open data white paper(1)

8/9/2019 Open Data White Paper(1)

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Open Data

White PaperUnleashing the Potential

#opendata@uktransparency @cabinetofficeuk

http://twitter.com/#!/UKTransparencyhttp://twitter.com/#!/cabinetofficeukhttp://twitter.com/#!/cabinetofficeukhttp://twitter.com/#!/UKTransparency


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PresentedtoParliamentby

theMinisterofStatefortheCabinetOfficeandPaymasterGeneral

byCommandofHerMajesty

June2012

Cm8353 £16.00


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©Crowncopyright2012

Youmayreusethisinformation(excludinglogos)freeofchargeinanyformatormedium,underthe termsoftheOpenGovernmentLicence.Toviewthislicence,visitwww.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/opengovernmentlicence/oremail:[email protected].

Wherewehaveidentifiedanythirdpartycopyrightinformationyouwillneedtoobtainpermissionfromthecopyrightholdersconcerned.

Anyenquiriesregardingthispublicationshouldbesenttousatpublicdata@cabinetoffice.gsi.gov.uk .

Thispublicationisavailablefordownloadatwww.officialdocuments.gov.uk .

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ISBN:9780101835329

PrintedintheUKforTheStationeryOfficeLimited

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3

Contents

ForewordbytheRtHon.FrancisMaude 5

Glossary 7

1.Buildingatransparentsociety 11

2.Enhancedaccess 15

MoreOpenData 15

DeveloperEngagementStrategy 17

Changingthecultureinthepublicsector 18

Strengtheningrightstodata 19

Harnessinguserengagement 21

Regulatingdata 21

Strengtheningdatausability 22

Betteraccesstopublicdata 26

Openingupaccesstoresearch 27

3.Buildingtrust 31

Openpolicymaking 31

Gettingthebalanceright 32

PrivacyImpactAssessments 33

4.Makingsmarteruseofdata 37

Smarteruse–anonymousdata 38

Youraccesstoyourdata 39

Breakingdownthebarriers 41

5.Thefuture–atrulytransparentsociety 45

AnnexA–MakingOpenDataReal:Consultationchecklist 47

AnnexB–Howtorequestdata 51


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5

Foreword by the Rt Hon. Francis Maude

MinisterfortheCabinetOfficeandPaymasterGeneral

Dataisthe21stcentury’snewrawmaterial.Its

valueisinholdinggovernmentstoaccount;in

drivingchoiceandimprovementsinpublicservices;

andininspiringinnovationandenterprisethat

spurssocialandeconomicgrowth.

Inthelast20yearstheworldhasopenedupand

citizensacrosstheglobeareproclaimingtheirright

todata;thisWhitePapersetsouthowweintend

tousethatenergytounlockthepotentialofOpen

Dataandforthefirsttimethetechnologyexiststo

makethedemandforgreateropennessirresistible.

Weareatthestartofaglobalmovementtowards transparency–andtheUKisleadingtheworld

inmakingdatamorefreelyavailable.Weare

currentlycochairingtheOpenGovernment

Partnershipof55governments;thethemeofour

chairmanshipis‘TransparencyDrivesProsperity’–

demonstratingthevalueofopengovernanceto

economicgrowth,inclusivedevelopmentand

improvedcitizenengagementandempowerment.

Transparencyisattheheartofouragenda

forgovernment.Webelievethatopeningupwillempowercitizens,fosterinnovationand

reformpublicservices.Theregularpublication

ofgovernmentspendingisholdingourfeetto

thefireallyearround,notjustatelectiontime.

We’recreatinganinformationmarketplacefor

entrepreneursandbusinesses;releasingvaluable

rawdatafromrealtimetransportinformationto

weatherdata.Openingupdataisunderpinningour

publicservicereformsbyofferingpeopleinformed

choicesthatsimplyhaven’texistedbefore,exposing

whatisinadequateanddrivingimprovement.Sofar

we’vereleasedalmost9,000datasetsonourflagship

dataportalwww.data.gov.uk thatcoverhealth,

education,transport,crimeandjustice.Peoplecan

scrutiniselocalcrimestatistics,sentencingrates,

schoolresults,hospitalinfectionratesandGP

outcomes.

Thetransparencystorybynomeansendshere.

Todaywe’reatapivotalmoment–wherewe

considertherulesandwaysofworkingina

datarichworldandhowwecanusethisresource

effectively,creativelyandresponsibly.ThisWhite

PapersetsoutclearlyhowtheUKwillcontinueto

unlockandseizethebenefitsofdatasharinginthefutureinaresponsibleway.

First,toensurethattherearenoinequalitiesin

thedatamarketwewillenhanceaccesstodata.

Weareunflinchinginourbeliefthatdatathat

canbepublishedshouldbepublished.Aswell

ascontinuingtoproducestatutorypublication

schemesundertheFreedomofInformationAct,

alldepartmentshavenowpublishedtheirfirstever

OpenDataStrategieswhichincludecommitments

topublishmoredata.People’srightstoaccessdatahavebeenstrengthenedinlegislation,vehiclesfor

redresswillalsobeenhancedandstandardsfor

higherdatausabilityintroduced.

Second,wewillbuildgreatertrustinpublicdata.

Thesuccessoftheinformationmarketplace

hingesonourabilitytosafeguardpeople’sdata

frommisuseandrigorouslyprotectthepublic’s

righttoprivacy.Wewillensurethatprivacyisnot

consideredasanafterthoughtbutatthebeginning

ofalldiscussionsconcerningthereleaseofanewdataset.Wewillensurethatwekeeppacewiththe

http://www.data.gov.uk/http://www.data.gov.uk/


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6 OpenDataWhitePaper

latesttechnologysoanonymiseddatasetsremain

anonymisedandpersonaldataremainspersonal.

Third,toensurethatourpublicservicesaremore

personalisedandefficientinthefuturewemustbemuchsmarterwiththedatapublicbodieshold.

Inthepastthepublicsectorhasnotbeenclever

oreffectiveatsharingkeydata.Weare

determinedtoshiftthecultureofthepublicsector

toimprovedatasharingwhereitisinthepublic

interestandwithinlegislativeboundaries,andwe

willusethelatesttechnologytodeliverthis.

Thereisnothingeasyabouttransparency.The

formativeyearsofopengovernmentwillbetricky,

difficultanduncomfortableattimes.Buttheprizeiseffective,personalised,21stcenturydemocracy.

It’samoreprosperousUnitedKingdomwhere

thepublicservicesonwhichweallrelyare

strengthenedandimproved.Wearedetermined

toensurethatallofuscanreapthebenefitsof

transparencyanddatasharinginthefuture.

ThefuturewillbeOpen.

FrancisMaude

MinisterfortheCabinetOffice

andPaymasterGeneral


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7

Glossary WeacknowledgethattherearedifferencesintheterminologyusedwithintheOpenDatacommunity.For

thepurposesofthisdocument,thefollowingterminologywillapply.Wehopetogetacollectiveviewon thedefinitionsusedinforthcomingTransparencyandOpenDatapublications–and,aspartofourdriveto

makepolicymakingmoreaccessible,willconsultonthosedefinitionsthroughanopen,onlineprocess.

Anonymised data Datarelatingtoaspecificindividualwheretheidentifiershavebeenremovedtopreventidentificationofthatindividual.

Core-reference data Authoritativeordefinitivedatanecessarytouseotherinformation,producedbythepublicsectorasaserviceinitselfduetoitshigh

importanceandvalue.

Customer insightdata

Dataorinformationrecordingusers’accountsoftheirexperience,withan

assessmentofpublicserviceproviders.

Data Qualitativeorquantitativestatementsornumbersthatareassumedtobefactual,andnottheproductofanalysisorinterpretation.

Data sharing Thetransferofdatabetweendifferentorganisationstoachieveanimprovementintheefficiencyandeffectivenessofpublicservicedelivery.

Thisdocumentassumesthatdatasharingwillcontinuetooperateinline

withcurrentdomesticlegislationandtheUK’sinternationalobligations.

Dataset AsdefinedintheProtectionofFreedomsAct2012.

De-anonymisation Theprocessofdeterminingtheidentityofanindividualtowhomapseudonymiseddatasetrelates.

Disclosive Dataispotentiallydisclosiveif,despitetheremovalofobviousidentifiers,characteristicsofthisdatasetinisolationorinconjunctionwithother

datasetsinthepublicdomainmightleadtoidentificationoftheindividual

towhomarecordbelongs.

Information Outputofsomeprocessthatsummarises,interpretsorotherwiserepresentsdatatoconveymeaning.Unlessotherwisestatedinthis

document,wewillusethetermdatatoincludeinformation.

Intellectual property Asetofpropertyrightsthatgranttherighttoprotectthematerialscreatedbythem.Intellectualpropertycomprisescopyright,designs,patents,certain

confidentialinformationandtrademarks.

Linked data Describedbyanidentifierandaddressestopermitlinkingwithotherrelevantdatawhichmightnototherwisebeconnected,improving

discoverability.Itmaycontainembeddedlinkstootherdata.

Mosaic effect Theprocessofcombininganonymiseddatawithauxiliarydatainordertoreconstructidentifierslinkingdatatotheindividualitrelatesto.

Open access Provisionoffreeaccesstopeerreviewedacademicpublicationstothegeneralpublic.


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Open Data Datathatmeetsthefollowingcriteria:

• accessible(ideallyviatheinternet)atnomorethanthecostof

reproduction,withoutlimitationsbasedonuseridentityorintent;• in a digital, machine readableformatforinteroperationwith

otherdata;and

• free of restriction on use or redistributioninitslicensingconditions.

Open governmentdata

PublicSectorInformationthathasbeenmadeavailabletothepublicas

OpenData.

Personal data AsdefinedbytheDataProtectionAct1998,datarelatingtoaspecificindividualwheretheindividualisidentifiedoridentifiableinthehandsof

arecipientofthedata.

Pseudonymised data Datarelatingtoaspecificindividualwheretheidentifiershavebeenreplacedbyartificialidentifierstopreventidentificationoftheindividual.

Public data Anonymised,noncorereferencedataonwhichpublicservicesarerunandassessed,onwhichpolicydecisionsarebased,orwhichiscollectedor

generatedinthecourseofpublicservicedelivery.

Public SectorInformation

InformationanddatasubjecttotheFreedomofInformationAct2000

andtheReuseofPublicSectorInformationRegulations2005;dataand

informationproduced,collectedorheldbypublicauthorities,aspartof

theirpublictask.


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11

Chapter 1

Building a transparent society

1.1 Transparencyisalreadyradicallychangingthe

waypeoplelivetheirlivesandruntheirbusinesses

intheUK.Inthelasttwoyears,theUKhas

releasedthelargestamountofgovernmentdataof

anycountryintheworld,enablingpeopletomake

betterchoicesaboutthepublicservicestheyuse

andtoholdgovernmenttoaccountonspending

andoutcomes.Transparencyisalsoprovidingthe

rawmaterialforinnovativenewbusinessventures

andforpublicserviceprofessionalstoimprove

theirperformance.

