Public Data Corporation

[Steven Flower]

Hi

Did people catch the news about the Public Data Corporation that is to be established this year...?


http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/news/public-data-corporation-free-public-data-and-drive-innovation

Thanks

Steven


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Steven Flower
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[Paul Robinson]

On 13 Jan 2011, at 16:33, Steven Flower wrote:

Did people catch the news about the Public Data Corporation that is to be established this year...?


http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/news/public-data-corporation-free-public-data-and-drive-innovation

I don't like the phrasing where they state "where charging for data is appropriate [the PDC will allow us] to do so on a consistent basis" or where they hope to "make more data free at the point of use, where this is appropriate and consistent with ensuring value for taxpayers’ money" (emphasis mine).

If this leads to a freeing up of data, great. I suspect it'll just be another quango with a remit to charge "consistently" for data of commercial value, and will be a further barrier to open data.

[Julian Tait]

Hi Paul,

Yes this is worrying especially as I can hear echoes of Full Cost Recovery here. It would be interesting to see if they  do opt for a charging model as they pledged in their own manifesto that:

“1.2 CREATING NEW JOBS AND CUTTING COSTS: OPEN DATA

New technologies are opening up new opportunities for businesses and social entrepreneurs to create billions of pounds of economic value by building innovative applications and services that make use of government data. The Conservative Party will unleash this innovation by opening up government data and publishing government datasets in full and online. Dr Rufus Pollock of Cambridge University, the lead author of the HM Treasury report on the economic value of open data, has produced a new calculation that our plans to set government data free will create an estimated £6 billion in additional value for the UK.

We will legislate to enforce the freedom of government data. We will create a powerful new Right to Government Data, enabling the public to request – and receive – government datasets. This will ensure that the most important government datasets are released – providing a multi-billion pound boost to the UK economy. President Obama’s administration has already implemented a ‘Right to Data’ policy.

We will unleash an open data revolution – going far further than the Labour Government’s limited reforms – by setting free a wide range of government datasets, including the monthly online publication of local crime data on a street-by-street basis, education and health performance data and detailed information about all of DFID’s projects and spending programmes including the results of impact evaluations. In addition, we will publish online the energy consumption of all buildings in Whitehall.”

As Rufus Pollock sits on Francis Maude's Public sector Transparency Board, I could imagine that there would be a difference of opinion. Perhaps the Govt has had some new research done?

Julian

[Sam Smith]

or, there is currently a debate going on about what the PDC should look like, and there are multiple sides to it.

The people on this list (probably) believe that open data for free is better for the country, but there are others who consider that making a defined amount of money for the public purse is better for the country (and treasury).

It is up to us, and by that, I do also mean *you* (yes, *you* reading this), to make a clear case as to why what you believe is actually better.

Part of that is using data to build stuff (so far, the response to most ODM has been underwhelming), and to make a public case, by talking about it, why this matters.

If you don't, and again, I mean you reading this, then the people who do make that case will win. Because that's what happens when someone listens to a debate and is persuaded by argument.

That is at the core of the open data community - that evidence means something, and that evidence can change minds. Because not everyone on the planet agrees that open data is as good as we may claim.

And someone important wants to make semi-permanent policy based on what we say; we should be able to back that up by actually producing something that also helps convince people of the value of what we think. If all we do is chat on a mailing list about what GMPTE fare data could do, others who do make a case for another way of dealing with that data, a case we may like somewhat less, and we will possibly deserve to get it.

Sam

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Failure: When your best just isn't good enough

[Julian Tait]

Following on from Sam's comments there is a call to arms on the Open Data Blog by Tom Steinberg, Chris Taggart et al. http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2011/jan/14/public-data-corporation

It seems to be a Business Innovation and Skills & Treasury vs Cabinet Office tussle. As said previously, it is finely balanced.

Julian