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| Maude praises UK progress on open data but private sector sees work to do | Maude praises UK progress on open data but private sector sees work to do |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| An "open data" revolution kicked off by a Guardian campaign is gathering pace in the UK. The Cabinet Office minister, Francis Maude, is trumpeting the UK's success in making government data freely available - and pointing to examples of companies that have sprung up to create commercial businesses around free data from public bodies. | An "open data" revolution kicked off by a Guardian campaign is gathering pace in the UK. The Cabinet Office minister, Francis Maude, is trumpeting the UK's success in making government data freely available - and pointing to examples of companies that have sprung up to create commercial businesses around free data from public bodies. |
| Maude says that "companies including SMEs [small and medium-sized enterprises] and startups are using open data to improve public services and create innovative products." But, he adds, he wants both "data holders" in government and new data-driven businesses to "promote the open data revolution". | Maude says that "companies including SMEs [small and medium-sized enterprises] and startups are using open data to improve public services and create innovative products." But, he adds, he wants both "data holders" in government and new data-driven businesses to "promote the open data revolution". |
| The Cabinet Office cited a number of startup businesses which use government-supplied free data as their core input, from Parkopedia - which uses live data from local authorities to help drivers find free care parking spaces, and now covers more than 20m space in 25 countries - to Placr, which pulls together data from public transport operators to provide a nexus of data which is then available to users, developers and service operators themselves. Other companies cited include CycleStreets and the Barclays Bike Hire scheme in London, which offers real-time data to developers who have in turn created a dozen apps for smartphones to help people find the nearest and best-stocked bicycle hire station to them. | The Cabinet Office cited a number of startup businesses which use government-supplied free data as their core input, from Parkopedia - which uses live data from local authorities to help drivers find free care parking spaces, and now covers more than 20m space in 25 countries - to Placr, which pulls together data from public transport operators to provide a nexus of data which is then available to users, developers and service operators themselves. Other companies cited include CycleStreets and the Barclays Bike Hire scheme in London, which offers real-time data to developers who have in turn created a dozen apps for smartphones to help people find the nearest and best-stocked bicycle hire station to them. |
| One of the newest apps to appear using government data is an iPhone all called Your Taxi Meter, which uses live data from local councils to find out from a car's registration number whether it is a licensed taxi - so that would-be passengers can check on it before they get in. It also gives taxi fare estimates for more than 360 districts across the UK, using fares set by local government. "Without the data provided by the local councils for free, the service would not be possible," says Tom Macmichael, its creator. | One of the newest apps to appear using government data is an iPhone all called Your Taxi Meter, which uses live data from local councils to find out from a car's registration number whether it is a licensed taxi - so that would-be passengers can check on it before they get in. It also gives taxi fare estimates for more than 360 districts across the UK, using fares set by local government. "Without the data provided by the local councils for free, the service would not be possible," says Tom Macmichael, its creator. |
| The explosion in open data in government followed the success of the Free Our Data campaign, launched in the Guardian in March 2006. That advocated making non-personal data collected by government available for uncharged re-use, whether by individuals or businesses - and was adopted by Tom Watson, then Cabinet Office minister in Gordon Brown's administration. That led to a key move in April 2010 when Ordnance Survey map data, which had previously been charged for, was made available for free - along with a database of postcodes and their geographic locations. | The explosion in open data in government followed the success of the Free Our Data campaign, launched in the Guardian in March 2006. That advocated making non-personal data collected by government available for uncharged re-use, whether by individuals or businesses - and was adopted by Tom Watson, then Cabinet Office minister in Gordon Brown's administration. That led to a key move in April 2010 when Ordnance Survey map data, which had previously been charged for, was made available for free - along with a database of postcodes and their geographic locations. |
