A piano tuner joins CA Assemblyman in Suggesting Publicly Available Aerial Images Endangered

"It is disturbing to me that terrorists can now perform considerable surveillance without visiting the targeted site," wrote piano tuner and nuclear watchdog Scott Portzline in a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. He wants satellite and aerial imagery companies to voluntarily blur nuclear plants. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said it’s looking into the request.

Joel Anderson, a member of the California Assembly filed legislation in that state to make sharing of aerial imagery illegal.

- CNN via reader Duane

ESRI’s Proposal to Update Recovery.gov

The Inland Empire’s Press Enterprise highlights ESRI’s response to a call to update Recovery.gov. The company suggested adding mapping and geospatial analysis to the site. This quote from local Rep. Darrell Issa highlights the possibilities of how “private sector” participation “would improve the site.”

Full transparency requires attention to not just what is posted online, but also how the information is posted. Information about how the taxpayers’ money is distributed must be disclosed in a structured, open and searchable format.

This is technology which can be implemented. There are a number of companies who can show they do it better than Recovery.gov.