The Data Mine wants your tips on federal records that should be more accessible to the public

As part of Sunshine Week, which runs through Saturday, March 20, the Center for Public Integrity and the Sunlight Foundation are looking for help with The Data Mine, a new online series identifying inaccessible or difficult to use information from the federal government.

The DataMine has shown how the Agriculture Department generally does a good job with data but "continues to omit the politically sensitive annual listing of subsidy payments to individual farmers (available from the Environmental Working Group) and how the Occupational Safety and Health Administration refuses to hand over the results of millions of workplace tests for toxic substances," writes Ellen Miller, executive director of the foundation.

The center is seeking tips on other federal government records, databases, and filings that should be more accessible. For example:

• Has the government denied your attempt to obtain certain information under the Freedom of Infiormation Act?

• Are you aware of any government reports or data that are unnecessarily hidden from public view?

• Have you successfully obtained government data, only to find it cumbersome or impractical to use in today's electronic environment?

Email all tips to datamine@publicintegrity.org. Indicate if you want to be publicly credited on the Center's website for your suggestion.