| In a speech on Wednesday, Maude will praise the efforts of both government and developers. He will say that "The digital age has made transparency an irresistible, unstoppable force," and that open data "will be the essential characteristic of future public policy". He points out that data about cardiac surgery led to the discovery of huge variations in mortality data across the UK, and thus to the elimination of bad practices. "It can save lives," he says of the open data movement. | In a speech on Wednesday, Maude will praise the efforts of both government and developers. He will say that "The digital age has made transparency an irresistible, unstoppable force," and that open data "will be the essential characteristic of future public policy". He points out that data about cardiac surgery led to the discovery of huge variations in mortality data across the UK, and thus to the elimination of bad practices. "It can save lives," he says of the open data movement. |
| The availability of open data from government - in effect making data collected with taxpayer funds available back to them - has led to commercial businesses which are just getting off the ground. Jonathan Raper, the chief executive of Placr, was on Tuesday visiting Blackpool where he hopes to seal a contract offering his company's services - which are built around public data - that will cement its position. | The availability of open data from government - in effect making data collected with taxpayer funds available back to them - has led to commercial businesses which are just getting off the ground. Jonathan Raper, the chief executive of Placr, was on Tuesday visiting Blackpool where he hopes to seal a contract offering his company's services - which are built around public data - that will cement its position. |
| Placr already employs three staff, and the tax bill was probably enough in 2011 to pay for a teaching assistant at a school, says Raper: "so we feel we've begun to do our part." | Placr already employs three staff, and the tax bill was probably enough in 2011 to pay for a teaching assistant at a school, says Raper: "so we feel we've begun to do our part." |
| But Raper said that there is still huge amounts of work to do inside government, where willingness to making data open is still variable from ministry to ministry. "I'd give the government six out of ten so far - the have tried hard. But now they've reached a checkpoint. Reforming government isn't easy, but at the same time this is the time, economically, when we desperately need growth. When we have data lying around inside government that we could reuse for free, at no cost, then why does that task get put into the 'too difficult' box?" | But Raper said that there is still huge amounts of work to do inside government, where willingness to making data open is still variable from ministry to ministry. "I'd give the government six out of ten so far - the have tried hard. But now they've reached a checkpoint. Reforming government isn't easy, but at the same time this is the time, economically, when we desperately need growth. When we have data lying around inside government that we could reuse for free, at no cost, then why does that task get put into the 'too difficult' box?" |
| He said that investors in private companies using public data still needed persuading that the government would give them both the continued backing and guaranteed access in future to open data - something that Maude has repeated, but which is yet to be enacted through legislation. | He said that investors in private companies using public data still needed persuading that the government would give them both the continued backing and guaranteed access in future to open data - something that Maude has repeated, but which is yet to be enacted through legislation. |
| Comments | Comments |
| 7 comments, displaying first | 7 comments, displaying first |
| 14 March 2012 11:09AM | 14 March 2012 11:09AM |
| Charles, | Charles, |
| I sorry to say that the FreeOurData campaign was completely hoodwinked by the Ordnance Survey, lost momentum and never persued the release of information collected or produced by other quasi goverment agencies (UK Met Office, British Geological Survey amongst several) once it had been thrown a few bones. | I sorry to say that the FreeOurData campaign was completely hoodwinked by the Ordnance Survey, lost momentum and never persued the release of information collected or produced by other quasi goverment agencies (UK Met Office, British Geological Survey amongst several) once it had been thrown a few bones. |
| The Ordnance Survey released some of the data it collects as part of its legal duties. The data that was released was not comprehensive. It was carefully selected at a range of map scales to ensure that it was next to useless for anyone who was interested in serious cartography or GIS work. It did not include, topographic elevation contour data at a scale >1:50 000, 1:10 000 being the standard. It did not include digital elevation data in arrayed data format (DEM). It did not include LiDAR data, it did not include aerial remote sensing data (imagery & radar) either in processed or unprocessed forms nor did not release 1:2500 and larger scale vector drawing datasets. The data released by the OS was carefully selected by them to ensure that no individual or business could use OS data mostly collected at tax payers expense, to produce products or services that would compete with the OS and threaten its status as a state-supported commercial monopoly and its ambitions and those of government, for it to be privatised. | The Ordnance Survey released some of the data it collects as part of its legal duties. The data that was released was not comprehensive. It was carefully selected at a