1.2 Forinstance,commutersareusingapps

basedontransportdatareleasedbyrailandbus

operatingcompaniestoplantheirjourneys–

usingrealtimeinformationtoadjusttheirtrip

totakeaccountofdelaysorcongestion.Crime

mapsbasedonHomeOfficedataareenabling

communitiestotrackcrimeintheirareaandwork

withlocalauthoritiestoaddressit.Andvirtuallyall

localauthoritiesnowpublishspendingtransactions

over£5001soeveryonecanunderstandand

challengethespendingdecisionsthatdirectlyaffect

theirlives.1.3 Sowe’reputtingthedataoutthere.And

alongsidethisWhitePaperwearealsopublishing

online2alargecollectionofcasestudiesshowing

howOpenDatareleasedbygovernmentisbeing

usedandreusedbythepublic,privateandcivil

societysectors.Thismaterialcoversbothsuppliers

andusersofdata,fromlocalauthoritypublishers

andthecompaniesthatfacilitatedatapublication

andanalytics,throughtoreusersofpublicdata

creatingapplicationsanddatabasedservices.1.4 Together,thismaterialstartstoforma

livinglibraryofinformation,enablingpeopleto

crowdsourcefurtherevidenceoftheimpact

ofOpenData.Soweknow,forinstance,that

whenwepublishoutcomemeasuresforhealth

providers,weseechangesinbehaviourthatpush

thosehealthproviderstodoabetterjob.And

regularpublicationofspendingdatameansthat

anyoneinthecountryhasthemeanstochallenge

governmentonhowpublicmoneyisbeing spent.

1.5 Thisisacompletelydifferentwayofgoverning.

We’rechoosingtobemoreopenwithourdata–

workingontheprinciplethatindividualswillknow

howbesttomakethedecisionsthatshapetheir

livesorbusinesses,aslongastheyhaveallthe

informationattheirfingertips.Butweneedtoget

betteratit.Weneedtomakesurethatpeopleare

gettingtherightdata–datathat’srelevanttotheir

livesandbusinesses,andupdatedfrequently.And

weneedtomakesureit’sintherightformatsoit

caneasilybeaccessedandused.

1.6 Sowearegoingtogetmoredatainto

thepublicdomainandmakesurethatdatais

trustworthyandeasytouse.Eachgovernment

departmenthasnowpublisheditsfirsteverOpenDataStrategy3settingoutan

unprecedentedreleaseofnewdatathatwill

bepublishedoverthenexttwoyears.

Departmentswillalsosetouthowtheyare

goingtostimulateamarketforits use.

1.7 Allthisnewdatawillbeaccessiblethrougha

completelyoverhauledwww.data.gov.uk site–

whichwe’rerelaunchingwithbettersearch

facilities,simplerwaystoaccessinformation,

anadvancedGISdatasearch(includingmappreviewing)andbettertoolsfordevelopers,

suchasAPIaccesstothecatalogueholdings.

http://tinyurl.com/d7z9bkghttp://tinyurl.com/d7z9bkghttp://www.no10data.gov.uk/open-data-strategieshttp://www.no10data.gov.uk/open-data-strategieshttp://www.data.gov.uk/http://www.data.gov.uk/http://www.no10data.gov.uk/open-data-strategieshttp://tinyurl.com/d7z9bkghttp://www.data.gov.uk/


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1.8 Wearealsoannouncingacomprehensive

andindependentlychairedreviewoftheuse,

re-use,fundingandregulationofPublicSector

Information(PSI).It’srightthatwethinkabouttheuseandre-useofPSImorebroadly,giventhe

paceofchangeandexpandingopportunitiesin

thisarea.

1.9 Wecanstartbyusingthedataweholdmore

effectively,andbypushingthatdataintothepublic

domain.Thenindividuals,businessesandcivil

societycanuseittovoteonpublicserviceswith

theirfeet,tochallengegovernmentiftheysee

inefficienciesandtodriveprosperitybyusingdata

todonewandexcitingthings.1.10 Attheheartofmakingtransparencya

powerfulagentofchangeintheUKistheright

thatcitizenshavetoaccessandusepublicdata.

Itisourbeliefthataneffectiverighttodatais

neitherasinglenorstaticpieceoflegislationbut

amixofexistinglawsthatcomplementmeasures,

suchasthoseoutlinedinthisWhitePaper,to

embedacultureofopennessingovernment.

Therefore,whilewetakeproactivestepstopush

moredataoutthere,wearealsoawarethatuptodatelegislationandcommonstandardsfor

thedatawereleaseareessentialtosupportan

effectiveOpenData ecosystem.

1.11 ByrecentlyamendingtheFreedomof

InformationAct(FOIA)2000,we’veputa

failsafeinplacetomakesurethat,whereyou

areentitledtoadataset,youcanaskforitina

formatthatisuseful.Thechangesthatwehave

madearegoingtobereflectedintheupcoming

developmentprocessfortheFOIACodeof

Practiceand,aspartofourdrivetomakepolicy

makingmoreaccessible,wearegoingtoopen

thisuptothepublicandofferanopportunity

toshapetheguidanceondatasetsusinga

crowdsourced wiki.

1.12 Inlastyear’sMakingOpenDataReal

Consultation4wereceivednearly500responses

fromavarietyofsectors,raisingmanydiverse

pointsabouttheworkweareundertaking.

AnnexAliststhesepointsandhowtheyhave

beenaddressed.Onerecurrentthemewasthat

thecostofdataishugelyinfluentialindetermining

whetherpeopleaccessitornot.Ourgeneral

principlesfortheuseofPSIarethatdatashouldbe

providedfreewhereverappropriateandpossible,

oratafairpricewhereitiscostlyforthepublicsectortoprovideit,orwhereitisfairertotheUK

taxpayertosecurevaluefromit.

1.13 Wealsoneedtobesmarterabouthow

weusedatawithingovernment.Weknowitcan

befrustratingwhengovernmentdevelopspolicy

thathasunintendedconsequencesorseems

badlytargeted.Itisalsotedioustohavetoinform

differentgovernmentagenciesaboutsimple

changesinsteadofrelyingontheagenciestoshare

thatdatawithoneanother.Asensibleapproach tosharingdatawithingovernmentcanhelpusget

betteratboththosethings.

1.14 Itisessentialthatweareabletosharedatain

ordertoanswersomeofthekeypolicyquestions

ofourtime,suchastherelationshipbetween

educationandemployment,aswedevelop

policytoimprovefairnessinsocietyandsocial

mobility.Sowe’reestablishingaSocialMobility

TransparencyBoard,chairedbytheMinister

forUniversitiesandScience,whichwilllookatlinkinganonymiseddatatogenerategreater

insightinthisarea.Andweareexploringthe

feasibilityofapilotprojectthatlinksandshares

anonymisedDepartmentforWorkandPensions

datatodemonstratethepotentialvalueofthis

dataforresearchpurposes.

1.15 Wedon’tunderestimatehowdifficultthisis.

Therearesubstantialbenefitstobegainedfrom

sharingdatawithingovernment–butobviously

weneedtobescrupulousinprotectingindividual

privacy.Sowewillproceedwithcaution,setting

ambitiousgoalsbutensuringthatweprotect

privacyateverystep.

1.16 Weareannouncingtheappointment

ofaprivacyexperttothePublicSector

TransparencyBoardtomakesurewebringin

thelatestexpertiseonprivacymeasures.More

broadly,we’remakingsurethatprivacyexperts

arebroughtintoallsectorpaneldiscussions

acrossWhitehallwhendatareleasesare

being considered.

http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/making-open-data-real-public-consultationhttp://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/making-open-data-real-public-consultationhttp://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/making-open-data-real-public-consultationhttp://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/making-open-data-real-public-consultationhttp://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/making-open-data-real-public-consultationhttp://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/making-open-data-real-public-consultation


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Chapter1Buildingatransparentsociety 13

1.17 Wedon’twanttouselegislationtoo

readily–thatwouldsitatoddswithourcore

principletoreducebureaucracy–butwedo

recognisethatclarificationofthelaworthecreationofsensiblemeasurestoensuredata

sharingcanbehelpful.Wewillconsultahead

ofbringingforwardanylegislativeproposals.

1.18 Allthisisjustthebeginning.Wewantto

movetowardsatrulytransparentsocietyinwhich

relevantdataisreleased,whoeverholdsit.

Wecan’tforcethistohappen.Butbyshiningalight

onforwardthinkingbusinessesororganisations

thatareopenabouttheirpracticesandpublish

dataontheiroutcomeswecanusetransparencyitselftohelpdrivethischange.

1.19 We’realreadymakingprogressonthiswith

partnersoutsidegovernment:

• Fromautumn2012,thosedomiciliaryand

residentialsocialcareproviderswhosignedup

tothevoluntaryandindustryledTransparency

andQualityCompactwillpublishacoresetof

relevantmetrics.Thesemetricswillenablethe

publictomakemoreinformedchoicesbasedon

standardisedqualityindicators.

• WehavealsorecentlyestablishedtheOpen

BusinessForum,includingrepresentatives

from21majorcorporations,whoareworking

towardsreleasingmetricsoncorporate

responsibility,suchascommunitycontribution

andenvironmentalimpact,toinformconsumers.

• Ourworkwithenergyprovidershasresulted

inmajorcompanies,includingScottishPower,

committingtoreleasingenergyusagedata,

makingiteasierforconsumerstocompare

pricesandswitchcompanies.

1.20 TheseareimportantchangeswhereBritish

businessesarejoiningustotransformtherolethat

dataplaysinimportant,everydaydecisionsthat

impactonthepublic’swellbeing.Activitylikethis

getsthedataheldbynotonlythepublicsectorbut

alsobybusinessesandcharitiesoutintothepublic

domain.Thisistheshapeofthingstocome–a

trulytransparentsociety,withthepowerwhereit

belongs,inthehandsofthepeopleofthiscountry.

Notes

1 Tosupportlocalauthoritiesinpublishingdata,

theDepartmentforCommunitiesandLocal

Government publishedaCode of Recommended Practicefor Local Authorities on Data Transparency inSeptember

2011.Alllocalauthoritiesexceptone(NottinghamCity)

nowpublishspendingtransactionsover£500.

