When a petition is created, identify any place names within it and store their coordinates (such as with Yahoo Placefinder). Then expose those coordinates as a part of the JSON, and permit proximity searches. Likewise, when a petition is signed, geocode that using a free ZIP centroid database (e.g., 1, 2, 3), and expose those in the same manner. This will enable a variety of location-based services based on We The People data.
When a petition is created, identify any place names within it and store their coordinates (such as with Yahoo Placefinder). Then expose those coordinates as a part of the JSON, and permit proximity searches. Likewise, when a petition is signed, geocode that using a free ZIP centroid database (e.g., 1, 2, 3), and expose those in the same manner. This will enable a variety of location-based services based on We The People data.