range of map scales to ensure that it was next to useless for anyone who was interested in serious cartography or GIS work. It did not include, topographic elevation contour data at a scale >1:50 000, 1:10 000 being the standard. It did not include digital elevation data in arrayed data format (DEM). It did not include LiDAR data, it did not include aerial remote sensing data (imagery & radar) either in processed or unprocessed forms nor did not release 1:2500 and larger scale vector drawing datasets. The data released by the OS was carefully selected by them to ensure that no individual or business could use OS data mostly collected at tax payers expense, to produce products or services that would compete with the OS and threaten its status as a state-supported commercial monopoly and its ambitions and those of government, for it to be privatised. |
| Link to this comment: | Link to this comment: |
| 14 March 2012 12:06PM | 14 March 2012 12:06PM |
| Charles | Charles |
| While the advances since 2006 are undeniable, the comment above shows there is a long way to go. The new Public Data Group that will amalgamate OS, Land Registry and some other data providers will perpetuate the monopoly model while giving away minor data concessions. The issue here is the basic core public data infrastructure (mapping, stats, etc.) required for every other service and open data project. This is the "too difficult" box that could hamper innovation beyond some college project apps. | While the advances since 2006 are undeniable, the comment above shows there is a long way to go. The new Public Data Group that will amalgamate OS, Land Registry and some other data providers will perpetuate the monopoly model while giving away minor data concessions. The issue here is the basic core public data infrastructure (mapping, stats, etc.) required for every other service and open data project. This is the "too difficult" box that could hamper innovation beyond some college project apps. |
| So far Google Maps has allowed many open data projects to exist, but as we see in the recent privacy policy debates free is not "free", the price is that users must feed their personal data for the machine to work. | So far Google Maps has allowed many open data projects to exist, but as we see in the recent privacy policy debates free is not "free", the price is that users must feed their personal data for the machine to work. |
| This brings another critical issue with the current government Open Data agenda. There is an unhealthy conflation of transparency, data on public services and personal data, all of which converge towards the "Open for Business" principle. | This brings another critical issue with the current government Open Data agenda. There is an unhealthy conflation of transparency, data on public services and personal data, all of which converge towards the "Open for Business" principle. |
| Transparency of government has not advanced because you can now get data instead of paper print outs. In our area of digital issues and copyright, policy is being carried with the same influence of lobbyist hiding behind commercial confidentiality to refuse Freedom of Information requests. | Transparency of government has not advanced because you can now get data instead of paper print outs. In our area of digital issues and copyright, policy is being carried with the same influence of lobbyist hiding behind commercial confidentiality to refuse Freedom of Information requests. |
| Public scrutiny of data on public services, such as hospitals and schools, is very welcome and can indeed save lives. But in the government's Open Public Services agenda this data would mostly enable an open market of qualified providers without concrete commitments from public bodies and clear mechanisms for improving outcomes. Recent NHS debates show that this model is very controversial to say the least. | Public scrutiny of data on public services, such as hospitals and schools, is very welcome and can indeed save lives. But in the government's Open Public Services agenda this data would mostly enable an open market of qualified providers without concrete commitments from public bodies and clear mechanisms for improving outcomes. Recent NHS debates show that this model is very controversial to say the least. |
| Personal data was not part of the original Free Our Data campaign but it is becoming a central pillar of the policy. This ranges from sharing medical records with pharmaceutical companies to opening up data on welfare and benefits. While some of these initiatives are not strictly open data, as they will have restrictions on access, they are being thrown in the same policy bag. Despite assurances that personal data will be anonymised, there is almost complete consensus in the tech community that this is not possible in an open environment. | Personal data was not part of the original Free Our Data campaign but it is becoming a central pillar of the policy. This ranges from sharing medical records with pharmaceutical companies to opening up data on welfare and benefits. While some of these initiatives are not strictly open data, as they will have restrictions on access, they are being thrown in the same policy bag. Despite assurances that personal data will be anonymised, there is almost complete consensus in the tech community that this is not possible in an open environment. |
