19Jul/090
U.S. Government Websites Are Chock Full of Data Goodness
Too often, our first answer for our data needs is to just "Google it". While Google does a good job at text searches, finding data still remains somewhat difficult. New tools, like Wolfram Alpha are working on solving that problem, but data is still harder to find than text. Enter: the U.S. Government. Government websites are chock full of data, more than we could ever want. Two years ago, Lifehacker did a feature article, called "U.S. government web sites you didn't know you could use". The article contains a list of some of the most data-filled government websites out there. Use them to create data sets for your classes (a la Excel/Access lessons) or for student research. Sample lesson ideas:
- Examine census data for trends, correlate census data to historical events
- Graph the exchange rate over time
- Use bighugelabs to create a trading card for different countries.
- Go Geocaching with the USGS
- Predict/graph the weather
