Late last week, semifinalists for the Knight News Challenge on Open Government were announced. Public input on these projects continues to be welcome, while the semifinalists are working to further bolster their proposals with information and video.

According to Knight, the 40 semifinalists were selected from 880 entries.

Some of the most popular semifinalists so far include:

• Outline.com. A public policy simulator that lets citizens visualize the impact of policies on their local and state economies, using state-of-the-art models developed by economists.
• SocialKit. Resources that empower social entrepreneurs to use the legal structures best suited to their mission. Domain experts: Lawyers, civic officials and mentors offer their views, packaged into case studies and actionable toolkits.
• DemocracyMap. A website that helps people find and contact all the governing bodies and elected officials that represent them at all levels of government.
• FOIA Machine . A web platform that automates the confusing process of filing and tracking public record requests worldwide. Users can track requests on dashboards, receive alerts, share request blueprints and gain social support from the community.
• Open Source Tools for Open City Finances. The U.S. PIRG Education Fund and the New York City Comptroller will work with municipalities to expand the use of online tools that open the books on city spending, and build nationwide on the success of New York's open-source transparency program.

Through this Friday, April 5, the semifinalists will be in the "refinement phase" -- where they will post a brief video, respond to community input and give more detail about their proposed project. Comment on the semifinalists.

Winners will be announced June 24 at the Knight/MIT Civic Media Conference.