Ever since the Recovery Act passed back in February, we've been encouraging the Recovery Board, which operates Recovery.gov, to make its data as open and accessible as possible. The idea is that, the government could set up the greatest recipient reporting system in the world, but if that data is then locked into a proprietary system that is closed to the public, it's really no good. Unfortunately, so far, the Board has not made the recipient data itself readily available, but it has provided a KML file for the data feeding into its mapping applications. This file is a decent start, and the smart folks over at Sunlight Labs have taken advantage of it to create their first Recovery Act-focused application.

The new app is actually not a full application, but a layer for the Layar augmented reality application. Layar takes geo-coded data, such as the Board's KML file, and overlays it onto a live video of the world around you. Using Sunlight's new layer for the app, you can take your iPhone 3GS or Android-based phone (the only phones currently supported), point it, say, down your street, and the application will show you the Recovery Act projects in that direction. Granted, I don't think many stories are going to be broken by journalists using this app or anything, but it's a neat little trick, and a great example of why we've been pushing to have the Recovery Act data free and accessible to everyone.

Hopefully, the Board will continue to make the data more available (API, maybe?), and we'll see more applications like Sunlight's Layar layer. Sadly, I don't own an iPhone or an Android phone, so I won't be wandering the streets of my town with this, but for all you citizen IG iPhone/Android owners out there, have at it.

Image from Sunlight Labs.