The added value of a Government API

I just finished reading a great article on The Atlantic regarding what they call the
iGov. Here is what I understood are the three key benefits of having a government agency using an API.

• Multiply the way data can be processed and presented to the public, increasing accountability, transparency while at the same time reducing operational cost for the agencies. An API allows any programmer to “grab that data and slice it, dice it, chart it, graph it, map it, or mash it up with new feeds”.
• Data is recorded and stored in a way that anticipates public use. “Data sharing is no longer an afterthought” says Greg Elin from the Sunlight foundation.
• It encourages agencies to release data in real time rather than on periodical reports
• I would also add that by integrating the need to share the information in the process of collecting and storing the data, governmental agencies themselves make it easier to communicate with each other.