Public Sector Information
Public Sector Information - Raw Data for New Services and Products
Public sector information (PSI) is the single largest source of information in Europe. It is produced and collected by public bodies and includes digital maps, meteorological, legal, traffic, financial, economic and other data. Most of this raw data could be re-used or integrated into new products and services, which we use on a daily basis, such as car navigation systems, weather forecasts, financial and insurance services.
Re-use of public sector information means using it in new ways by adding value to it, combining information from different sources, making mash-ups and new applications, both for commercial and non-commercial purposes. Public sector information has great economic potential. According to a survey on existing findings on the economic impact of public sector information conducted by the European Commission in 2011 (Vickery study) the overall direct and indirect economic gains are estimated at €140bn throughout the EU. Increase in the re-use of PSI generates new businesses and jobs and provides consumers with more choice and more value for money.
In 2003, the EU adopted the Directive on the re-use of public sector information (PSI Directive). It has introduced a common legislative framework regulating how public sector bodies should make their information available for re-use in order to remove barriers such as discriminatory practices, monopoly markets and a lack of transparency.
In December 2011, the Commission presented an Open Data Package consisting of :
- A Communication on Open Data:
BG | CS | DA | DE | EL | EN | ES | ET | FI | FR | HU | IT | LT | LV | MT | NL | PL | PT | RO | SK | SL | SV - A proposal for a revision of the Directive:
BG | CS | DA | DE | EL | EN | ES | ET | FI | FR | HU | IT | LT | LV | MT | NL | PL | PT | RO | SK | SL | SV -
New Commission rules on re-use of the documents it holds:
BG | CS | DA | DE | EL | EN | ES | ET | FI | FR | HU | IT | LT | LV | MT | NL | PL | PT | RO | SK | SL | SV
The proposal for a revision of the Directive proposes to further open up the market for services based on public-sector information, by
- including new bodies in the scope of application of the Directive such as libraries (including university libraries), museums and archives;
- limiting the fees that can be charged by the public authorities at the marginal costs as a rule;
- introducing independent oversight over re-use rules in the Member States;
- making machine-readable formats for information held by public authorities the norm.
The Directive will now be discussed by the Union legislator composed of the European Parliament and the Council.
More information on the proposed revision of the Directive can be found here.
What's new
23 and 24 of January 2012, Brussels - LAPSI (the European Thematic Network on Legal Aspects of Public Sector Information) organizes its 2nd Public Conference. The two-day meeting will give the opportunity to present and discuss with experts and interested parties the LAPSI policy recommendations on various aspects of Open Data and re-use of public sector information. The agenda includes discussions around:
- Intellectual property rights
- Privacy, data protection and processing of personal data
- Competition law and
- Regulatory bodies
The Conference is open for public. For on-line registration click here.
12 December 2011 - The European Commission
has presented an Open Data Strategy for Europe setting out clearer rules on
making the best use of government-held information. The proposed Open Data
Strategy will make it easier for business and citizens to find and re-use
information held by public sector bodies in the Member States and by the
Commission itself.
Primarily, the Commission plans to update the 2003 Directive on the re-use of
public sector information. The Commission is also updating its own re-use rules
so as to make its data available in machine-readable format and to include data
from research by the Joint Research Centre. In spring 2012 the Commission will
launch a web portal making it easy for industry and citizens to search for
Commission data. This is a step towards a single-access point for re-usable data
from all EU institutions, bodies and agencies and national authorities.
Read more here...
5 December 2011 – France today has launched its Open Data portal. This site is designed to make available data held by French government authorities.