All government collected data should be open by default at the smallest level of granularity (respecting privacy and security considerations). And all historical data should be published online in machine readable format at least starting at the beginning of the 20th century.
The follow-up of the proposed ideas is ongoing, please check here: https://ec.europa.eu/futurium/en/blog/how-it-going-your-ideas-egovernment-action-plan
This is good proposal and in line with the move towards even more opennes and the avilability of data. At the EU level a number of legal instruments such as the PSI directive and INSPIRE promotes the availability of government data. In your view, what else could be done at the European level to make government data more open or even open by default, as you suggest?
Anders
Open Data is mentioned in the eGovernment Action Plan under the principle of openness and transparency, with its potential contribution to growth and competitiveness, respecting the legal framework for the protection of personal data and transparency. Respecting these constraints, public data should be 'open by default'. To truly realise the potential of Open Data, it would provide a major stimulus to have a large ambition to open up all data from all times in the EU by the end of the timeframe of this eGovernment action plan.
Privacy and personal data protection are often seen as an 'easy way out' to not open up public data. Open data is sometimes treated as a 'gift' to the public as opposed to a 'right'. If it has been collected with public resources, it should be open to the public (respecting legal privacy frameworks). Open Data should not be seen as an 'opt in' (it will be done if the public authority considers it worthwhile) but an 'opt out' (you can only not open it if there are major constraints such as privacy concerns).
Furthermore, to truly get the value of Open Data, you need large datasets at micro level. This will help find patterns in the data, ascertain correlations and then bring value. For this reason, all historical data should be published as well. Criticasters will say this is impossible, that much is not available in digital format and that it is too expensive. Many of these arguments can be overcome though. New technologies are available to digitise, process, categorise and publish old data in a variety of forms. Some cities like New York are already doing that. The existing technological infrastructure within public authorities might not be up to the task. There are many solutions, including cloud-based ones, that offer cost-effective alternatives. Furthermore, with the exponential increase of data collected (also as a result of IoT developments and more and more sensors deployed by public authorities), it is about time to get that data infrastructure in order now.
A bold corralling ambition can help Europe unite to become a continent of 'data prosperity', helping realise the economic and societal potential of open data and becoming an example for the rest of the world. This is by no means easy. However to parafrase JFK, we should not do this because it is easy, but because it is hard, because 'it will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone'.
Agreed, this is a very important point, as it should be efficient.
Cost of opening up should outweigh the benefits, because otherwise the citizen wouldn't benefit
Some stakeholder analysis of how to make this possible:
Who were the Actors / users
- Governments
- Everyone
- Journalists
Who were/will be beneficiariets
- Citizens, economic growth, businesses integrating data into their algorithms and creating applications
Who were/are the potential supporters / sponsors?
- Politicians on transparency
- Businesses
- Governments as users
The barriers
- Privacy, data protection
- Copy right
- Old existing business models
- Governmental culture of not wanting make to
- Non efficient legacy procedures
Similar solutions
- Open data by default; implemtened in Belgium ?
- http://www.decroo.belgium.be/nl/groen-licht-voor-federale-open-data-strategie-overheidsdata-voortaan-vrij-beschikbaar
- https://opengovdata.org/
Privacy and Security concerns are highly crucial in this instant and require very specific and clear ownership within government. Team 1 :)