2 http://tinyurl.com/d7z9bkg

3 www.data.gov.uk/opendatastrategies

4 www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resourcelibrary/

makingopendatarealpublicconsultation

http://tinyurl.com/d7z9bkghttp://www.data.gov.uk/open-data-strategieshttp://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/making-open-data-real-public-consultationhttp://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/making-open-data-real-public-consultationhttp://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/making-open-data-real-public-consultationhttp://www.data.gov.uk/open-data-strategieshttp://tinyurl.com/d7z9bkg


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15

Chapter 2

Enhanced access

Enhanced

access Building

trust Smarter

use

MoreOpenData

2.1 Overthelasttwoyears,wehavemadeitsignificantlyeasiertoaccesspublicdata.Inhisletter

todepartmentsinMay2010,1thePrimeMinister

commissionedanopeningupoftheinnerworkings

ofgovernmenttoexternalscrutiny,releasingdata

onfinance,resources,procurementandtheestate

inanopen,regularandreusableformat.Asecond

letterinJuly20112focusedondatareleasesfrom

keypublicservicesincludinghealth,education,

crimeandjustice,andtransport,exploring

waysinwhichsuchtransparencycouldboost

economicgrowth.

2.2 Wewillbeunrelentinginoureffortstoget

moredataout.Typically,governmentsgocoldon

theideaofopennessandtransparencyaftera

coupleofyearsinoffice.Wearedeterminedthat

enhancedaccesstopublicdatawillbeanenduring

characteristicofthisone.

2.3 Thiscontinuedcommitmentiskeyasthe

dataheldbythepublicsectorhasthepotential

totransformlives.Webelievethatunfetteredaccesstoanonymiseddatashouldbeextendedto

supportimprovementsinthequality,choiceand

efficiencyofhealthcare,education,transportand

awholehostofotherpublicservices.

2.4 Furthermore,thedataheldbythepublic

sectorprovidesimportantrawmaterialforexisting

businessesandstartupstouseinopeningup

innovativenewmarkets,drivingeconomicgrowth

andjobcreation.Wehavedemonstratedinour

OpenDataInnovationCommunity 3

howthisdatacreatesopportunities;wearecommitted

tosupportinggrowthbyreleasingmoredata.

Casestudy–ITOWorldITOWorldLtdisaUKsmalltomedium

sizedenterprise(SME)thatspecialises

inmappingandvisualisingtransport

data.Foundedin2006,thecompany

hassinceworkedwith,forexample,the

DepartmentforTransport,NationalRail

Enquiries,GuardianMediaGroupand

Vodafone.ITOWorldhasalsoworked

withGoogle,supportingtheprovision

ofpublictransportjourneyplanning

forLondonusingGoogleMaps.This

servicewasbasedonofficialTransport

forLondondata,releasedasOpenData.

InApril2012,ITOWorldagainworked

withGoogleonintegratingrealtime

informationaboutdisruptionsonthe

LondonUndergroundintotheirservice.

Intheeventofanyserviceinterruption,

travellersarepresentedwithalternative

routeoptionsandestimatedtraveltimes

basedonrealtimedata.ITOWorldhasalsobeeninvolvedinOpenStreetMap

(www.openstreetmap.org)foranumber

ofyearsandprovidesasuiteofediting

toolstoenablethecollectionofenormous

amountsofcrowdsourceddata.ITOWorld

processesoverhalfabillionnodesof

OpenStreetMapdataeachdaytoallowthe

communitytoremainabreastofongoing

editsandadditions.

2.5 TransparencyandOpenDataalsoformed

akeystrandofthesecondphaseofthe

Government’sGrowthReview,4publishedin

http://www.number10.gov.uk/news/letter-to-government-departments-on-opening-up-data/http://www.number10.gov.uk/news/letter-to-government-departments-on-opening-up-data/http://www.number10.gov.uk/news/letter-to-government-departments-on-opening-up-data/http://www.number10.gov.uk/news/letter-to-government-departments-on-opening-up-data/http://www.number10.gov.uk/news/letter-to-government-departments-on-opening-up-data/http://www.number10.gov.uk/news/letter-to-government-departments-on-opening-up-data/http://www.number10.gov.uk/news/letter-to-cabinet-ministers-on-transparency-and-open-data/http://www.number10.gov.uk/news/letter-to-cabinet-ministers-on-transparency-and-open-data/http://www.number10.gov.uk/news/letter-to-cabinet-ministers-on-transparency-and-open-data/http://www.number10.gov.uk/news/letter-to-cabinet-ministers-on-transparency-and-open-data/http://www.number10.gov.uk/news/letter-to-cabinet-ministers-on-transparency-and-open-data/http://communities.maven-cast.com/pg/groups/3731http://www.openstreetmap.org/http://www.openstreetmap.org/http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/press_135_11.htmhttp://www.openstreetmap.org/http://www.number10.gov.uk/news/letter-to-cabinet-ministers-on-transparency-and-open-data/http://www.number10.gov.uk/news/letter-to-government-departments-on-opening-up-data/http://www.openstreetmap.org/http://communities.maven-cast.com/pg/groups/3731http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/press_135_11.htm


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November2011.Inthis,weoutlinedplansto

releasemoreaggregatedataandboosttheUK

economy’scapabilitytounlockitspotentialby

announcingthecreationoftheOpenDataInstitute.

Casestudy–OpenDataInstitute

TheOpenDataInstitute(www.theodi.org)

willdemonstratethecommercialvalueof

OpenDataandworkcloselywiththepublic

andprivatesectorsaswellasacademiain

developingitsexploitation.Itwillbeledby

SirTimBernersLeeandProfessorNigel

Shadbolt.TheOpenDataInstitutewillhave

anumberoffacets,including:

• workingwithbusinessinexploitingopen

governmentdata;

• developingandmentoringstartup

OpenDatacompanies;

• trainingOpenDatatechnologistsand

entrepreneurs;

• workingwiththepublicsectoron

makingdataavailableandaccessible;

• assemblingtheevidencebaseonthe

impactandvalueofOpenData;

• promotingopenstandardsand

commissioningresearchrelevantto

OpenDataexploitation;and

• developingtheUK’sstandingasan

internationalleaderinOpenData.

ThebusinessplanfortheOpenData

Institutehasbeenapprovedbythe

TechnologyStrategyBoardandthe

implementationplanwaspublishedin

May2012.SirTimBernersLeeand

ProfessorShadbolthavebeenengaging

withtheprivateandpublicsectorson

howtheOpenDataInstitutecanwork

withthemonthegrowthofOpenData.

Workisunderwayonthedevelopment

ofanOpenDatadiploma,anticipatingthe

firstcohorttocommenceinearly2013.

TheOpenDataInstitutewillbeformallylaunchedinthe autumnof2012.

2.6 Aftertwoyearsofbeingledbythecentre

ofgovernment,governmentdepartmentsare

nowtakingagreaterroleindrivingforwardthe

TransparencyProgramme.Alongsidethispaper,eachgovernmentdepartmenthaspublished

theirfirstOpenDataStrategy.Eachstrategy

containsadepartment’scommitmentsfor

proactivelypublishingdataoverthenexttwo

yearsandwillcomplementtheirexistingstatutory

publication schemes.

2.7 Thesestrategiesrepresentanimportant

stepforwardinthewaywearemakingdata

readilyandsystematicallyaccessibleandarea

corerequirementofeachdepartment’sactivity.Despitethis,weshouldneverbecomplacentand

oneyearfromnow,andeveryyearsubsequentto

that,alldepartmentswillberequiredtoreporton

progressmadeontheircommitments.Someof

thesehighprofilecommitmentsinclude:

• theCabinetOfficewillincreasetransparency

ongrantfundingbypublishingdataonwhich

organisationsreceivepublicmoneyfromcivil

societyprogrammes;

• theDepartmentforWorkandPensionswillreleasestatisticsonjoboutcomesand

sustainmentpaymentsoftheWorkProgramme

fromautumn2012;

• theDepartmentforEducationwill,forthe

firsttime,publishstatisticson‘Educational

destinations’inJuly2012showingthe

percentageofpupilsprogressingtofurther

learninginaschool,furthereducationorsixth

formcollege,anapprenticeshiporahigher

educationinstitutionatages16and19.Thesemeasuresaredesignedtoshowhowsuccessful

schoolsandotherinstitutionsareatpreparing

theirpupilsforthefuture;

• theUKBorderAgency(UKBA)andtheBorder

Forceplantoincreasetherangeofinformation

abouttheiractivitiesandperformancewhichis

availabletothepublic.UKBAandtheBorder

Forcewillalsoexplorewhetheritispossibleto

allowsponsors,employeesandothercitizens

tointeractwiththeirsystems.Asteeringgrouphasbeenestablishedtoprovideoversightofthis

workandtheengagementofallrelevantparts

ofthe organisation;and

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Chapter2Enhancedaccess 17

• HMTreasurywillproduce(inmachinereadable

format)datarelatingtothemanagement

anduseofEUfundsintheUK.Animproved

statementwillbereadyforreleaseforthefinancialyear2013/14.Thiswillimprove

accountabilityandencouragebetterfinancial

managementofEU funds.

2.8 Thesestrategiesareessentialformakingmore

publicdataopenlyavailablebut,onoccasion,there

aredatareleasesthatcutacrosspublicbodies

orwhosereleaseinvolvesaddressingcomplex

copyrightissues.Outlinedbelowarethreesuch

highprofiledatareleases.

• SportEnglandhasforanumberofyearsmaintainedadatabaseofsportsfacilities–‘Active

Places’–whichitusesprimarilytosupporta

numberofbusinesstobusinessapplicationsto

guidenewinvestmentinto,andrationalisationof,

sportsfacilities.TheFitnessIndustryAssociation

workingwithSportEnglandisdevelopinga

projectutilisingActivePlacestodriveforward

changeinthemarketplace.Launchinginbeta

thissummer,www.spogo.co.uk isanew,simple,

searchledservicetohelppeoplefindand(inthecourseoftime)booksportandfitness

facilitiesandservicesonlineaseasilyasfinding

andbookingatrainticketorhotelroom. Spogo

willencouragethedevelopmentofOpenData

standardstoenablegreatersharingofdata

withinthesportandleisuresectorandthe

openingupofActivePlacesdata,firstlyinCSV

formatandthenviaAPI.

• UndertheUKLocationProgramme,5weare

committedtopublishingawiderangeof

geospatialdatasetsheldbypublicbodieswithin

aconsistentframeworkthatallowssharing

andreuseofdataacrosstheEUunderthe

INSPIRE(InfrastructureforSpatialInformation

inEurope)Directive.6Thiswillmeanpublishing

moregeospatialdataonwww.data.gov.uk ;

whichprovidestoolstosearchfor,viewand

downloadthedata.

• InMay2012,HMRevenueandCustoms

(HMRC)introducedapersonaltaxcalculator7

andadownloadablephoneapplicationshowing

howmuchincometaxandNationalInsurancea

UKworkercanexpecttopayandanillustration

ofhowtheirtaxescontributetopublicspending.

ThedepartmentidentifiesOpenDataasakey

enablerfortaxtransparency.HMRCalready

workscloselywiththesoftwareindustryand

willconductaprogrammeofengagementwithsoftwarefirms,civicmindeddevelopersand

relatedcommunitiestoenablewiderusesof

theirpublisheddata.

