DataSF .org – A Local Search SEO Spammer’s Dream Come True
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsome announced today on TechCrunch that the City has released more than 100 structured data sets for developers to use via DataSF.org. According to the article:
The new web site will provide a clearinghouse of structured, raw and machine-readable government data to the public in an easily downloadable format. For example, there will be updated crime incident data from the police department and restaurant inspection data from the Department of Public Health. The initial phase of the web site includes more than 100 datasets, from a range of city departments, including Police, Public Works, and the Municipal Transportation Agency.
We imagine creative developers taking apartment listings and city crime data and mashing it up to help renters find their next home or an iPhone application that shows restaurant ratings based on health code violations.
This is a very cool development for a couple of reasons:
1. We are going to start to see a lot of interesting services developed on top of this data
2. This could be a great testbed for the Yellow Pages API deluge that I keep prophesizing about
3. I would bet any amount of money that we are going to start to see a ton of San Francisco DUI related sites that extract the DUI data from the crime reports. Average cost per click for “San Francisco DUI Attorney” according to the Google Keyword Tool: $31.23. Let the spamming begin…