Google unveiled a search site Thursday designed to take the frustration out of trying to find U.S. government information.
Google U.S. Government Search also features on its entry page government-related news articles from media outlets like The Washington Post and official announcements from the White House, the military and the Congress.
Aimed at government employees, contractors and the public, the site allows users to search content contained on U.S. federal, state and local government Web sites or widen that search to the entire Internet. To generate the government search, Google has included Web sites with the .gov and .mil domains as well as some government sites with the .com, .us and .edu domains.
Like other Google sites, users can customize the look of their search page, bringing in content from a directory that covers not only government information but also other topics including business and sports. News from Web sites not featured in the directory can also be added via RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds.
To provide the proper national feel, the “l” in the Google logo on the government search site acts as a pole flying the U.S. flag.
Google already has a strong focus on providing tools for government agencies particularly in the areas of enterprise and geospatial search with products such as the Google Search Appliance and Google Earth Enterprise. The company recently appointed Mike Bradshaw to head its federal sales operation.