Should OGD initiatives include a specific budget allocation to ensure broad public use of data?

[Anne Jellema]

Hi all,

I came across this excellent blog on 'data haves and have nots' written by Michael Gurstein a couple of years back. I am wondering whether the GODI Declaration should incorporate his suggestion that governments should include a specific budget line for building capacity and encouraging participation, perhaps particularly among potential data users who are most likely to be excluded from open data's benefits?

http://gurstein.wordpress.com/2011/07/11/a-data-divide-data-%E2%80%9Chaves%E2%80%9D-and-%E2%80%9Chave-nots%E2%80%9D-and-open-government-data/

Michael's recommendation was that "a minimum of 10% of expenditures on OGD would go to ensuring that structures of 'data haves' and 'data have nots’ were not being created as an outcome of OGD projects. Contributions to training for data use, for digital literacy, for disability oriented user interface design, to support advocacy based on OGD, for ensuring that OGD is not device dependent, to assist in participation in OGD governance and others would go some way in ensuring this outcome."

We can debate exactly what should be in that budget line and whether 10% is too much or too little, but I think it's an excellent idea to develop a very specific, costed demand on capacity building and user engagement. 

Best

Anne

[alina ostling]

Hi Anne,
I think that this is a great idea! I am now researching in the field of e-participation (which is broader than just open data) and the problem of exclusion is very urgent there. Given that open data is an even younger field, this could be  a good moment to set good practices regarding inclusion.

Best, Alina

[Al Kags]

Anne, 

I have to say this is a particularly good idea. I'm certainly not sure about the 10% minimum - I have a feeling 10% of gov budget may be a bit unattainable but certainly having that in the declaration would be useful. 

Al

Al Kags

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