Comment:  The U.S. Patent & Trademark Office has publicly released its data visualization center and patent dashboard. The site provides a window into the state-of-affairs at the USPTO, including current patent backlog, average pendency of patent applications, patent allowance rates, number of patent examiners, and other interesting information.  The goal of the site is to increase transparency at the USPTO and reduce backlog by enabling patent applicants to make better-informed decisions regarding patent filing.  In the past, much of the information shown on the site was either difficult to obtain or unreported.