mai 2012, à devenir un gouvernement ouvert. Cet engagement se caractérise par une volonté d'améliorer les services publics en offrant aux citoyens la possibilité : de consulter l'information publique dans des formats plus accessibles et plus conviviaux; de pouvoir se renseigner davantage sur les activités gouvernementales; de participer plus directement au processus décisionnel; de collaborer avec les acteurs gouvernementaux. Le site www.données.gouv.qc.ca  a été mis en ligne en réponse à cet engagement.

o you're standing around the water cooler on Monday morning, and Joe from accounting asks what you got up to over the weekend. "Oh, nothing much," you reply. "I learned how to pick a lock, how to make ricotta from scratch, and how to make a camp stove out of two soda cans, and that was just Saturday." Such an odd emporium of learning actually exists in Oakland, California. A pair of MIT-schooled brothers, Gil and J.D. Zamfirescu, have assembled a two day nerdapalooza they're calling Workshop Weekend

Slashdot editor Jeff Boehm visted Maker Works in Ann Arbor, MI, where they not only have an Epilog Helix Laser Cutter/Engraver, but let him use it. Which, of course, he happily did, just as you or I would have done if somebody said, "Here. Borrow my laser cutter and engraving machine." The sound in the video is a little rough, since it was recorded live in a room full of loud machines -- like laser cutters. But it's still fascinating to watch (and hear) the process. The only downside is the "Ooh! I want one of those!" effect. There are used units available out there, but they cost as much as a pretty good used car. Maybe that's why there are so many Maker Spaces, also called Hacker Spaces, out there. Here's a global Hacker Space list. Hopefully, you'll find one near you, so you can do a little laser cutting (and lots of other neat stuff) yourself. Note: Slashdot accepts reader video submissions. Email robin at roblimo dot com for details.