Kipling (author of The White Man’s Burden in 1899) would have enjoyed the “about’ page for Technology for Transparency Network, where he would find:
The Technology for Transparency Network is a research and mapping project that aims to improve understanding of the current state of online technology projects that increase transparency and accountability in Central & Eastern Europe, East Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and the former Soviet Union.
(and then jump to the final paragraph)
For years now there has been an ongoing debate about whether the Internet is good or bad for democracy. But we have few case studies and even fewer comparative research mappings of Internet-based projects that aim to improve governance, especially in countries outside of North America and Western Europe. Hopefully the Technology for Transparency Network will lead not only to more informed debate about the Internet’s impact on democracy, but also to more participation and interest in projects that aim to empower and improve the livelihoods of citizens who were previously excluded from political participation. (emphasis added)
Governments in North American and Western Europe may be releasing more data than other governments. Such as White House visitor lists that are incomplete, don’t show who was met or why, or the substance of the conversations or agreements. The released data is like a lollipop given to distract an unruly child. It may be really big and tasty, but the adult conversation continues while it is being consumed.
For example, what about the black hole that is the US military budget? True transparency would trace from the bill in congress to each branch of the service to each contact to each subcontract and subsubcontracts and thence to every state and employer in that state, along with reports on the usefulness of that particular item or service and then back to the member of congress who introduced it (more likely written by the prime contractor) into the budget. Or doing the same for the organized fraud that is the airport screening by the TSA, that since 9/11 has not caught a single terrorist, not one.
Or even better, all the diplomatic cables from North American and Western European governments while they mis-managed the last half of the 20th century? There are plenty of folks who are still alive who might have something to say about those discussions. Oh, people might be held accountable for betraying their countries and fellow citizens? Well, that is what transparency is all about, accountability.
Topic maps can be one part of a solution to help bring transparency and accountability to governments, no matter where they are located. Even including North America and Western Europe.
In part because diverse topic maps, using multiple national languages and views of the world, can be merged while retaining the integrity of those views. Which means users of the merged topic map, can look for absences as well as intersections of interest. To empower people to make demands to fill in the missing pieces.
PS: Any governments that are about to fall. Please post all diplomatic cables to a public ftp site. The other governments let you fall so you don’t owe them anything.