| Beyond individual privacy, we could question the legitimacy of seeing Public Big Data - composed of millions of individual digital breadcrumbs - as simply an economic asset to be shared with the likes of Experian. Instead we shoudl see it as a common treasure trove that should be democratically governed towards the public good. | Beyond individual privacy, we could question the legitimacy of seeing Public Big Data - composed of millions of individual digital breadcrumbs - as simply an economic asset to be shared with the likes of Experian. Instead we shoudl see it as a common treasure trove that should be democratically governed towards the public good. |
| The Open Rights Group will be discussing some of this issues in our forthcoming conference ORGCON 2012, come along! | The Open Rights Group will be discussing some of this issues in our forthcoming conference ORGCON 2012, come along! |
| Link to this comment: | Link to this comment: |
| 14 March 2012 3:14PM | 14 March 2012 3:14PM |
| "profitable use of free data" is a contradiction in terms. Very little useful data is ever free. Ordnance Survey collect cartographic data at public expense so there is something of a contradiction in allowing this to be used for private profit. It's either a State subsidy for private companies or a loss maker for the public purse. Freeing up public data is for the use of its citizens and not for allowing private business to make profits on materials they didn't create. | "profitable use of free data" is a contradiction in terms. Very little useful data is ever free. Ordnance Survey collect cartographic data at public expense so there is something of a contradiction in allowing this to be used for private profit. It's either a State subsidy for private companies or a loss maker for the public purse. Freeing up public data is for the use of its citizens and not for allowing private business to make profits on materials they didn't create. |
| Link to this comment: | Link to this comment: |
| 14 March 2012 3:16PM | 14 March 2012 3:16PM |
| The data released by the OS was carefully selected by them to ensure that no individual or business could use OS data mostly collected at tax payers expense, to produce products or services that would compete with the OS and threaten its status as a state-supported commercial monopoly and its ambitions and those of government, for it to be privatised. | The data released by the OS was carefully selected by them to ensure that no individual or business could use OS data mostly collected at tax payers expense, to produce products or services that would compete with the OS and threaten its status as a state-supported commercial monopoly and its ambitions and those of government, for it to be privatised. |
| Looking at it another way; a private company could then produce, say Landranger type maps for a fraction of the cost of OS as their cost of production is almost nil. | Looking at it another way; a private company could then produce, say Landranger type maps for a fraction of the cost of OS as their cost of production is almost nil. |
| Link to this comment: | Link to this comment: |
| 15 March 2012 6:12AM | 15 March 2012 6:12AM |
| An incredibility naive article from the Guardian. While we are living in an age where "information wants to be free" its also the only commodity of any true value on the internet. Now more than ever information is power, which is why you have to surrender your privacy to make use of the many 'free' services offered by Google Facebook and others, so they can mine that data for commercial gain. | An incredibility naive article from the Guardian. While we are living in an age where "information wants to be free" its also the only commodity of any true value on the internet. Now more than ever information is power, which is why you have to surrender your privacy to make use of the many 'free' services offered by Google Facebook and others, so they can mine that data for commercial gain. |
| Far from liberating the individuals and society this is actually enslaving them. | Far from liberating the individuals and society this is actually enslaving them. |
| Our personal datasets if Government and big business has its way will be turned over to private enterprises to be exploited for commercial gain and, the products and services developed, protected by intellectual property rights, sold back to us. | Our personal datasets if Government and big business has its way will be turned over to private enterprises to be exploited for commercial gain and, the products and services developed, protected by intellectual property rights, sold back to us. |
| While the disclosure of any worthwhile data that would help us scrutinise Government and business and shape a better society will be fiercely guarded using the old chestnuts of commercial confidentiality, FOIA Exemptions and Exclusions and privacy concerns. | While the disclosure of any worthwhile data that would help us scrutinise Government and business and shape a better society will be fiercely guarded using the old chestnuts of commercial confidentiality, FOIA Exemptions and Exclusions and privacy concerns. |
| Instead of celebrating the fact that someone's made a few bob building an app exploiting 'free' data our council tax is paying for and selling it back to us. Lets have full public disclosure of what goes on on in the financial cesspit that is the City of London so we can see exactly how Barclay's with 36% of it 1,096 in tax havens is taking us all for a ride. | Instead of celebrating the fact that someone's made a few bob building an app exploiting 'free' data our council tax is paying for and selling it back to us. Lets have full public disclosure of what goes on on in the financial cesspit that is the City of London so we can see exactly how Barclay's with 36% of it 1,096 in tax havens is taking us all for a ride. |
