|
|
|
|
|||||
|
||||||
From: Mike Batchelor (no email)
Date: Thu Dec 02 2004 - 17:50:14 EST
The NOAA has adopted a new environmental data access policy for all
the agencies under it, including the National Weather Service. Here's
the new policy:
http://www.nws.noaa.gov/partnershippolicy/
I saw this news posted on Slashdot.org, where the geeks are claiming
to have influenced the decision to adopt an open-access policy. The
comments submitted in support of open-access from a Slashdot referral
are indeed about 1/3 of all comments, so they may have a claim.
http://weather.gov/im/fwcomments.htm Have a look at the comments,
there are a whole bunch of nearly identical form letters opposing the
new policy, the first of which was posted by a Director of Sale &
Media for Accuweather, Inc. Accuweather, of course, would profit
immensely if the data collected with public funds that their business
depends on could be locked up in proprietary formats that only they
were the gatekeepers for. It is nice to see government responding to
the needs of the public, rather than to paid lobbyists for a change.
It is ironic, I think, that the bureaucracy is often more responsive
to the public than elected officials themselves.
In any event, the NOAA's new policy, adopted in spite of opposition
from commercial weather interests, will ensure all its data and
products will me made "available in internet-accessible,
vendor-neutral form and will use other dissemination technologies,
e.g. satellite broadcast, NOAA Weather Radio, and wireless, as
appropriate." To underscore the rationale that guided this policy
decision, the new policy lists as the first principle: "Mission
connection: NOAA's information services will support the NOAA mission.
As a government agency, NOAA recognizes its core responsibility to
protect life and property."
Accuweather can launch their own satellites and setup their own sensor
network if they want to charge premium fees for access to their
proprietary information.
------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~-->
$9.95 domain names from Yahoo!. Register anything.
http://us.click.yahoo.com/J8kdrA/y20IAA/yQLSAA/A1TolB/TM
--------------------------------------------------------------------~->
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/world-cruising/
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
|