While light on specifics I think this is clearly a prevelant them through most of the ideas here.

However, I wanted to highlight a growing tendency I've seen which is to see phrases like "SOAP, or XML format".

What Id' really like is less focus on _HOW_ data is delivered (although that's important) and for politicians and data savvy people to talk about _WHAT_ is delivered.

I.e. I want to see a spec that says "Every gov. entity at a department accounting level needs to show year-to-year operating costs, total headcount, and break out spending for services (internal vs. eternal) and operation costs (energy, fleet and fuel)"

Something like that, and probably more detail as in "calculate these numbers with such-and-such methodology and you must also report the Standard Deviation".

The "HOW" should be a 1 sentance footnote, e.g.

"This data should be made available 12+ hrs a day 7 days a week via multiple formats including but not limited to XML and JSON".

Going forward I want to make sure we focus on the important parts, and let the technie's solve the implementation details.

The intent here is the most important take away from this dialogue so far.  Namely, open up the data sources and let the community build the analytical engines.

That's real transparency.

I have an elderly retired relative living alone in Florida, where some of the public tax records are on-line.  This also includes personal information, which any criminal in the area can also find.  

Yes, this information is a matter of public record, but please keep the safety of the individual in mind. 

I couldn't agree more with the idea making the data itself available, but I think that XML and related technologies tremendously limit what can be done with the data.

For a different take on ways to use open data standards to make the data more accessible and more transparent than ever before, please take a look at these ideas:

• Collect data agilely with semantic technologies
• Provide an iPhone-app-store-like environment for hosting specific views of recovery data
• User-controlled views of the recovery data with semantic lenses
  

Yes, open formats; but not specified as web services, XML, soap, etc.  I work for local government, and there are non-government groups out there that will build the tools appropriate to their needs - what they need from us is the data in a usable open format. 

FYI: Recovery Act would be a great place to start this.  Recipients of funds are required to post info & figures about the funds on their website.  I've checked alot of these sites today, trying to figure out what to put on our site.  - I see pie charts, bar charts, and html tables. 

We need a way that recovery.com can compile/merge all this data into one open depository - like data files that they pull from us each day.  The feds need to talk with Sunlight Foundation - they are already working on open government tools but they need the data.  Their experience would help us identify the best format(s) to start with.

This idea is assuming that a technology (XML) will solve the problem.  Consider this as a mantra: semantics first, then syntax, then technology.

Build your domain terminology to control your domain vocabulary, then design your databases and information exchanges, then select your technology.

If the data were provided as suggested here, how does anyone know what the data means, in what context, to which users?

Please have a look at our Proposed Guideline Clarifications for American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, where we propose and implement such an approach. We fully agree with you that this is the way to go: data feeds from the source, recovery.gov as one aggregator (NGOs can do the same, if they want to, because the source feeds are public), and everybody who wants to track the data to the source can do so.