Federal shutdown makes key government data hard to find

Think the federal shutdown doesn’t concern you? Just try looking for some basic data.

Data.gov is down, as are websites that distribute data for the Census, FBI, NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics failed to release the latest jobs report due to the shutdown, and while the agency’s BLS.gov is up, there’s been no new data added since Sept. 30. Staffers noted on the Federal Register website that new information would be limited but that “we will continue to post documents necessary to safeguard human life, protect property, or provide other emergency services.”

The CDC posted a warning on its website that information may not be maintained since “only websites supporting excepted functions will be updated unless otherwise funded.” The NOAA website redirects users to Weather.gov and USA.gov for news of the shutdown and the National Hurricane Center website which is still active and up to date—because, as the site explains, “the information this site provides is necessary to protect life and property.”

Some argue other federal data are just as vital, especially farmers and other business owners who rely on the information to do their jobs or make key decisions (USDA.gov is offline during the shutdown).

Howard Altschule, a forensic meteorologist and owner of New York-based Forensic Weather Consultants, said he had trouble obtaining federal weather records this week due to the shutdown and had to prepare affidavits for two clients explaining why the data weren’t available.

“It will be interesting to see if the courts make an exception to these rules requiring that evidence be in admissible format (certified), or if they decide otherwise,” Altschule wrote in a blog for the Washington Post this week, “If the courts deny the motion because certified data was not submitted, then the party submitting the motion to dismiss the case would then have to spend money preparing to try the case in court or negotiate a settlement.”

He also questioned whether the data he was seeking are being archived and analyzed during the shutdown and if not, whether they ever will be.

There are some workarounds for those like Altschule seeking federal data this week.

For example, an archived version of the Census Bureau website (and other government websites) is available through an online archive, the Wayback Machine. For census data from a single state, try a state data center—an archived version of the list of centers is available through the Wayback Machine. Among the best is the Missouri Census Data Center, which offers data for every state.

Some experts say the shutdown is a reminder that those who rely on government data need to develop alternative ways of obtaining and archiving it, such as community-run data portals.

“When the government shuts down and takes most of its data with it, the public needs to have a backup plan,” software developer Eric Mill blogged for the Sunlight Foundation after the federal data brownout. “It’s not 1995 anymore--the government lives on the Internet, and so do we.”

ALSO:

Eco-terrorist pleads guilty, but won’t snitch on “Family.”

Report suggest that Ariel Castro died of autoerotic asphyxiation

West, Texas fertilizer plant that exploded cites by feds over safety

Follow L.A. Times National on Twitter