The abagOnline site has published a unique set of over 1,000 maps depicting earthquake damage risks for all the cities and counties in the San Francisco Bay Area. Local governments must start or join the public debate on which items of government data are suitable for publishing on the Internet. Currently in Oregon there is a great public furor because an individual somehow managed to obtain drivers license records from the state and publish them on the World Wide Web. Local governments should participate in the national discussions and among themselves on the appropriateness of data release. Alternatively the decision could be made by the lone individual as in Oregon, or dictated through federal or state legislation.
Local governments can establish or improve their Web sites by involving citizens and the community.
The abagOnline directory of cities and counties is full of example sites which were assembled by citizen volunteers, and in the case of the City of Orinda, as a Senior Girl Scout project. Other sites have been collaborations with business and chambers of commerce. These joint efforts do more than stretch limited government resources. They often ensure an interesting Web site by expanding the information content and providing additional ideas and perspectives.