In March, we announced a new URL shortening service called 1.USA.gov. 1.USA.gov automatically creates .gov URLs whenever you use bitly to shorten a URL that ends in .gov or .mil. We created this service to make it easy for people to know when a short URL will lead to official, and trustworthy, government information.

Data is created every time someone clicks on a 1.USA.gov link, which happens about 56,000 times each day. Together, these clicks show what government information people are sharing with their friends and networks. No one has ever had such a broad view of how government information is viewed and shared online.

Today, we’re excited to announce that all of the data created by 1.USA.gov clicks is freely available through the Developers page on USA.gov. We want as many people as possible to benefit from the insights we get from 1.USA.gov.

1.USA.gov Hack Day

To mark the occasion, we’re also planning a nationwide 1.USA.gov Hack Day on July 29.

The Hack Day will bring together software developers, entrepreneurs, and curious citizens to look at the data produced by 1.USA.gov and discover new uses for the information.

Hack day events will take place in San Diego, New York City, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C.. Participation is free! We hope you will join us.

If you’d like to attend, please visit the pages our collaborators have set up for each event where you can find more information and RSVP:

• Washington, D.C. - Hosted by USA.gov
• San Diego - Hosted by Measured Voice
• New York City - Hosted by bitly
• San Francisco - Hosted by SimpleGeo

Of course, you don’t have to attend a physical event to share your 1.USA.gov ideas with the world. If you create something interesting with 1.USA.gov data that you’d like to share, leave a comment about it on this blog post, or tweet about it using the hashtag #1USAgov.

And, even if you’re not a developer, you can help us get the word out! Please share this post with anyone interested in showcasing what open government data can do!