Do you know exactly how much of your tax money is spent on streetlights, garbage collection or any other public infrastructure? The idea of making government data readable and readily available to the public is new but fast gaining ground. Initiatives around the world are attempting to capitalize on open data to improve governance, encourage civic engagement and promote economic growth. Two individuals working on such initiatives are Antonio Acuna, head of data.gov.uk, and Michael Canares, regional research manager at Open Data Lab Jakarta. We also hear from IDEAS' Tricia Yeoh about open data in Malaysia.