| Until then you'll excuse me if I don't join you an Francis Maude dancing in the street to celebrate the open data 'revolution'... | Until then you'll excuse me if I don't join you an Francis Maude dancing in the street to celebrate the open data 'revolution'... |
| Link to this comment: | Link to this comment: |
| 15 March 2012 10:50AM | 15 March 2012 10:50AM |
| My business makes good use of open data. The live train times web service provided by National Rail Enquiries is one example. My website, Stationboard.co.uk, would also not be possible without this free (though licenced) service. One restriction currently in force, the main drawback, is that I may not run the site on a commercial basis. So why did I bother? I believe this rule must change at some point in the future. Also, various paid-for licencing models are available from NRE: further opportunities are available. Another example is the open data I use on TubeStation.co.uk. Transport for London allow developers such as myself free access to a wealth of information. Station details are garnered from various datasets which I update to the site on a daily basis. How could I possibly do this without automatic access to the data? It makes logical sense, and is a fundamental rule in database design, to store data in a single place. And the live tube times, of course, updated in real-time. I'm currently working to produce an all encompassing London transport guide using TFL's Journey Planner timetables. The detail of data available is quite impressive; every London bus, tube and river service timetable, routes and more. There are no restrictions on making money using this data. Just don't pretend to be TFL! And I have from the Department of Transport a database record of every transport point (bus stop, station, port, etc.) in the UK which I should soon be using, in conjunction with their well-documented TransXChange system, to have on-line up-to-date timetables for all UK bus (and hopefully rail) services. There's so much more you can do with a dataset than, say, a PDF. | My business makes good use of open data. The live train times web service provided by National Rail Enquiries is one example. My website, Stationboard.co.uk, would also not be possible without this free (though licenced) service. One restriction currently in force, the main drawback, is that I may not run the site on a commercial basis. So why did I bother? I believe this rule must change at some point in the future. Also, various paid-for licencing models are available from NRE: further opportunities are available. Another example is the open data I use on TubeStation.co.uk. Transport for London allow developers such as myself free access to a wealth of information. Station details are garnered from various datasets which I update to the site on a daily basis. How could I possibly do this without automatic access to the data? It makes logical sense, and is a fundamental rule in database design, to store data in a single place. And the live tube times, of course, updated in real-time. I'm currently working to produce an all encompassing London transport guide using TFL's Journey Planner timetables. The detail of data available is quite impressive; every London bus, tube and river service timetable, routes and more. There are no restrictions on making money using this data. Just don't pretend to be TFL! And I have from the Department of Transport a database record of every transport point (bus stop, station, port, etc.) in the UK which I should soon be using, in conjunction with their well-documented TransXChange system, to have on-line up-to-date timetables for all UK bus (and hopefully rail) services. There's so much more you can do with a dataset than, say, a PDF. |
| There are difficulties involved. These quasi public bodies often do consider the data their own. Getting past the reception desk has been a task in itself on occasion. And I've read numerous negative comments, for example, about dealing with NRE and trying to access railway information. But my experience has actually been quite different. While I often felt I had to tip-toe my way towards access to 'their' data I believe these bodies are becoming more aware and understanding towards open data and it's implications. There's even a webservice helpdesk at NRE nowadays. Brilliant! | There are difficulties involved. These quasi public bodies often do consider the data their own. Getting past the reception desk has been a task in itself on occasion. And I've read numerous negative comments, for example, about dealing with NRE and trying to access railway information. But my experience has actually been quite different. While I often felt I had to tip-toe my way towards access to 'their' data I believe these bodies are becoming more aware and understanding towards open data and it's implications. There's even a webservice helpdesk at NRE nowadays. Brilliant! |
| I do applaud Francis Maude in applauding the private sector in it use of open data. And how much did that botched NHS system never to see the light of day cost the taxpayer? | I do applaud Francis Maude in applauding the private sector in it use of open data. And how much did that botched NHS system never to see the light of day cost the taxpayer? |
