Brazilian government embraces 'open data'

The Ministry of Planning in Brazil launched the final version of the Brazilian Open Data Portal [http://dados.gov.br].  In line with the federal government policy to promote the use of free software in public administration, the portal was made using only free and open source tools. Among them is the Open Knowledge Foundation’s open-source data portal software CKAN. Moreover, the whole process of development of the portal was conducted with the participation of concerned citizens in an open way to promote open data.

The portal is part of a larger project called the National Infrastructure Open Data – INDA. The general idea of INDA is to establish technical standards for open data, promote training and support public bodies in the task of publishing open data. This entire process is done through intra-government cooperation and cooperation between government and citizens, always aiming to achieve a real platform for open government...