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Google Aids State Record Searches

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By CATHERINE DOLINSKI, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 4, 2007

TALLAHASSEE - Florida has partnered with Google to help residents track down online government records and services more easily, Gov. Charlie Crist said Monday.

The collaboration allows Internet users to find public information using search engines such as Google, eliminating the need to comb through government Web sites. The collaboration costs Florida nothing, said Crist, who launched an open government initiative this year.

"Using the search engine is the easiest way to find information," Crist said. "Before Google partnered, we discovered resources that did not pop up in Google searches."

In fact, "about 50 percent of public information that government had on Web sites wouldn't show up in a search engine query," said John Burchett, state policy counsel for Google.

The project requires state agencies to apply a standardized technical protocol to their public Web pages, enabling search engines to find those sites and direct users to them. The more than 300,000 Florida documents now accessible by search engine include water quality reports and Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test results for schools.

Burchett said the project will not compromise the security of nonpublic records. Florida's Agency for Workforce Innovation and departments of state, law enforcement, and business and professional regulation are participating in the project, which will spread to other agencies.

Florida joins California, Utah and several other states in collaborating with Google on public records access.

Reporter Catherine Dolinski can be reached at cdolinski@tampatrib.com or (850) 222-8382.

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