While transparency is always a good thing, scraping a few gov’t spreadsheet for budget data that likely is anything but accurate is hardly a huge value add. All financials by default are layered. They are then adjusted, modified, and creatively manipulated at each level. I doubt this is as transparent as you believe. Should gov’t transparency really be called “open data”. Shouldn’t it be expected, required, and assumed??? I know it is none of those things but… well, just saying.

While getting the weather is great, your example is not free. People are taxed to pay for it. Not the people who value it — everyone. It is hard to value open data developed on poor economics and badly engineered feedback models. In the US, there are dozens of completely free weather apps — no tax dollars. Perhaps stupid VCs — but they value the investment.

Not sure which US weather app is better — but the feedback loops they built will eventually pick the combination that best balances a business model and accuracy.