DeveloperEngagementStrategy

2.9 Butitisnotenoughtosimplypushoutdata

andthenabsentourselvesfromthedebates

andconversationsthatfollow,notleastbecause

wecannotalwayspredictwithanydegreeof

certaintyhowdataisbeingusedinallcasesorhowitisstimulatinggrowthandinnovation.

Aswithallgovernmentdigitalservices;weneed

todemonstratearelentlessfocusonuserneed.

Aswellaspromotingbetter,flexibleandmore

intelligentITsystems,supportedbytransparent

contracts,weneedtohaveaclearengagement

strategywiththosethirdpartiesthatareoften

ourprimarydatausers.

2.10 Individualdevelopers,SMEs,citizens,

academicsandlargecompanieswillallbeusersofgovernmentdataandweneedtoensurethat

wehaverobustengagementmodelsinplaceto

allowtwowayconversationstohappen.Thisway,

aprimaryusercantelluswhatdatasetstheywould

liketoseereleasedasamatterofpriority,inform

uswhenthereareanomaliesormistakesinour

datatohelpustoservethemmoreefficiently,

andkeepusabreastofusagewhichinturnbuilds

intoourbodyofresearch.

2.11 Weneedtoworkcollaborativelytoensure

thatdevelopersareawareofwhatdatasets

arebeingreleased,inwhattimeframes,andto

maintainrelationshipswiththoseatthecutting

edgeoftechnologywhocanhelpgovernment

dothingsdifferentlyandinmoreagileways.

Thiskindofconversationbetweengovernment

andusersfacilitatescapacitybuildingboth

waystogreatbenefitforthepublicgood.

2.12 TheCabinetOfficehasrecentlyreleased

itsguidanceon theuseofsocialmediaforcivil

servants8asanacknowledgementofthegrowing

useandimportanceofthesechannels.Inparticular,

datausers,developersandSMEsaremorelikely

tousesocialmediachannelstodiscussandshare

http://www.spogo.co.uk/http://www.spogo.co.uk/http://location.defra.gov.uk/programme/http://location.defra.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/uk-location-strategy.pdfhttp://location.defra.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/uk-location-strategy.pdfhttp://location.defra.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/uk-location-strategy.pdfhttp://location.defra.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/uk-location-strategy.pdfhttp://location.defra.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/uk-location-strategy.pdfhttp://www.data.gov.uk/http://www.data.gov.uk/http://www.data.gov.uk/https://esi2calculator.hmrc.gov.uk/hmrctaxcalculator/screen/Personal+Tax+Calculator/en-GB/summary?user=guesthttp://www.civilservice.gov.uk/news/lets-get-socialhttp://www.civilservice.gov.uk/news/lets-get-socialhttp://www.civilservice.gov.uk/news/lets-get-socialhttp://www.civilservice.gov.uk/news/lets-get-socialhttp://www.civilservice.gov.uk/news/lets-get-socialhttp://www.civilservice.gov.uk/news/lets-get-socialhttps://esi2calculator.hmrc.gov.uk/hmrctaxcalculator/screen/Personal+Tax+Calculator/en-GB/summary?user=guesthttp://location.defra.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/uk-location-strategy.pdfhttp://www.spogo.co.uk/http://www.data.gov.uk/http://www.spogo.co.uk/http://location.defra.gov.uk/programme/


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theirworkandanydeveloperengagementstrategy

musttakeasitsstartingpointopenengagement

onsocialmedia.

2.13 WewillshortlypublishaGovernmentDeveloperEngagementStrategysettingout

clearprinciplesforhowindividualgovernment

departmentsareexpectedtoengagewiththe

developmentcommunity,outliningminimum

expectationsforServiceLevelAgreements

betweendevelopersanddepartments,andmaking

recommendationsonskillsandcompetencies

requiredforeffectiveengagementwiththis

community.TheDeveloperEngagementStrategy

willalsosetouthowdepartmentswillembed theAPIprinciples,developedaspartofthe

GovernmentICTStrategy,inthiscontinuous

dialoguewithdeveloperstosupportthekey

principlesofrobustnessandconsistency.This

pieceofworkwillbeledbytheGovernment

DigitalService.9

2.14 Atpresent,thedatagatheredbythepublic

sectorisnotalwaysreadilyaccessibleandon

occasionthequalityofthedataistoolowfor

effectiveuse.Intermittentpublicationandalackofcommonstandardsarealsobarriersthatcan

makeitdifficultforuserstoscrutiniseactivityor

generateaddedvalue.Thismustchangeandone

ofthebarrierstochangeiscultural.

Changingthecultureinthepublicsector

2.15 Todriveculturalchange,manydepartments

nowhavededicatedsectorboardswhichare

continuouslychallenginggovernmenttopublish

moredataandensurethatdepartments

understandtheimpactofeachrelease.Thesector

boardsprovideanavenueforengagementwith

thewidercommunity,withmanyboardsactive

ininvitingthosefrombusinesses,academia,civil

societyandthemediatoinformthemoftheir

experiencesinusingthedatapublishedbyeach

sector.Theseboardsareabletofindoutaboutthe

daytodayissuesaroundthepracticalitiesofOpen

Dataandworkcollectivelytoovercomebarriers.

Boardshavealreadybeenestablishedforhealth,

crimeandjustice,transport,education,welfareandlocalgovernment.HMRChasrecentlycommitted

tosettingupaTaxTransparencySectorBoard,

whichwillfacilitatediscussionsonthewiderange

ofinformationthatHMRCholds.

2.16 Effectiveculturalchangeisnotjustabout

releasingpreexistingdata.Responsestolastyear’sMakingOpenDataRealConsultation10argued

forachangeintheethosintheprocurement

anddeliveryofITatthestrategiclevelwithin

governmentifenhancedaccesstodataistobe

realised.Thedatagovernmentholdsisoften

lockedintoinflexibleITsystemsandretrieving

thedataisfrequentlyacostlyexerciserequiringa

detailedbusinesscaseorcontractualamendments.

2.17 Better,flexibleandmoreintelligentIT

systemssupportedbytransparentcontractsarecentraltorespondingtothesearguments

forchange.TheCabinetOfficeisworkingwith

departmentstoensurethatfutureITcontracts

allowforeasyanduninterruptedaccesstodata

heldonthebehalfofgovernment.

Casestudy–ContractsFinder

InFebruary2011,theCabinetOffice

launchedContractsFinder(www.

contractsfinder.businesslink.gov.uk) –asinglewebsiteforbusinesstoidentify

governmentcontractsfortenderandthe

pipelineforfuturecontracts.Thissitenow

has97,000viewingsperweekandthe

latestfiguresshowthat,ofthecontracts

postedtodate,overathirdhavegoneto

SMEs.InApril2012,newandupdated

dataon£70billionofpotentialfuture

governmentcontractswasreleased.

Publishingdataonfuturecontracts

allowsgovernmentandindustrytowork

togethertospotanyskillsandinvestment

gapssotheycanacttosafeguardUK

competitivenessandgrowth.

2.18 Pushingoutdataisanentirelynewwayof

conductinggovernmentbusiness–onethatislight

touchanddoesnothavetorequirelotsofcomplex

regulation,butinsteadoperatesbyhelpingagreater

numberofpeopleengagewithdatainawaythatinformsdecisionmaking.However,wealsoneedto

ensurethatthosewhohavealegitimateneedfor

dataareabletorequest it.

http://digital.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/category/gds/http://digital.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/category/gds/http://digital.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/category/gds/http://digital.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/category/gds/http://digital.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/category/gds/http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/making-open-data-real-public-consultationhttp://www.contractsfinder.businesslink.gov.uk/http://www.contractsfinder.businesslink.gov.uk/http://www.contractsfinder.businesslink.gov.uk/http://www.contractsfinder.businesslink.gov.uk/http://www.contractsfinder.businesslink.gov.uk/http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/making-open-data-real-public-consultationhttp://digital.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/category/gds/


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Strengtheningrightstodata

2.19 Themainmechanismforrequestingaccess

todataaretheFreedomofInformationAct(FOIA)

200011andtheEnvironmentalInformationRegulations(EIRs)2004.12TheFOIAandtheEIRs

providethepublicwiththeframeworktoaccess

informationfromapublicauthorityand,providing

therequestisnotcoveredbyanexemption

(includingthepublicinteresttestwhererelevant)or

ministerialveto,theinformationisreleased.Seven

yearsonfromcomingintoforce,theFOIAisnow

undergoingpostlegislativescrutiny(PLS)bythe

JusticeSelectCommitteetoexplorewhetherit

workseffectively.TheGovernmentwillrespondto theCommittee’srecommendationsinduecourse

andwillnotmakeanydecisions,beyondthose

alreadyannouncedinJanuary2011,13onhowthe

FOIAshouldoperategoingforwardaheadof

receivingtheJusticeSelectCommittee’sreport.

2.20 TheGovernmenthas,however,beenableto

makeimportantprogressinparalleltoPLS.The

DatasetsSection14oftheProtectionofFreedoms

Act,15whichreceivedRoyalAssentinMay2012,

enhancedaccesstodata.Thisnewsectionpushespublicauthoritiestoconsiderdisclosingdatathatis

notalreadyroutinelypublishedandsetsoutwhat

ismeantbyadataset–theraw,factualorsource

informationbehindapublicfunction–toallow

forabetterunderstandingbetweentheperson

requestingthedatasetandthepublicauthority

holdingthedataofwhatisbeingsought.

2.21 Thenewsectionmeansthat,wherethe

FOIArequiresreleaseofadataset,apublic

authoritywillnowhavearesponsibilitytorelease

thedatasetinaformthatcanbeusedand

reusedbyspecifyingthelicenceitcanbeused

underand,wherereasonablypracticable,ina

reusableformat.Wehavecreatedtheconditions

foraccessingraw,unmanipulateddatasetsand,by

workingtoembedthereleaseofthedatasetin

apublicauthority’spublicationscheme,wehave

takenanimportantsteptogivethepublican

enhancedrighttodata.

2.22 Toensureacomprehensiveapproachtothe

commencementoftheDatasetsSectioninthe

ProtectionofFreedomsAct,wehaveamended

Section4516oftheFOIAandwillbeexpanding

itsaccompanyingCodeofPracticespecifically

inrelationtothenewDatasetsSectionasset

outabove.TheexpandedCodeofPracticewill

giveguidancetoapplicantsandpublicauthoritiesonhowtodealwithrequestssuchas:giving

permissionfordatasetstobereused;therelease

ofdatasetsinanelectronicformwhichiscapable

ofreuse;themakingofdatasetsavailablefor

reuseinaccordancewiththetermsofalicence;

standardsapplicabletopublicauthoritiesin

connectionwiththedisclosureofdatasets;and

otheradministrativeissuesrelatedtomaking

datasetsavailableforreuse.

