Public Data
Our ideal government IT strategy needs a clear strong section on public data.
This is one area where the UK doing a half-decent job. It's in good hands with Nigel Shadbolt and Sir TBL fronting up good work by officials such as John Sheridan and Andrew Stott. The data.gov.uk work stands on the shoulders of giants thanks to the good "Power of Information" report by Ed Mayo and Tom Steinberg, and Power of Information task force work by Tom Watson, Tom Loosemore, Richard Allan and others, back to the Guardian "Free our data" campaigners and to indy web advocates from Stefan Magdalinski through MySociety to Harry Metcalfe, State and Liability Insurance CA.
More strength to your arms, people! Because we're not completely there yet. See eg Number 10's curmudgeonly response to the petition on post codes
The aim of this section is to restate what we need from public data sets, applaud progress, set out what we still need, and how we make the most of it. As far as principles are concerned, do we need to do much better than the Smarter Government paper? Or does this pretty much say it all?
* Public data will be published in reusable, machine-readable form
* Public data will be available and easy to find through a single easy to use online access point (http://www.data.gov.uk/)
* Public data will be published using open standards and following the recommendations of the World Wide Web Consortium
* Any 'raw' dataset will be re-presented in linked data form
* More public data will be released under an open licence which enables free reuse, including commercial reuse
* Data underlying the Government's own websites will be published in reusable form for others to use
* Personal, classified, commercially sensitive and third-party data will continue to be protected
(from Smarter Government, via Digital Engagement blog )
If we simply applied those principles to the Post Codes address file PAF would we then be home and dry? Presumably the credot-referencing agencies and a few others who have businesses based around adding value to base public data from eg the electoral roll would be pissed off and do some spiky lobbying. * Public data will be available and easy to find through a single easy to use online access point (http://www.data.gov.uk/)
* Public data will be published using open standards and following the recommendations of the World Wide Web Consortium
* Any 'raw' dataset will be re-presented in linked data form
* More public data will be released under an open licence which enables free reuse, including commercial reuse
* Data underlying the Government's own websites will be published in reusable form for others to use
* Personal, classified, commercially sensitive and third-party data will continue to be protected
(from Smarter Government, via Digital Engagement blog )
Then there's eight more open data principles here, from a 2007 meeting of open government advocates in Sebastopol California.
Open Government Data Principles
Government data shall be considered open if it is made public in a way that complies with the principles below:
1. Complete - All public data is made available. Public data is data that is not subject to valid privacy, security or privilege limitations.
2. Primary - Data is as collected at the source, with the highest possible level of granularity, not in aggregate or modified forms.
3. Timely - Data is made available as quickly as necessary to preserve the value of the data.
4. Accessible - Data is available to the widest range of users for the widest range of purposes.
5. Machine processable - Data is reasonably structured to allow automated processing.
6. Non-discriminatory - Data is available to anyone, with no requirement of registration.
7. Non-proprietary - Data is available in a format over which no entity has exclusive control.
8. License-free - Data is not subject to any copyright, patent, trademark or trade secret regulation. Reasonable privacy, security and privilege restrictions may be allowed.
3. Timely - Data is made available as quickly as necessary to preserve the value of the data.
4. Accessible - Data is available to the widest range of users for the widest range of purposes.
5. Machine processable - Data is reasonably structured to allow automated processing.
6. Non-discriminatory - Data is available to anyone, with no requirement of registration.
7. Non-proprietary - Data is available in a format over which no entity has exclusive control.
8. License-free - Data is not subject to any copyright, patent, trademark or trade secret regulation. Reasonable privacy, security and privilege restrictions may be allowed.
Or should we simply say "follow the W3C guidance" and leave it at that?
In Vancouver David Eaves' has set out The Three Laws of Open Government Data
1. If it can�t be spidered or indexed, it doesn�t exist
2. If it isn�t available in open and machine readable format, it can�t engage
3. If a legal framework doesn�t allow it to be repurposed, it doesn�t empower
Economic analysis from Rufus Pollock's Open Knowledge Foundation2. If it isn�t available in open and machine readable format, it can�t engage
3. If a legal framework doesn�t allow it to be repurposed, it doesn�t empower
- The Economics of Public Sector Information - full paper
- one-page summary of funding options for PSI
Resources: OPSI list of requests and offers
W3C's Publishing Open Government Data
Next Steps
To ensure the launch of data.gov.uk was not a one-hit wonder, and to ensure that proprietary public data (if that is not an oxymoron) such as the postcode databases are put into the public domain, there needs to be a mechanism to ensure that:- the most important and useful data sets are identified and prioritised ("we don't want obscure trivia, we want the most essential data to be included first")
- departments consistently add data into the pool
- departments are held accountable for making available their most useful public data assets
- that a Parliamentary select committee reviews on an annual basis progress by departments
- that a named role in each department, possibly the CIO, takes personal responaibility for a monthly update (actual new data sets or a specific timescale of what will be available and when)
- all new procurements going forward specify, by default, that all public data elements will automatically become part of data.gov.uk
- that the complex licensing regime at http://www.opsi.gov.uk/click-use/index.htm is reviewed and a timescale committed to where UK uses of data becomes freely available as part of data.gov.uk
- that where 'trading funds' have been established, those organisations be compensated where necessary by a cut in IT budget of the owning department and the money being given over to cover any trading fund deficit arising in order to enable the public data to be made freely available through direct.gov.uk
- that independent technology experts ensure that data formats and APIs for accessing and using data are as simple, open and easily usable as possible
- what else?!
Back to CTPR Ideal Government IT Strategy home page
research papers""
Houston New Homes for Sale
Bali attractions
Things to do in Bali
sportcraft pool table
Architect Bali
What to do in Sydney
Pacquiao vs Marquez Tickets
Spotsylvania DUI Lawyer
Houston new home
annuities pros and cons
thyromine
Mayweather vs Ortiz Tickets
Stafford DUI Lawyer
Houston new homes
Mayweather vs Ortiz Live Streaming
Fredericksburg DUI Lawyer
revitol cellulite cream
New Homes in Houston
Mayweather vs Ortiz
Pacquiao vs Marquez
Virginia Reckless Driving
Houston New Home Builders
Spotsylvania Reckless Driving
Houston New Home Communities
Things to do in Sydney
There are 4 comments on this page. [Display comments]