Comments on: Open Data – Tough Decisions http://www.connectingbristol.org/2010/07/28/open-data-tough-decisions/ creative: smart: green: connected Tue, 31 Jan 2012 09:36:37 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Last week’s links « Policy and Performance http://www.connectingbristol.org/2010/07/28/open-data-tough-decisions/comment-page-1/#comment-281311 Last week’s links « Policy and Performance Tue, 10 Aug 2010 08:29:21 +0000 http://www.connectingbristol.org/?p=2799#comment-281311 [...] Open Data – Tough Decisions There are just three types of data sets. 1. Those that are confidential, 2. Those that are open and 3. Those that generate a revenue stream. Watch out for more kerfuffle over the last one. This post is a good exposition of the issue at one council (tags: Bristol opendata data localgovernment localgov) [...] [...] Open Data – Tough Decisions There are just three types of data sets. 1. Those that are confidential, 2. Those that are open and 3. Those that generate a revenue stream. Watch out for more kerfuffle over the last one. This post is a good exposition of the issue at one council (tags: Bristol opendata data localgovernment localgov) [...]

]]> By: Toby http://www.connectingbristol.org/2010/07/28/open-data-tough-decisions/comment-page-1/#comment-281302 Toby Sat, 31 Jul 2010 15:06:53 +0000 http://www.connectingbristol.org/?p=2799#comment-281302 The point of the public sector is to perform functions which are beneficial to society and which would not happen in the private sector. If things generate sustaining profits then they do not need to be done by government. <br><br>Once something has been deemed worth doing in the public sector, the benefit to society should be maximised and clawing back small change by data charging may actually reduce the total good data can do. If the process of delivering data had costs then it would be fair to charge for those but with data and the internet the marginal distribution costs should be close to negligible.<br><br>As with other things there can be a long tail on the uses of data and the greatest return may be in the area under the curve which would be cut off by charging. The users may be commercial or not but society loses (see the Clay Shirky TED talk on institutions <a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/clay_shirky_on_institutions_versus_collaboration.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.ted.com/talks/clay_shirky_on_institu...</a>). Commercial uses also generate tax revenue so the public sector gets payback anyway for commercial use.<br><br>There are also issues about the efficiency of charging for data and whether there are monopoly issues if the government is the only possible provider of data. The point of the public sector is to perform functions which are beneficial to society and which would not happen in the private sector. If things generate sustaining profits then they do not need to be done by government.

Once something has been deemed worth doing in the public sector, the benefit to society should be maximised and clawing back small change by data charging may actually reduce the total good data can do. If the process of delivering data had costs then it would be fair to charge for those but with data and the internet the marginal distribution costs should be close to negligible.

As with other things there can be a long tail on the uses of data and the greatest return may be in the area under the curve which would be cut off by charging. The users may be commercial or not but society loses (see the Clay Shirky TED talk on institutions http://www.ted.com/talks/clay_shirky_on_institu...). Commercial uses also generate tax revenue so the public sector gets payback anyway for commercial use.

There are also issues about the efficiency of charging for data and whether there are monopoly issues if the government is the only possible provider of data.

]]> By: Kevin http://www.connectingbristol.org/2010/07/28/open-data-tough-decisions/comment-page-1/#comment-281299 Kevin Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:57:56 +0000 http://www.connectingbristol.org/?p=2799#comment-281299 Without knowing the revenue that particular datasets bring in its hard to make a judgement as to whether on balance its better to restrict and sell them or to open them up. Perhaps in the event that there is commercial value to a dataset then the price paid for it should be openly published?<br><br>Anyone who is interested in how Authorities are responding to calls for more Open Data might want to visit <a href="http://openlylocal.com/councils/open" rel="nofollow">http://openlylocal.com/councils/open</a> Without knowing the revenue that particular datasets bring in its hard to make a judgement as to whether on balance its better to restrict and sell them or to open them up. Perhaps in the event that there is commercial value to a dataset then the price paid for it should be openly published?

Anyone who is interested in how Authorities are responding to calls for more Open Data might want to visit http://openlylocal.com/councils/open

]]>