2.23 TheCodewillbeupdatedinawaythatwillsupportthoseitdirectlyaffects.Wewill

openupthedevelopmentprocesstothepublic

andofferanopportunitytoshapetheguidance

usingacrowdsourcedwiki.Thiswillbelaunched

shortlyonwww.data.gov.uk .Inopeningthe

revisionforcollaborativecontributions,weexpect

therevisedCodetobeabletoreflectthereal

worldexperiencesandfirsthandknowledge

ofobtainingdatasetscapableofreuse.Weare

aimingfortherevisedCodetobeinplacebythe

commencementofthesectionearlynextyear,

whenitwillbeissuedafterconsultationwiththe

InformationCommissioner.

2.24 Thislegislativechangeisentirelycompatible

withtheCodeofPracticeforOfficialStatistics17

whichmakesdirectreferencetomakingdatasets

availableinformsconvenienttousersfortheir

reuse.Tosupportthis,theNationalStatisticianis

preparingguidancethatwillstresstheimportance

ofopeningupdata,reinforcingtherolethat

statisticianscanplayindeliveringwiderbenefits.Statisticiansacrossgovernmentdepartmentsare

workingtogethertofreeupmoredataforreuse.

2.25 TheGovernmentStatisticalServicehas

alsodevelopedcomputerbasedtrainingtohelp

statisticiansandothercivilservantstomakethe

rightdecisionsabouthowtomakedataavailable

inopenformats.TheOfficeforNationalStatistics

hasdevelopedconsiderableexpertiseinstatistical

disclosurecontrol,includingonhowtopreventthe

identificationofindividualsthroughthecomparisonofdifferentdatasets,whichisanessentialfacetof

ourTransparencyProgramme.

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/36/contentshttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/36/contentshttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2004/3391/contents/madehttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2004/3391/contents/madehttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2004/3391/contents/madehttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2004/3391/contents/madehttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/36/contentshttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2004/3391/contents/madehttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2004/3391/contents/madehttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2004/3391/contents/madehttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2004/3391/contents/madehttp://www.justice.gov.uk/news/press-releases/moj/press-release-070111ahttp://services.parliament.uk/bills/2010-12/protectionoffreedoms.htmlhttp://services.parliament.uk/bills/2010-12/protectionoffreedoms.htmlhttp://services.parliament.uk/bills/2010-12/protectionoffreedoms.htmlhttp://services.parliament.uk/bills/2010-12/protectionoffreedoms.htmlhttp://services.parliament.uk/bills/2010-12/protectionoffreedoms.htmlhttp://services.parliament.uk/bills/2010-12/protectionoffreedoms.htmlhttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/36/section/45http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/36/section/45http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/36/section/45http://www.data.gov.uk/http://www.data.gov.uk/http://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/assessment/code-of-practice/http://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/assessment/code-of-practice/http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/36/section/45http://services.parliament.uk/bills/2010-12/protectionoffreedoms.htmlhttp://www.justice.gov.uk/news/press-releases/moj/press-release-070111ahttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2004/3391/contents/madehttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/36/contentshttp://www.data.gov.uk/http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2012/9/part/6/enacted


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2.26 Legislationandcodesofpracticemust,

however,bematchedbyaculturethatsupports

apresumptiontopublish.Thispresumptionmust

involveachangeofmindsettoapositionwheredataownersinthepublicsectorlooktorelease

thedatatheyhold,whereitdoesnotimpacton

theproprietyofthatdata,aspartofbusiness

asusual.Indoingso,wewillbeabletosupport

people,businessesandcivilsocietyrepresentatives

toobtainimportantinformationthatcanimprove

theiroutcomes.TheInformationCommissioner

hasanimportantroletoplayinensuringthat

publicauthoritiesarecomplyingwiththeir

obligationsandprovidingaccuratesignposting

ofthedatatheyrelease.

Casestudy–publicationschemes

TheInformationCommissioner’sOffice

(ICO)hasrecentlypublishedanactionplan

toupdateitsmodelpublicationschemeand

supplementarysectorguidanceinarolling

programmeduring2012/13.Apublication

schemeisalegislativerequirementsetout

intheFOIAwherebyallpublicauthorities

undertheActmustsetouttheirhighlevelcommitmenttoproactivelypublish

information.

Apublicationschemesetsoutclassesof

informationapublicauthoritywillpublish,

explainingthewaytheywillpublishthe

informationandspecifyinganychargesfor

makingcertaininformationavailable.Under

thenewDatasetsSectionintheFOIA,

apublicauthoritymustconsider,when

releasingadatasetforaccessandreuse,whetherthatdatasetshouldbeincorporated

intoitspublicationscheme.Knowingwhat

dataordatasetapublicauthorityholds

inatransparentmanneraspartoftheir

publicationschemecanhelptoenhance

accessibilitytodata.

ThenewICOguidancewillcoveropen

standardformats,reuseofinformation

publishedaspartofapublicationscheme

andguidanceonhowapublicauthoritycanincreaseawarenessand‘findability’of

informationaswellasrecommendations

formonitoringandmanagingthescheme.

2.27 Wedonotpretendthatitwillbepossible

tochangethecultureovernight.Itisessential

that,whenauseridentifiesadatasetthatthey

areunabletoaccessorreuse,theyunderstand themechanismsavailabletothemtochallengea

decisioninlinewiththeprocessesavailableunder

theFOIAorinrespectofthereuseofPublic

SectorInformation(PSI).

2.28 Anoverviewoftheprocesssurroundinga

FreedomofInformationaccessrequestfordata,

includingthecomplaintsprocess,isoutlinedin

AnnexB‘Howtorequestdata’. Thisflowchart

isnotintendedtobeexhaustivebuttogivean

overviewofthepotentialstepsinvolvedfromtheperspectiveoftherequestor.

2.29 Traditionally,providingaccesstoinformation

hasnotgivenanautomaticrightofreuse.Under

theamendmenttotheFOIA,datasetsthatare

accessiblewillbeabletobereusedwithout

needingtomakeanadditionalrequestforreuse.

2.30 Theredressmechanismforthereuseof

PSIisviatheOfficeofPublicSectorInformation

(OPSI),partoftheNationalArchives.OPSI

providesaneffectivecomplaintsprocedureundertheReuseofPublicSectorInformation

Regulations200518whichoffersalowcost,fas t

alternativetoactionthroughthecourts.If,having

exhaustedthePSIowner’sinternalcomplaints

procedure,thecomplainantisstilldissatisfied,the

complainantmayaskOPSItoinvestigate.OPSI

willpublishitsrecommendations,setdeadlines

forthemtobemetandmonitorcompliance

withthem.OPSImayreferthemattertoan

independentpanelofexperts19andultimately

toaMinisterwithintheMinistryofJustice

(MoJ).ThiscouldresultintheMinisterwriting

totheappropriateMinisterinaUKgovernment

departmentrequestingthatthePSIowner

implementsOPSI’srecommendations.

2.31 Duringanystageofthisprocess,eitherof

thepartieshastheoptiontotakejudicialaction

throughthecourts.WhileOPSIleadsonreuse

complaints,itinvolvesotherregulatorybodies

suchastheOfficeofFairTrading,theInformation

CommissionerortheOfficeoftheScottish

InformationCommissionerinitsinvestigations

asappropriate.Althoughthisfullandrobust

mechanismisinplace,theNationalArchives,

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2005/1515/contents/madehttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2005/1515/contents/madehttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2005/1515/contents/madehttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2005/1515/contents/madehttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2005/1515/contents/madehttp://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/appsi/default.htmhttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2005/1515/contents/madehttp://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/appsi/default.htm


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withoutprejudicetopeople’srightstoformally

complain,offersreusersawiderangeofoptions

frominterventionstoclarifytheGovernment’s

informationpolicy,throughtoconveningbrokereddiscussionbetweenaPSIreuserandthePSI

ownerandstructuredmediation.

2.32 TheamendmentmadetotheFOIA

introducedbythenewsectionondatasetswill

meanthat,infuture,therequestorforadataset(as

definedbythesection)willapproachtheICOwhen

seekingredressunderanaccessrequest.Details

ofthischangeandtheredressmechanismwillbe

coveredinguidancetobepublishedbytheICO.

2.33 Sowehaveoutlinedhowlegislation,cultureandcomplaintsarechangingbutwealsowant

toharnessusers’experiencestodrivethenext

phaseofreleasingpublicdata.Ineffect,wewant

demandledtransparencytohelpustobesmarter

inhowwereleasedata.

Harnessinguserengagement

2.34 Earlierthisyear,weannounced20thecreation

oftheOpenDataUserGroup(ODUG)toadvise

theDataStrategyBoard(DSB)onpublicdata thatshouldbeprioritisedforreleaseasOpen

Data.Thedatawillbesourcedprimarilyfromthe

memberorganisationsofthePublicDataGroup

(PDG)–currentlytheMetOffice,Ordnance

Survey,LandRegistryandCompaniesHouse–but

theODUGwillbefreetoadviseonthereleaseof

datafromotherpublicsectororganisations.The

ODUGwillactasastrongmechanismfordriving

demandledtransparencyinthepublicinterest.

2.35 TheDSBandPDGarebothpartofalargerpublicdataarchitecture21announcedinthe

Chancellor’s2011AutumnStatement22toboost

economicgrowth.Inthisnewstructure,setupto

createopportunitiesforUKbusinessestodevelop

andgrowthroughgreateraccesstopublicdata,

theDSBwillbetaskedwithadvisingonmaximising

thevalueofdatafromthePDGmembersfor

longtermeconomicandsocialbenefit.

2.36 TheDSBandPDG,togetherwiththenew

ODUG,willbeformallyseparatefromtheexistingPublicSectorTransparencyBoard,whichwill

continuetooffertheMinisterfortheCabinet

OfficeadviceonTransparencypolicy.

2.37 TheChairoftheODUGwasrecruited

throughafairandopencompetition,andthe

MinisterfortheCabinetOfficemadethe

appointment23

inMay2012.TheChairwillestablish theODUGandcommenceaworkplanwhich

contributestothedeliveryofthegovernment’s

widerpolicyobjectivesofeconomicgrowth,data

transparencyandOpenData.TheChairwilllead

thegroupinadvisingtheDSBonhowtospendthe

discreteadditionalfundingtheDSBholdsforOpen

DatathisSpendingReviewperiod.TheChairand

groupwillalsoberesponsibleforprovidingthe

businesscasetotheDSBsettingoutthepriorities

forfurtherinvestmentinOpenDataatthenext

SpendingReview.

2.38 Weacknowledgethat,atpresent,charging

structuresforpublicdataremainasalientand

emotiveissueformanyusersbutequallywemust

ensurethatanychangestoexistingarrangements

mustbedrivenbythelatestavailableevidenceon

themostappropriateuseofpublicfunds.

