How ‘open’ should local authorities be with the data they manage? It seems clear that in order to involve residents further in local decision making, and to improve accountability, there will need to be a move toward ‘openness’, but what does that really mean and how should it be achieved?
The Open Knowledge Foundation has been working on this agenda for five years and they have come up with a definition of Open Knowledge which outlines some of the areas which need to be considered by authorities when opening up data sources;
Legally Open
Data needs to be free of most of the standard legal restrictions and requirements. In particular it should be accessible without restriction, reproducible freely, and reusable – that is, free to incorporate in derivative works.
Socially Open
Social Openness refers to making information available in a way which supports sharing and reuse as well as collaborative working processes. This would require that access is given to the raw, underlying data and not simply through a particular, usually limiting, interface.
Technologically Open
Technological openness requires that data is provided in a form and format that does not unnecessarily hinder access by humans or machines. This would mean providing all necessary documentation and information about structuring and presentation of data so as to ensure comprehension and usability.