| Link to this comment: | Link to this comment: |
| 16 March 2012 9:37AM | 16 March 2012 9:37AM |
| The free OS maps are absolute shit and not only that if you pay tax in the UK they aren't really free either. Get all the map data that people have paid for released and then maybe you can crow about the 'open data' revolution. | The free OS maps are absolute shit and not only that if you pay tax in the UK they aren't really free either. Get all the map data that people have paid for released and then maybe you can crow about the 'open data' revolution. |
| Link to this comment: | Link to this comment: |
| Comments on this page are now closed. | Comments on this page are now closed. |
| Ordnance Survey redacts public data in controversial report | Ordnance Survey redacts public data in controversial report |
| 1 Jul 2009 | 1 Jul 2009 |
| Free our data: Ordnance Survey's censored report reveals flaws and muddled thinking | Free our data: Ordnance Survey's censored report reveals flaws and muddled thinking |
| 23 Mar 2006 | 23 Mar 2006 |
| Ordnance Survey challenged to open up | Ordnance Survey challenged to open up |
| 13 Dec 2007 | 13 Dec 2007 |
| OS maps finally available to not-for-profit organisations | OS maps finally available to not-for-profit organisations |
| 7 May 2009 | 7 May 2009 |
| Break down the boundaries in Ordnance Survey | Break down the boundaries in Ordnance Survey |
| 14 May 2009 | 14 May 2009 |
| Free OS data 'would cost up to £1bn' | Free OS data 'would cost up to £1bn' |
| OS expands free mapping service | |
| 12 May 2009 | |
| The Ordnance Survey has opened its free OpenSpace service to companies and third sector users | |
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| Almost two years after Ordnance Survey data was made free, businesses are making profitable use of free data – but government still has to get ministries into line, say users | Almost two years after Ordnance Survey data was made free, businesses are making profitable use of free data – but government still has to get ministries into line, say users |
| An "open data" revolution kicked off by a Guardian campaign is gathering pace in the UK. The Cabinet Office minister, Francis Maude, is trumpeting the UK's success in making government data freely available - and pointing to examples of companies that have sprung up to create commercial businesses around free data from public bodies. | An "open data" revolution kicked off by a Guardian campaign is gathering pace in the UK. The Cabinet Office minister, Francis Maude, is trumpeting the UK's success in making government data freely available - and pointing to examples of companies that have sprung up to create commercial businesses around free data from public bodies. |
| Maude says that "companies including SMEs [small and medium-sized enterprises] and startups are using open data to improve public services and create innovative products." But, he adds, he wants both "data holders" in government and new data-driven businesses to "promote the open data revolution". | Maude says that "companies including SMEs [small and medium-sized enterprises] and startups are using open data to improve public services and create innovative products." But, he adds, he wants both "data holders" in government and new data-driven businesses to "promote the open data revolution". |
| The Cabinet Office cited a number of startup businesses which use government-supplied free data as their core input, from Parkopedia - which uses live data from local authorities to help drivers find free care parking spaces, and now covers more than 20m space in 25 countries - to Placr, which pulls together data from public transport operators to provide a nexus of data which is then available to users, developers and service operators themselves. Other companies cited include CycleStreets and the Barclays Bike Hire scheme in London, which offers real-time data to developers who have in turn created a dozen apps for smartphones to help people find the nearest and best-stocked bicycle hire station to them. | The Cabinet Office cited a number of startup businesses which use government-supplied free data as their core input, from Parkopedia - which uses live data from local authorities to help drivers find free care parking spaces, and now covers more than 20m space in 25 countries - to Placr, which pulls together data from public transport operators to provide a nexus of data which is then available to users, developers and service operators themselves. Other companies cited include CycleStreets and the Barclays Bike Hire scheme in London, which offers real-time data to developers who have in turn created a dozen apps for smartphones to help people find the nearest and best-stocked bicycle hire station to them. |
| One of the newest apps to appear using government data is an iPhone all called Your Taxi Meter, which uses live data from local councils to find out from a car's registration number whether it is a licensed taxi - so that would-be passengers can check on it before they get in. It also gives taxi fare estimates for more than 360 districts across the UK, using fares set by local government. "Without the data provided by the local councils for free, the service would not be possible," says Tom Macmichael, its creator. | One of the newest apps to appear using government data is an iPhone all called Your Taxi Meter, which uses live data from local councils to find out from a car's registration number whether it is a licensed taxi - so that would-be passengers can check on it before they get in. It also gives taxi fare estimates for more than 360 districts across the UK, using fares set by local government. "Without the data provided by the local councils for free, the service would not be possible," says Tom Macmichael, its creator. |