Regulatingdata

2.39 TheUKisgenerallyrecognisedbyourEuropeanpeersasbeingattheforefrontof

promotingthereuseofPSIand,sincethe

introductionoftheReuseofPublicSector

InformationRegulations,wehaveputinplac e

manyinitiativestosupportandencourage

reuse.ImplementingtheEuropeanPublic

SectorInformationDirectiveinJuly2005,the

PSIRegulationshavebeensuccessfulinthe

developmentof:

• theUKGovernmentLicensingFramework 24and

theOpenGovernmentLicence;

• astatutorycomplaintsprocessintheUK

Regulations;

• theInformationFairTraderSchemeregulatory

framework ;25

• anannualreport26onUKPSI;

• proactivereleasesofdatasetsthrough

www.data.gov.uk ;and

• existingchargingpoliciesforreuse.27

2.40 Latelastyear,theEuropeanCommission

publisheditsproposalstoamendtheDirective,

https://update.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/data-strategy-board-public-data-group-and-open-data-user-group-resourceshttp://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/growth/docs/12-673-terms-reference-data-strategy-board-and-public-data-grouphttp://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/growth_review_phase1update_291111.pdfhttp://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/news/chair-open-data-user-group-appointedhttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2005/1515/contents/madehttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2005/1515/contents/madehttp://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/information-management/uk-gov-licensing-framework.htmhttp://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/information-management/ifts.htmhttp://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/information-management/ifts.htmhttp://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/information-management/ifts.htmhttp://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/information-management/ifts.htmhttp://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/information-management/ifts.htmhttp://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/information-management/legislation/directive-and-regulations.htmhttp://www.data.gov.uk/http://www.data.gov.uk/http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/information-management/ifts/cost-pricing.htmhttp://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/information-management/ifts.htmhttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2005/1515/contents/madehttp://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/news/chair-open-data-user-group-appointedhttp://www.data.gov.uk/http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/information-management/ifts/cost-pricing.htmhttp://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/information-management/legislation/directive-and-regulations.htmhttp://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/information-management/uk-gov-licensing-framework.htmhttp://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/growth_review_phase1update_291111.pdfhttp://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/growth/docs/12-673-terms-reference-data-strategy-board-and-public-data-grouphttps://update.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/data-strategy-board-public-data-group-and-open-data-user-group-resources


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Communication on Open Data: An engine for

innovation, growth and transparent governance ,28

formingpartoftheEU’s2020Strategy 29to

promotegrowthinEurope’seconomies.2.41 TheCommissionbelieves30thatadopting

OpenDataprinciplesandremovingbarriersto

reusecangenerateeconomicbenefitsinthe

orderof£33billionayear.FollowingfromtheUK’s

example,theEuropeanCommissionbelievesthat

openinguppublicdataleadstogreatertransparency

inpublicadministrationandpromotessocialand

politicalengagement.Thelastkeythemeofthe

Commission’sproposalscentresarounditsstrong

beliefthatincreasingtheavailabilityofEUwidepublicdatawillleadtobetterevidencebasedpolicy

makingacrossthepublicsector,resultinginmore

efficientandeffectivepublicservices.

2.42 Currently,theUKisnegotiatingtherevision

tothePublicSectorInformationDirectiveand,

whilewefirmlybelievethatgreateropennessand

availabilityofdataforreuseacrossEuropeare

essential,wearemindfulthatthismustbedonein

apragmaticandaffordablewaywhichdoesn’tadd

unnecessaryburdens(orpotentiallossofrevenue)onpublicauthoritiestowhomtheresultingrevised

Regulationswillapply.

2.43 Weintendtoundertakeacomprehensive

andindependentlychairedreviewoftheuse,

reuse,fundingandregulationofPSI.Wewill

publishdetailsofthisreviewintheautumnof

2012.Inundertakingthisreview,weareableto

guaranteethatrobustevidenceisatthecentreof

decisionmakinginthisareaandthatitisfocused

onmaximisingthebenefitofPSItothewholeof

theUK,ratherthanjustitsuseby government.

Strengtheningdatausability

2.44 Itisvitalthatwepublishdatainwayswhich

allowpeopletouseiteasilyandreliably.Doing

soenablesdatatobeusedwidely,reducesthe

barrierstoinnovationandeliminatesunnecessary

costsforbusinessesusingthedata.

2.45 AtthestartoftheTransparencyProgramme,

weestablishedthePublicSectorTransparencyBoardandaskedittogiveadviceongeneral

principlesregardinghowtomakepublisheddata

asusefulaspossible.InJune2010,wepublished

theBoard’sPublicDataPrinciples31andthese

have,forthepasttwoyears,beenafoundation

stonetoguidethepublicsectorinpublishingdata. Wehaveseenthesedraftprinciples,alongwith

theInformationPrinciples,32embeddedwithin

departmentalOpenDataStrategies.Datausers

werealsoinvitedtocommentontheprinciples

andhowtheycouldbeimproved.Nowisthe

righttimetomakesurethattheprincipleshave

becomeafundamentalpartoftheprocessof

datapublication.Theannouncementthatwe’ve

adoptedtheseasgovernmentpolicy,andthatthe

CabinetOfficeiscommittingtoprovidingawritten

ministerialstatementfourtimesayeartoreportoncompliance,isevidenceofthis.

2.46 Theprinciples,drawnupbythePublicSector

TransparencyBoardandrevisedastheresultof

consultation,areasfollows.

(1) Publicdatapolicyandpracticewillbe

clearlydrivenbythepublicandbusinesses

thatwantandusethedata,includingwhat

dataisreleasedwhenandinwhatform

ThisisattheheartoftheGovernment’sapproach.Ourproposalsfordelivering

enhancedaccesstodataaredetailed

throughoutthischapter.

(2) Publicdatawillbepublishedinre-usable,

machine-readableform

Thedefinitionsofreusablemachine

readablearecoveredbytheFiveStar

Schemeoutlinedlaterinthischapter.

(3) Publicdatawillbereleasedunderthesameopenlicencewhichenablesfreere-use,

includingcommercialre-use

ForfreeUKGovernmentdata,thiswillbe

theOpenGovernmentLicence33prepared

bytheNationalArchives–theOpen

GovernmentLicencewillbeusedforfree

datathroughoutgovernment.

(4) Publicdatawillbeavailableandeasytofind

throughasingle,easy-to-use,onlineaccess

point(www.data.gov.uk )

ThismeansthatallgovernmentOpenData

willbeaccessiblethroughwww.data.gov.uk –

http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/policy/psi/docs/pdfs/directive_proposal/2012/open_data.pdfhttp://ec.europa.eu/information_society/policy/psi/docs/pdfs/directive_proposal/2012/open_data.pdfhttp://ec.europa.eu/eu2020/http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/policy/psi/docs/pdfs/opendata2012/reports/Vickery.docxhttp://data.gov.uk/blog/new-public-sector-transparency-board-and-public-data-transparency-principleshttp://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/information-management/projects-and-work/information-principles.htmhttp://www.data.gov.uk/http://www.data.gov.uk/http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/information-management/projects-and-work/information-principles.htmhttp://data.gov.uk/blog/new-public-sector-transparency-board-and-public-data-transparency-principleshttp://www.data.gov.uk/http://www.data.gov.uk/http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/policy/psi/docs/pdfs/opendata2012/reports/Vickery.docxhttp://ec.europa.eu/eu2020/http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/policy/psi/docs/pdfs/directive_proposal/2012/open_data.pdf


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althoughitmaybehostedondepartmental

websitesandmayalsobeaccessiblethrough

otheraccesspoints(forinstancetheUK

NationalStatisticsPublicationHub),forexampleforservicetoaspecialistcommunity.

(5) Publicdatawillbepublishedusing

openstandards,andfollowingrelevant

recommendationsoftheWorldWideWeb

Consortium(W3C)

ThisprincipleappliestopublishedOpenData

butitisofcoursewhollyconsistentwiththe

Government’soverallpolicyapproachon

theuseofopenstandardsingovernmentIT

moregenerally,onwhichaconsultationhasrecentlyconcluded.

(6) Publicdatafromdifferentdepartments

aboutthesamesubjectwillbepublishedin

thesame,standardformatsandwiththe

samedefinitions

TheGovernmenthasalreadyapplied

thisprincipleintheformatsusedforthe

publicationofkeytransparencydata,including

spendingbycentralandlocalgovernmentandonorganisationaldata,workingwith

theindividualdataownersandtheLocal

GovernmentAssociationtoagreestandard

formatswhichareeasyandcosteffective

to produce.

(7) PublicdataunderlyingtheGovernment’s

ownwebsiteswillbepublishedinre-usable

form

ThiscomplementstheGovernment’s

approachtodigitalservicesfollowing thereportbyMarthaLaneFox.34The

Governmentshouldnothaveamonopoly

ontheprovisionofwebservicesandmobile

applications;itshouldinsteadmakethedata

andAPIsavailablesothatotherscanproduce

alternative,innovativeviewsofgovernment

dataandaccesstogovernment services.

(8) Publicdatawillbetimelyandfine-grained

TheGovernment’sapproachtoOpenData

isnotlimitedtothepublicationofaggregate

datalongaftertheeventstowhichitrelates.

So,forinstance,theGovernmentisalready


publishingindividualspendingitemswithin

15workingdaysoftheendofthemonthin

whichtheywerepaid;andtheGovernmentis

alreadypublishingweatherforecastdatafrom thePublicWeatherServicefor5,000UK

locationsonanhourlybasis.

(9) Releasedataquickly,andthenworkto

makesurethatitisavailableinopen

standardformats,includinglinked

dataforms

TheGovernment’sspecificproposalsonthe

FiveStarSchemeandonadoptingalinked

dataapproachareoutlinedlaterinthischapter.

(10) Publicdatawillbefreelyavailabletouse

inanylawfulway

TheOpenGovernmentLicencealready

incorporatesthisprinciple.Applicationsare

abletousethedatainanylawfulwaywithout

havingtoinformorobtainthepermissionof

thepublicbodyconcerned.

(11) Publicdatawillbeavailablewithout

applicationorregistration,andwithout

requiringdetailsoftheuser

ItisanimportantpartoftheGovernment’s

approachtoOpenDatathatpeopleshould

beabletousetherawdatafreely,and

requiringapplication,registrationorpersonal

detailsmilitatesagainstthis.However,both

theGovernmentandtheTransparencyBoard

recognisethat,incertaintechnicalsituations

(suchasAPIs),developerkeyswouldbe

neededincertaincircumstancesbutthat

thesemustbereadilyandquicklyavailablewithoutdiscrimination,andthatthedatathey

accessmustbeavailableundertheOpen

Government Licence.

