See, this is what I consider to be a major step forward for those in government. Allowing citizens to have the ability to stay updated on the current agenda for that State and any progress being shown is just brilliant. To me, it shows the mainstream that RSS is much more than a fancy way to get the news. It is also a great way to participate in Democracy.

(PROVIDENCE 2/16/05) Secretary of State Matt Brown today unveiled a groundbreaking web data-sharing initiative, which will give citizens and Rhode Island government agencies real-time, ongoing access to the databases maintained by his office.

RSSonate (pronounced “resonate”) was developed by the Secretary of State’s office to provide easy access to constantly updated data, which users can then use to create customized information. For example, users will have constant, real-time access to databases listing such information as who is lobbying at the State House and which businesses have incorporated in the state. At the same time, users will have the power to generate information by combining data from separate databases. For example, users would be able to create a data feed letting them know if there are any lobbyists who incorporated a new business.

“In the past, the Secretary of State’s office has tried to identify the information people want and put it online,” said Brown. “RSSonate takes that approach to the next level, providing real-time access to information and letting people decide for themselves how they want to use it.”

Previously, users who sought information from one of the Secretary of State’s databases could download or print out a “snapshot” of the database. While that “snapshot” would contain whatever information was in the database at that particular time, new information is constantly being added to these databases, and getting constant snapshot updates was cumbersome and cost prohibitive.

RSSonate uses RSS, Really Simple Syndication, to share content in a steady stream, making government information completely transparent. Through RSSonate, constantly updated data is sent out to other websites and an interface is created which allows individuals and state agencies to view the Secretary of State’s databases in real-time.

Brown noted that his office is in the process of finalizing an Open Meetings Database, which contains electronic meeting notices for all state and local government entities. RSSonate is allowing the City of Providence to pull all of its municipal meeting notices from the system and post them online to create a resource for Providence residents to track everything from City Council meetings to Zoning Board hearings.