| The explosion in open data in government followed the success of the Free Our Data campaign, launched in the Guardian in March 2006. That advocated making non-personal data collected by government available for uncharged re-use, whether by individuals or businesses - and was adopted by Tom Watson, then Cabinet Office minister in Gordon Brown's administration. That led to a key move in April 2010 when Ordnance Survey map data, which had previously been charged for, was made available for free - along with a database of postcodes and their geographic locations. | The explosion in open data in government followed the success of the Free Our Data campaign, launched in the Guardian in March 2006. That advocated making non-personal data collected by government available for uncharged re-use, whether by individuals or businesses - and was adopted by Tom Watson, then Cabinet Office minister in Gordon Brown's administration. That led to a key move in April 2010 when Ordnance Survey map data, which had previously been charged for, was made available for free - along with a database of postcodes and their geographic locations. |
| In a speech on Wednesday, Maude will praise the efforts of both government and developers. He will say that "The digital age has made transparency an irresistible, unstoppable force," and that open data "will be the essential characteristic of future public policy". He points out that data about cardiac surgery led to the discovery of huge variations in mortality data across the UK, and thus to the elimination of bad practices. "It can save lives," he says of the open data movement. | In a speech on Wednesday, Maude will praise the efforts of both government and developers. He will say that "The digital age has made transparency an irresistible, unstoppable force," and that open data "will be the essential characteristic of future public policy". He points out that data about cardiac surgery led to the discovery of huge variations in mortality data across the UK, and thus to the elimination of bad practices. "It can save lives," he says of the open data movement. |
| The availability of open data from government - in effect making data collected with taxpayer funds available back to them - has led to commercial businesses which are just getting off the ground. Jonathan Raper, the chief executive of Placr, was on Tuesday visiting Blackpool where he hopes to seal a contract offering his company's services - which are built around public data - that will cement its position. | The availability of open data from government - in effect making data collected with taxpayer funds available back to them - has led to commercial businesses which are just getting off the ground. Jonathan Raper, the chief executive of Placr, was on Tuesday visiting Blackpool where he hopes to seal a contract offering his company's services - which are built around public data - that will cement its position. |
| Placr already employs three staff, and the tax bill was probably enough in 2011 to pay for a teaching assistant at a school, says Raper: "so we feel we've begun to do our part." | Placr already employs three staff, and the tax bill was probably enough in 2011 to pay for a teaching assistant at a school, says Raper: "so we feel we've begun to do our part." |
| But Raper said that there is still huge amounts of work to do inside government, where willingness to making data open is still variable from ministry to ministry. "I'd give the government six out of ten so far - the have tried hard. But now they've reached a checkpoint. Reforming government isn't easy, but at the same time this is the time, economically, when we desperately need growth. When we have data lying around inside government that we could reuse for free, at no cost, then why does that task get put into the 'too difficult' box?" | But Raper said that there is still huge amounts of work to do inside government, where willingness to making data open is still variable from ministry to ministry. "I'd give the government six out of ten so far - the have tried hard. But now they've reached a checkpoint. Reforming government isn't easy, but at the same time this is the time, economically, when we desperately need growth. When we have data lying around inside government that we could reuse for free, at no cost, then why does that task get put into the 'too difficult' box?" |
| He said that investors in private companies using public data still needed persuading that the government would give them both the continued backing and guaranteed access in future to open data - something that Maude has repeated, but which is yet to be enacted through legislation. | He said that investors in private companies using public data still needed persuading that the government would give them both the continued backing and guaranteed access in future to open data - something that Maude has repeated, but which is yet to be enacted through legislation. |