(12) Publicbodiesshouldactivelyencourage

there-useoftheirpublicdata

TheGovernmentregardsitasimportant

thatindividualdepartmentsencourage

thereuseoftheirOpenData,including

workingwithbusinessestohelpgrownew,

innovativeusesofdataandtogenerate

economicbenefit.Departmentsarealready

doingthisthroughtheSectorTransparency

Boards,bymakinginformationandsupport

http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/news/digital-default-proposed-government-serviceshttp://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/news/digital-default-proposed-government-services


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available,byholdingdepartmental‘hackdays’

andthroughothermeans.Inaddition,the

GovernmentisestablishinganOpenData

InstitutetopromotethereuseofOpenData,toshareknowledgeandapplicationsin

theuseofOpenData,andtodeveloplinks

betweengovernmentandbusinessesaround

Open Data.

(13) Publicbodiesshouldmaintainandpublish

inventoriesoftheirdataholdings

(14) Publicbodiesshouldpublishrelevant

metadataabouttheirdatasetsandthis

shouldbeavailablethroughasingleonline

accesspoint;andtheyshouldpublishsupportingdescriptionsoftheformat

provenanceandmeaningofthedata

www.data.gov.uk alreadyincludesbasic

metadataaboutallitsdatasets,including

timingandgeographicalscope,andwill

publishextendedmetadataabout

geospatiallyrelateddatasetstowhichthe

INSPIREDirectiveapplies.www.data.gov.uk

alsoprovidesalinktoadepartmentally

supplieddescriptionofthedataanddetailsof

acontactpointwithinthedepartmentwhodatauserscanaskforfurtherdetails.

2.47 Werecognisethattheseprinciplesmay

notbeimmediatelypossibleforalldatasetsin

allbodies.However,weregarditasessentialto

haveaclear,unqualifiedstatementofprinciplesto

whichallbodiescanaspire.Individualgovernment

departments,workingwiththeCabinetOffice

TransparencyTeam,willproduceplansto

worktowardstheseprinciplesaspartofthe

implementationoftheirOpenDataStrategies.2.48 WealsoregarditasessentialthatOpen

Dataisasreusableaspossible.In2010,SirTim

BernersLeeproposedaFiveStarScheme35for

assessingthedegreetowhichindividualdatasets

arereusable.Anexpandedversionofhisscheme

forfreedataisasfollows.

Level Format Licence

★ Makeyourdataavailableontheweb(inanyformat) and OpenLicence

★★ Makeitavailableasstructureddata(forexample,

MicrosoftExcelinsteadofimagescanofatable)

and OpenLicence

★★★

Makeitavailableinanopen,nonproprietary

format(forexample,CSVorXMLinsteadof

Microsoft Excel)

and OpenLicence

★★★★

Inadditiontousingopenformats,useUniform

ResourceLocators(URLs)toidentifythingsusing

openstandardsandrecommendationsfromW3C,

sothatotherpeoplecanpointatyourstuff

and OpenLicence

★★★★★

InadditiontousingopenformatsandusingURLsto

identifythings,linkyourdatatootherpeople’sdata

toprovidecontext

and OpenLicence

http://www.data.gov.uk/http://www.data.gov.uk/http://www.data.gov.uk/http://www.data.gov.uk/http://www.data.gov.uk/http://www.data.gov.uk/http://www.w3.org/DesignIssues/LinkedData.htmlhttp://www.data.gov.uk/http://www.data.gov.uk/http://www.w3.org/DesignIssues/LinkedData.html


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2.49 TheGovernmentintendstoadopttheFive

StarSchemeasameasureoftheusabilityofits

OpenData.Weknowthatnotallourdataisof

thehighestlevelofusabilitybut,throughusingtheFiveStarSchemeforlabellingdatasets,weare

workingtowardsimprovingthedatalandscape.

Wearenotsettingtargetsfordatausability;

responsibilityforevaluatingthecostsandbenefits

ofenhancingdatausabilitywillbedevolvedtodata

ownersineachpublicauthority.Departmental

engagementwithusers,akeyrequirementof

theOpenDataStrategies,willbeessentialin

determiningwhetherthebenefitsofimproving

datausabilityjustifyanyassociatedcost.

2.50 Thathavingbeensaid,theGovernment’s

overallpreferenceforopenstandardsandthe

factthattheOpenGovernmentLicencealready

applies,meansthatitisexpectedthatalmostall

datasetswillreachatleastThreeStarstandard.

2.51 However,thereisagrowingrealisationof

thepoweroflinkeddataforexposing,sharing

andconnectingpiecesofdataandinformation

usingUniformResourceIdentifiers(URIs)to

realiseefficienciesinthepublicsector.Linkeddataunderpinsotherinitiatives,particularlythoseofa

crosscuttingnaturesuchastheaforementioned

INSPIREDirective.

2.52 Acrossthepublicsector,pocketsof

knowledgeabouttheunderpinningtechnologies

oflinkeddataandthebenefitsthattheyenable

havebeenestablished.Overthelastyear,wehave

beenreviewingwhatisrequiredtoencourage

furtherdatalinkageinthepublicsector,following

thesuccessofsomelinkeddataworkinggroupsin

specificdomainsandthegrowinginterestthatthey

havehadfromthoseoutsidethosedomains.

Casestudy–www.legislation.gov.uk

TheavailabilityoflegislationasOpenData

onwww.legislation.gov.uk hasenabled theNationalArchivestodevelopanew,

transferableoperatingmodelforupdating

governmentdatabases.Ahighqualitydata

interfacemakesiteasyforanyonetoaccess

legislationdatabyadding/data.xmlor/data.

rdftoanywebpagecontaininglegislation,

or/data.feedtoanylistorsearchresults.

Datacanbereusedfreeofchargeunder

theOpenGovernmentLicence.

Thishasenabledthedevelopmentofseveralthirdpartyapplications,including

twosmartphoneappsandaserviceforlaw

lecturerstocreateandselfpublishrelevant

extractsoflegislationfortheircourses.

Throughanexpertparticipation

programme,OpenDataishelpingto

bringmoreexpertisetobear,withpeople

employedandfundedbytheprivatesector,

toworkonupdatingtheGovernment’s

legislationdatabase.Qualityismaintained throughtrainingoneditorialpracticeand

a stringentprocessofreview.

www.legislation.gov.ukgivesbusinesseseasy

accesstolegislationdata,whichtheycan

includeintheirownproductsandservices.

Thepublicbenefitsfrommoreuptodate

legislation,whilebusinessbenefitsfrom

developingvalueaddedproductsand

services.Allthedataisofconsistentlyhigh

quality,remainingpublic,openandfree.

2.53 AnewcrossgovernmentLinkedData

WorkingGroupwillbeestablishedoverthe

comingmonths.Thiswillleadthecreationand

maintenanceoftheunderpinningtechnologies

withinthepublicsectorandpromotethebenefits

acrossthepublicsector.Akeyroleforthegroup

willbetoworkwithdataowners,datausersand

bodiessuchastheW3CGovernmentLinkedData

WorkingGroup,topromoteandsetstandardsfor theadoptionofcommonURIsacrossgovernment.

Thisprovisionofacoreofauthoritativeidentifiers

(forinstanceforbusinesses,contracts,postcodes

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/http://www.legislation.gov.uk/http://www.legislation.gov.uk/http://www.legislation.gov.uk/http://www.legislation.gov.uk/http://www.legislation.gov.uk/http://www.legislation.gov.uk/


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andgeospatialentitiessuchasroadsandbus

stops)willbethekeytoconnectingdataacrossthe

informationeconomyandallowingbusinessesto

addvalueandtoexchangeinformationreliablyin thedigitalworld.

Casestudy–Departmentfor

CommunitiesandLocalGovernment

(DCLG)

DCLGistriallingaselectionofitshousing,

localgovernmentfinanceanddeprivation

statisticsintheFiveStarform.Thedatasets

areavailableinanewdemonstration

‘OpenDataCabinet’(http://opendatacommunities.org),which

waslaunchedinApril2012.

TheDepartmentisworkingclosely

withasmallgroupoflocalauthorities

andvoluntaryorganisationstotestand

demonstratethepowerandpotentialof

linkingDCLGandthirdpartysourcesover

theweb,usingopenstandards.Earlyresults

arehighlyencouraging.

Alongsidethedatacabinet,DCLGhaslaunchedademonstrationLocalAuthority

Dashboard(http://opendatacommunities.org/

dashboard).Thishasprovedhighly

successfulasameanstoshowcaseand

promoteOpenDataandstandardsto

anontechnicalaudience.Ittherefore

strengthensengagementwithusers,to

helptoshapetheDepartment’smove

towardsroutinelyreleasingalldatainopen,

accessibleandreusableforms.

2.54 Drivinguptheusabilityandconsistencyof

datamadeavailablebypublicauthoritiesisonly

beneficialiftheuserisabletofindthedatain

thefirstplace.Inrecentmonths,wehavemade

importantprogresswithwww.data.gov.uk .

Betteraccesstopublicdata

2.55 Weputmuchofourdataonwww.data.gov.uk

–butweknowthatusershavefoundthesitehard tonavigate.Sowe’vecompletelyoverhauledit:

www.data.gov.uk nowhasbettersearchfacilities,

simplerwaystoaccessinformation,anadvanced

GISdatasearch(includingmappreviewing)and

bettertoolsfordevelopers,suchasAPIaccessto

thecatalogueholdings.We’vebeentestingthe

changeswithusersforsometimenowandfeedbackhasbeenstronglypositive,allowingusto

launchthenewsitewiththisWhitePaper.We

wouldwelcomemoreviewsonhowthesitecan

befurtherimproved;thereisafacilityonthesite

whereuserscangivefeedback.

2.56 Thesite’snewstructurewillalsofacilitate

theestablishmentofagovernmentdata

inventorylookingacrosspublisheddataand

otherdepartmentalholdings,tofacilitatefuture

publicationandprovideanopportunitytoallowforprioritisationofthosedatasets,ineitherrawor

processedform,thatareofmostvaluetousers.

2.57 Aspartofthedevelopmentofadata

inventory,wewillexplorehowbestthepubliccan

requestdatathroughthesite,complementingthe

moreformalrouteofFreedomofInformation

requests.Alongsidethis,departmentswilldevelop

aframeworkthatoutlinesthebestmethods

forreleasingandpublishingrequesteddataas

partoftheirongoingstrategytodeliveronthepresumptiontopublish.

2.58 Wearealsoworkingactivelytorationalise

ourdataholdingsandestablishdifferentavenues

forgovernmentdatathathasbeencleansedby

externalpartiestoreturntothedataownerfor

consideration.Asnewinfrastructuresforhandling

dataareimplementedacrossgovernment,a

mechanismtofeeddatabacktoitsownerwill

beintegratedintodata.gov.uk inthecoming

months.

2.59 Therearealsovariousdatasetswhichare

regulatedtoensureaccess;oneoftheseisthe

PostcodeAddressFile (PAF) producedbythe

RoyalMail.It isanimportant inputtomany private

sector productsandservices,anditsvalue now

goesfarbeyondits original purposeasatoolto

enabledeliveryofthemail.Itisalsoacriticalpart

oftheNationalAddressGazetteer(NAG), which

isthedefinitivesingleaddressregisterandis

partof considerationsto developplansfor

arolling census.

