Google launches public data search, visualization features

Google has launched a cool, if somewhat limited, new feature that makes it easier to search for and visualize statistics gleaned from public data. You can search for "unemployment rate" or "population" for any area in the United States and Google will provide you with information from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Census Bureau.

The results first show up in a small chart at the top of your Google results. If you click on the link you're taken to a page where you can compare data for multiple locations. For example, if you want to compare the unemployment rates for Los Angeles and New York, Google will put both cities on a graph.

Eventually Google plans to roll out access to additional data sets.