U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Joins Forces with data.world to Launch Data.mil

First-ever project combines DoD data with data.world’s collaborative workspace and social discussion to invite exploration and public discourse

Launches with improved Theater History of Operations (THOR) database; new THOR data on Korean theater will be released for first time ever on Dec. 19

AUSTIN, Texas, Dec. 15, 2016 -- data.world today announced that it has partnered with the U.S. Department of Defense to launch Data.mil, a new experiment in Defense Open Data created by the Defense Digital Service (DDS) in collaboration with data owners throughout the U.S. military.

Unveiled today by the Pentagon, Data.mil makes open data available in a searchable, machine-readable, downloadable format.  Through its partnership with data.world, Data.mil also offers a collaborative workspace for this groundbreaking dataset to invite and facilitate collaboration, targeted analysis and discussion.

Hosted at data.world/datamil and accessible through Data.mil, the new data.world workspace organizes key open military datasets within a dynamic, social environment. This makes it easy for journalists, subject matter experts, data scientists, and everyday citizens to discuss, analyze, query, visualize, and easily share their findings.

For example, a group of family members can look up the callsign of a WWI or WWII pilot and discover details about a relative’s mission. Researchers and historians can team up to fill in gaps in current understanding of aerial warfighting tactics and outcomes in WWI, WWII, Korea and Vietnam.

“Open data is about transparency, but it’s also a tool the government can use to help solve its own problems,” said Maj Aaron Capizzi, Data.mil Co-Creator, USAF. “Collaboration from researchers and the public is integral to its success.”

THOR: Theater History of Operations
Data.mil is launching with Theater History of Operations (THOR), a painstakingly cultivated database of historic aerial bombings from World War I through Vietnam. This extensive dataset of geo-rectified bomb drops includes more than 60 different data attributes and has already proven useful in finding unexploded ordinance in Southeast Asia and improving Air Force combat tactics.

“Increasingly we are discovering the need to ‘go to the source’ to determine the factual evidence underpinning a belief or disposition,” said Mary Lazzeri, Site Creator, Defense Digital Service. “The purest form of that sentiment is to find the raw data and do the work.”

Complete normalized data from WWI and WWII is currently live on Data.mil and data.world/datamil. Data on the Vietnam and Korea conflicts will be released on Monday, December 19th. This will mark the first public release of THOR data depicting aerial bombing in the Korean theater.

“Data.mil reflects a sea change in thinking about open data,” said Brett Hurt. “It is no longer enough to just open up a few datasets to the public.  Open data needs to be easy to find, ready to use, and simple to share. Great things happen when the public has the tools they need to collaborate on open data, and we are proud to work with the Department of Defense and Defense Digital Service team to create extraordinary value through Data.mil.”

About data.world
data.world strives to build the most meaningful, collaborative, and abundant data resource in the world. The company eases data discovery, collaboration, and use to solve the most complex academic, commercial, and societal problems. data.world operates as a public-benefit corporation and is headquartered in Austin, Texas. Visit data.world and follow @datadotworld and facebook.com/datadotworld for more information.

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Renee Newby, Brady PR
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