Data.gov has released a new platform where cities across America can offer data streams online in one place:

Four cities – New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Seattle – have already done so.

The new clearinghouse features thousands of openly accessible data streams, including information on building permits filed in these cities, a regularly updated feed of Seattle Fire Department 911 dispatches, budget documents and tons of maps of things like parks, film locations and building footprints. . .

It’s part of an effort to democratize the public data streams that governments collect, putting them into the hands of citizens. More pointedly, these open data efforts are aimed at civic-minded computer programmers who might be interested in turning these raw data streams into useful websites or mobile applications.

You can read more here.