Recovery.gov Relaunch Maps Stimulus Spending

With a relaunch this week of the official Recovery.gov site, the Feds are now competitive again. The new Web site features an easy-to-use map that lets you zoom in and click on green, blue, and pink dots that represent (respectively) where contracts, grants, and loans from the $787 billion stimulus legislation are ending up.

One of the most laudable aspects of the new Recovery.gov is the ability to download at least some of the data in Excel and XML format -- meaning researchers and data-crazed citizens can analyze it themselves. Next month, reports from recipients of stimulus funds are scheduled to become available.

The revamped Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board Web site comes thanks to a company called ESRI, which is located near San Bernardino, Calif. and specializes in translating complex data into computer maps. In April, ESRI proposed using the Web to "enable people to see, understand, evaluate, and give feedback on government decisions."