[okfn-announce] Where Does My Money Go? Prototype Launched

[Jonathan Gray]

We're pleased to announce that the prototype of our 'Where Does My
Money Go?' project is now live:

  http://blog.okfn.org/2009/12/11/where-does-my-money-go-prototype-launched/
  http://www.wheredoesmymoneygo.org/prototype/

Further information can be found in the press release below:

## PRESS RELEASE
## Where Does My Money Go?
## Launch of new online tool to explore where UK public spending goes

Now more than ever, UK taxpayers will be wondering where public funds
are being spent - not least because of the long shadow cast by the
financial crisis and last week’s announcements of an estimated £850
billion price tag for bailing out UK banks. Yesterday’s pre-budget
report also raises questions about spending cutbacks and how public
money is being allocated across different key areas.

However, closing the loop between ordinary citizens and the
paper-trail of government receipts is no mean feat. Relevant documents
and datasets are scattered around numerous government websites - and,
once located, spending figures often require background knowledge to
interpret and can be hard put into context. In the UK there is no
equivalent to the US Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency
Act, which requires official bodies to publish figures on spending in
a single place. There were proposals for similar legislation in 2007,
but these were never approved.

On Friday 11th December the Open Knowledge Foundation will launch a
free interactive online tool for showing where UK public spending
goes. The Where Does My Money Go? project allows the public to explore
data on UK public spending over the past 6 years in an intuitive way
using an array of maps, timelines and graphs. By means of the tool,
anyone can make sense of information on public spending in ways which
were not previously possible.

For example, while playing around with the tool, we noticed:

  * Total public spending as a percentage of gross domestic product
this year increased to levels not seen since the recession of 1992.
  * Healthcare spending in real terms under New Labour has almost
doubled since they came to power in 1997. Education spending has
increased by 75%.
  * The UK spends more on old age than on education. The amount of
money spent to support those in retirement is £87bn compared to the
£82bn on the whole of education.
  * £665 was spent in Northern Ireland on housing and amenities for
every man, woman and child in 2008-9, compared to £413 in London.
Spending per capita in Britain’s capital on housing, transport and
public order and safety all exceeded the national average by over 60%.

Tom Watson MP, commented: "Where Does My Money Go represents another
milestone in the UK's transparency movement. We know that transparency
changes individual and institutional behaviour and this new tool will
have a big impact on the way the public sector is held to account by
UK citizens.

"As well as being a great public benefit, Where Does My Money Go is
also an immensely complicated tool to code and design. I applaud the
team behind the project for their commitment and hard work. They're
leading the way in transparency and making a difference for the
country"

## Notes to editors

The Open Knowledge Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation
dedicated to improving the way knowledge is shared. The Where Does My
Money? project was a winner of the Cabinet Office’s Show Us A Better
Way competition. The project benefits from an advisory group which
includes leading transparency advocates and information visualisation
experts. The prototype was conceived by the Open Knowledge Foundation
and developed with data visualisation specialists iconomical, based in
Amsterdam. The Foundation is also currently working with the UK
Government on the technology behind the new data.gov.uk site.

Currently the Where Does My Money Go prototype is based on data from
HM Treasury - but the project team is working to collect, aggregate
and incorporate much more fine-grained information, including on local
spending. On Monday Gordon Brown announced plans to publish much more
detailed information on public spending in a more systematic way as
part of the Smarter Government initiative.

-- 
Jonathan Gray

Community Coordinator
The Open Knowledge Foundation
http://www.okfn.org