Interactive public data from Google

You can now type "unemployment rate Kentucky" or "population indiana" in the Google search box and get an interactive chart that allows you to do comparisons with other states. Says Google:

... we have been working on creating a new service that make lots of data instantly available for intuitive, visual exploration. Today's launch is a first step in that direction. We hope people will find this search feature helpful, whether it's used in the classroom, the boardroom or around the kitchen table. We also hope that this will pave the way for public data to take a more central role in informed public conversations.

TechCrunch suggests it was deliberately intended to steal the thunder of a soon-to-be-launched search engine from the maker of Mathematica.

It also can't be good news for Many Eyes, Swivel or Data360.