2.60 ThePAFisregulatedby Ofcomto ensure

thatitismaintainedandmadeavailabletoall

http://opendatacommunities.org/http://opendatacommunities.org/dashboardhttp://opendatacommunities.org/dashboardhttp://opendatacommunities.org/dashboardhttp://opendatacommunities.org/dashboardhttp://www.data.gov.uk/http://www.data.gov.uk/http://www.data.gov.uk/http://www.data.gov.uk/http://www.data.gov.uk/http://www.data.gov.uk/http://www.data.gov.uk/http://www.data.gov.uk/http://www.data.gov.uk/http://opendatacommunities.org/dashboardhttp://opendatacommunities.org/http://www.data.gov.uk/


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usersonreasonableterms. Ofcomiscurrently

reviewingthisregulatoryframeworktoensure

thatitincentivisestakeupofthePAF,thatthe

dataismadeeasilyaccessibleonreasonabletermsandthatitalsodrivestheefficientmaintenance

ofthePAF.Thereviewwillconsiderthecostsof

maintainingthePAFandtheassociated licensing

andpricingstructures. Overthenextsixmonths,

theGovernmentwillalso lookatoptionstoensure

thattheUKasawholecontinuestogetthebest

benefitfromthePAF,andthatthePAFcontinues

tobeakeypartofthesingledefinitiveaddress

register(theNAG).

2.61 Greateraccesstopublicdatathroughdata.gov.uk isanessentialpartofourstrategyfor

makingthemosteffectiveuseofdata.However,

wemustalsoconsiderhowweopenuppublicly

fundedresearchdatainawaythatmaximises

publicbenefit.

Openingupaccesstoresearch

2.62 TheGovernment,initsInnovation and

Research Strategy for Growth ,36hascommitted

totheprinciplethatpubliclyfundedacademicresearchisapublicgoodproducedinthepublic

interestandthat,whileintellectualpropertymust

beprotectedandcommercialinterestsconsidered,

itshouldbemadeopenlyavailablewithasfew

restrictionsaspossible.Inthisway,wewillmore

effectivelyrealisethesocialandeconomicbenefits

ofspreadingknowledge,raisingtheprestigeofUK

researchandencouragingtechnologytransfer.

2.63 Fundingagenciesshouldhaveclear,

enforceableopenaccessarrangementsforthe

disseminationofpublishedresearchfindingsaswell

asensuringthattheassociateddataisalso,where

appropriate,madeavailableandshared.

AnindependentWorkingGroupchairedbyDame

JanetFinchhasrecentlyreported37onhowwe

canensuregreateraccesstopublishedresearch

findings,whiletheRoyalSociety’sScience as an

Open Enterprise38reportdiscussedhowtoimprove

thesharinganddisclosingofresearchdata,both

withintheresearchcommunityandbeyond.

2.64 Forsmallbusinessesinparticular,relevant

researchisoftendifficulttofindandexpensive

toaccess,limitingthespreadofknowledgeand

innovation.Toaddressthis,ResearchCouncils

willinvest£2millionintheGatewaytoResearch

projectwhichwilllaunchinDecember2013.This

willprovideasinglepointofaccesstoallaspects

ofUKpubliclyfundedresearch.ItwillserveasanetworkingtoolforusebySMEs,entrepreneurs,

intermediariesandotheradvisorsinthefield.

ResearchCouncilsarecurrentlyontrackto

developaprototypedemonstratorportalby

November2012.

2.65 Theconcernsofuniversitiesthatpremature

disclosureofresearchdatamightdamagetheir

abilitytocompetewithinternationalrivalsand

tocollaboratewithindustryaroseinourMaking

OpenDataRealConsultation.SuchconcernshavealsobeenraisedinevidencetotheJustice

SelectCommitteeduringpostlegislativescrutiny

oftheFOIA.TheGovernmentwillconsiderthe

Committee’srecommendationsontheoperation

oftheFOIAbeforebringingforwardanyproposals

forfuturepolicy.

2.66 Tofurtherdevelopgovernmentpolicyon

accesstoresearch,wearealsoestablishinga

ResearchTransparencySectorBoard,chairedby

theMinisterforUniversitiesandScience,whichwillconsider waysinwhichtransparencyinthe

areaofresearchcanbeadriverforinnovation.

Recognisingthatresearchdataisdifferenttoother

PSI,theBoardwill considerhowtoimplement

transparencymeasuresrelatingtoresearchin

amannerwhichprotectstheintegrityofthe

researchandassociatedintellectualproperty,

whileensuringaccesstoresearchforthoseSME

entrepreneursvitalfordrivinggrowth.Thiswill

helptorealisethefullbenefitsforsocietyasa

whole.TheResearchTransparencySectorBoardwillconsistofgovernmentdepartments,funding

agenciesandrepresentativesfromuniversities

andotherstakeholders,andamongthefirstof

itstaskswillbetoconsiderhowtoactonthe

recommendationsoftheRoyalSocietyreport.

2.67 Governmentdepartmentsarealso

committedtoopeninguptheirownresearch

dataandplacingitinthepublicdomainasquickly

andinasmuchdetailaspossible,subjecttolegal

andconfidentialityrestraints.TheGovernmentSocialResearchServiceiscurrentlyworkingonan

initiativetoputpolicyandpracticeinplacethat

willenableroutinearchivingofresearchdataand

releasetobonafideexternalresearchers.

http://data.gov.uk/http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/innovation/docs/i/11-1387-innovation-and-research-strategy-for-growth.pdfhttp://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/innovation/docs/i/11-1387-innovation-and-research-strategy-for-growth.pdfhttp://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/innovation/docs/i/11-1387-innovation-and-research-strategy-for-growth.pdfhttp://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/innovation/docs/i/11-1387-innovation-and-research-strategy-for-growth.pdfhttp://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/innovation/docs/i/11-1387-innovation-and-research-strategy-for-growth.pdfhttp://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/innovation/docs/i/11-1387-innovation-and-research-strategy-for-growth.pdfhttp://www.researchinfonet.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Finch-Group-report-FINAL-VERSION.pdfhttp://royalsociety.org/uploadedFiles/Royal_Society_Content/policy/projects/sape/2012-06-20-SAOE.pdfhttp://royalsociety.org/uploadedFiles/Royal_Society_Content/policy/projects/sape/2012-06-20-SAOE.pdfhttp://royalsociety.org/uploadedFiles/Royal_Society_Content/policy/projects/sape/2012-06-20-SAOE.pdfhttp://royalsociety.org/uploadedFiles/Royal_Society_Content/policy/projects/sape/2012-06-20-SAOE.pdfhttp://royalsociety.org/uploadedFiles/Royal_Society_Content/policy/projects/sape/2012-06-20-SAOE.pdfhttp://royalsociety.org/uploadedFiles/Royal_Society_Content/policy/projects/sape/2012-06-20-SAOE.pdfhttp://data.gov.uk/http://royalsociety.org/uploadedFiles/Royal_Society_Content/policy/projects/sape/2012-06-20-SAOE.pdfhttp://www.researchinfonet.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Finch-Group-report-FINAL-VERSION.pdfhttp://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/innovation/docs/i/11-1387-innovation-and-research-strategy-for-growth.pdf


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2.68 Thischapteroutlinedourintentionsto

releasemoreOpenDataandalsosupport

OpenDatausers,aspartofourdrivetounlock

thebenefitsoftransparency.Aswereinforcethepresumption to publishinthepublicsector

throughthemeasuresoutlinedabove,wemust

bevigilantthattrustisretainedatthesame

timeaspublicdataismademoreopen.The

nextchapterconsidershowwecanstrikethe

right balance.


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Notes

1 www.number10.gov.uk/news/lettertogovernment-

departmentsonopeningupdata

2 www.number10.gov.uk/news/lettertocabinet-

ministersontransparencyandopendata

3 http://communities.mavencast.com/pg/groups/3731

4 www.hmtreasury.gov.uk/press_135_11.htm

5 http://location.defra.gov.uk/programme/

6 http://inspire.jrc.ec.europa.eu/

7 http://esi2calculator.hmrc.gov.uk/hmrctaxcalculator/

screen/Personal+Tax+Calculator/enGB/

summary?user=guest

8 www.civilservice.gov.uk/news/letsgetsocial

9 http://digital.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/category/gds/

10 www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resourcelibrary/making-

opendatarealpublicconsultation

11 www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/36/contents

12 www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2004/3391/contents/

made

13 www.justice.gov.uk/news/pressreleases/moj/press-

release070111a

14 www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2012/9/part/6/enacted15 http://services.parliament.uk/bills/201012/

protectionoffreedoms.html

16 www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/36/section/45

17 www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/assessment/codeof-

practice/

18 www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2005/1515/contents/

made

19 TheAdvisoryPanelonPublicSectorInformation(APPSI),

www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/appsi/default.htm

20 http://update.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resourcelibrary/datastrategyboardpublicdatagroupandopendata-

usergroupresources

21 www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/growth/docs/12673-

termsreferencedatastrategyboardandpublicdata-

group

22 www.hmtreasury.gov.uk/d/growth_review_

phase1update_291111.pdf

23 www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/news/chairopendatauser-

groupappointed

24 www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/information-

management/ukgovlicensingframework.htm


management/ifts.htm26 www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/information-

management/legislation/directiveandregulations.htm


management/ifts/costpricing.htm

28 http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/policy/psi/

docs/pdfs/directive_proposal/2012/open_data.pdf

29 http://ec.europa.eu/eu2020/

30 http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/policy/psi/

docs/pdfs/opendata2012/reports/Vickery.docx

31 http://data.gov.uk/blog/newpublicsector-

transparencyboardandpublicdatatransparency-

principles

32 http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/information-

management/projectsandwork/information-

principles.htm

33 www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/opengovernment-

licence/

34 www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/news/digitaldefault-

proposedgovernmentservices

35 www.w3.org/DesignIssues/LinkedData.html

36 www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/innovation/docs/i/11-

1387innovationandresearchstrategyforgrowth.pdf

37 http://www.researchinfonet.org/wpcontent/

uploads/2012/06/FinchGroupreportFINAL

VERSION.pdf

38 http://royalsociety.org/policy/projects/sciencepublic-

enterprise/

http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/policy/psi/docs/pdfs/directive_proposal/2012/open_data.pdfhttp://www.number10.gov.uk/news/letter-to-government-departments-on-opening-up-datahttp://www.number10.gov.uk/news/letter-to-government-departments-on-opening-up-datahttp://www.number10.gov.uk/news/letter-to-cabinet-ministers-on-transparency-and-open-datahttp://www.number10.gov.uk/news/letter-to-cabinet-ministers-on-transparency-and-open-datahttp://communities.maven-cast.com/pg/groups/3731http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/press_135_11.htmh

open data white paper(1)

Documents