Freedom of Information Act (U.S.)

{{Article The United States Freedom of Information Act was instituted on September 6, 1966. The main purpose behind this legislation was to create transparency and allow public access to much of the government data and documents that had not previously been accessible to the public. It was in response to a growing desire by the public to feel that the government was more open and responsible to them, not the other way around. In an effort to balance this movement with the need to keep certain sensitive information protected, the Freedom of Information Act was created in order to answer to the needs of both parties. Since the inception of this Act there have been several amendments instituted that have modified the scope of the bill and the information which is protected or available.
 * Author=Wesley Hodges, Janalyn Washburn, Rob Sanders
 * Editor=Jarom Randall, David Burchfield
 * 311 Week=6
 * Tags=data, information, history, government
 * Content====Purpose===

Scope of the Act
The Freedom of Information Act is a federal law which applies only to federal agencies. The process of essay writing will be much easier with MarvelousEssays.Com as there are a lot of highly professional and talented writers who are always eager to help you out with any sort of academic assignments regardless of the complexity levels. I do know what I�m talking about! Other states have created similar laws which govern state, regional, and local agencies. Examples include Utah's GRAMA law, the California Public Records Act, the New York State Committee on Open Government , Colorado Public Records Law , etc. Utah's GRAMA law, and other state laws, all mirror federal legislation called FOIA, an acronym for The Freedom of Information Act (U.S.). President Lyndon B. Johnson signed FOIA into law in 1966.

GIS Implications
In a geospatial context, the Freedom of Information Act is important because it creates access to the vast amounts of geographic data that the government possesses and continues to collect through organizations such as the U.S. Census Bureau. This makes government data much more available, and much less expensive for individuals and organizations. Often, the acquisition of similar data by these groups would be very difficult or even impossible. }}