Infochimps.org
Free Redistributable Rich Data Sets
There are many sources to find out something about everything. Until now, there’s been no good place for you to find out everything about something.
The infochimps.org community is assembling and interconnecting the world's best repository for raw data -- a sort of giant free allmanac, with tables on everything you can put in a table. Built by data nerds, used by data nerds, it's a central source for the information you need to power the projects the world needs.
A meta-programming approach to general data modeling.
Introduction
Meta-JB is a MetaClass/MetaObject layer providing generic access to model implementations, decoupling application logic from underlying implementation details, and allowing user interfaces (Swing, HTML, etc.) to be dynamically generated at runtime. By wrapping model implementations in MetaObject adapters, applications can interact with the model layer in a homogenous way.
Description
Meta-JB extends the Java Beans-based meta-programming concept to provide more generic access to object attributes and descriptions for any model object with an appropriate adapter. The descriptions of a class's properties (the MetaClass) and access to an object's attributes are decoupled from actual implementations by adapters implementing a Map-like name/value interface (the MetaObject). Because the thin framework is built on generic interfaces, it is not tied directly to real Java bean implementations and can also be used for anything that can access values by name. (Some examples are SQL result sets, HTTP request data, or simple hash maps.) Once a "class" has been described, the information can even be applied to different underlying implementations.
The MetaClass/MetaObject layer is a foundation for dynamically generating user-level access to application object models. Toolkits are provided for generating Swing GUIs at runtime or dynamically rendering objects as XML using the class descriptions. On the drawing board is support for generating HTML forms and views as well. Future development may also extend to a collaborative data access layer.
Request for Comments
December 7-8, 2007—This weekend, 30 open government advocates gathered to develop a set of principles of open government data. The meeting, held in Sebastopol, California, was designed to develop a more robust understanding of why open government data is essential to democracy.
The Internet is the public space of the modern world, and through it governments now have the opportunity to better understand the needs of their citizens and citizens may participate more fully in their government. Information becomes more valuable as it is shared, less valuable as it is hoarded. Open data promotes increased civil discourse, improved public welfare, and a more efficient use of public resources.
The group is offering a set of fundamental principles for open government data. By embracing the eight principles, governments of the world can become more effective, transparent, and relevant to our lives.
R first appeared in 1996, when the statistics professors Robert Gentleman, left, and Ross Ihaka released the code as a free software package.
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By ASHLEE VANCE
Published: January 6, 2009
Presented by Karen Calhoun at the ALCTS Forum, American Library Association Midwinter Meeting, Denver CO, 26 January 2009. Discusses community norms and policies for sharing the data that supports the discovery and delivery of library collections; places these in the context of the broader data sharing environment outside libraries; and analyzes the process and rationale for revising OCLC's Guidelines for the Use and Transfer of Records.