Time again for our Website of the Week, when we showcase interesting and innovative online destinations.
Like governments the world over do, officials in Washington collect a lot of statistics, from population counts to farm production to smoking to transportation. Figuring out which agency collects what information, and then finding it, can be a daunting task. Our Website of the Week can help.
TAYLOR: "Fedstats.gov takes you to the data directly without having to know in advance which agency produces which statistic. So, essentially, we are a statistical portal or gateway into the U.S. federal statistical system."
Rachael LaPorte Taylor is Project Manager for FedStats.gov, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary online this year.
The site is pretty much text-only, so it's fast even on a slow Internet connection. You can get at the information in different ways, using the A-to-Z list of topics, in the online versions of published reports, or via the site’s search engine.
Taylor says FedStats’ own search tool has advantages over other, general purpose search engines.
TAYLOR: "They're not tailored specifically for the statistical system, and in addition Fedstats provides context and tools to help you find and understand the data."
As you might expect from a U.S. government website, most of the statistics are domestic, but Rachael LaPorte Taylor says there are quite a few areas where you can compare figures for the United States with many other countries, including possibly your own.
TAYLOR: "We have a section on international comparisons, including population, imports and exports, educational profiles, energy, that sort of thing."
All that and more — a whole country by the numbers — online at FedStats.gov, or get the link from our site, voanews.com.