Better Data Means Safer Streets

"Montgomery County now publishes detailed traffic violation data, which goes online daily here," according to a post by Jacob Mason. "This data allows anyone to see where and when the police are issuing citations, and to whom." Mason used that data, for instance, to create a map of speeding violations covering June 1 through August 16. On the map, the size of the bubbles representing violations even correspond to how far over the speed limit the driver was traveling when cited.

With the map as an illustration, Mason argues for more and better open data projects by local governments. Mason pays specific attention to the Washington, D.C.'s region, which he says had made progress but can still improve.