Making Open Data More “Open”: The New Open Data Licence & and API Terms of Service
This is a guest post by Alyssa Luo, Associate at the Ministry of Finance.
Every time we receive a service, surf an internet page or download an article online, we are (explicitly or implicitly) agreeing to a list of terms and conditions. Many of us are guilty of not reading the fine print, not only because they are long and boring, but in most cases, written for lawyers.
Similarly, the use of Open Data that governments publish often comes with lengthy and complicated rules. Data.gov.sg aims to encourage and inspire users to freely explore and generate value out of our data. We want to challenge the perception that T&Cs are strict, long-winded and complex rules meant to confuse readers, by creating one that is relatively simple, understandable and user-friendly. At the end of the day, we want our users to feel at ease when downloading our open datasets or calling our APIs.
So, what is different about the new Open Data Licence and API Terms of Service? And why do we call it a “licence”?
The new Licence now governs all Open Data that the Singapore Government publishes for free on Data.gov.sg or any other government website bearing the licence. Under the licence, users have a worldwide, perpetual, royalty-free right to use the datasets freely, with certain limitations clearly written in a single section.
We call it a licence as its main purpose is to enable reuse of our data, not to impose any unnecessary restrictions on users. Another practical concern is to avoid confusion with the Website Terms of Use that governs the general use of the Data.gov.sg site.
At the same time, we created a new API Terms of Service (TOS) specifically for advanced users who prefer to retrieve data programmatically. Having a dedicated set of terms for API usage ensures that our non-API users are not confused by the more technical clauses in the API TOS. If you don’t need it, you don’t have to read it!
How did we go about drafting the Open Data Licence and API TOS?
The overall approach is simple — putting ourselves in your shoes. As data users- we want to know what we can do and cannot do with the data we download. We are okay with certain limitations, but they must be reasonable and understandable. No fanciful, legalese terms that are meant to confuse the layman. Keeping in mind that there are more app developers using our data, we also removed the uncertainty of downstream licensing. Under the Open Data Licence, you have the right to grant a sub-licence to your downstream users. This means that your app users will not have to read multiple licences, but only the one that you grant them.
The actual drafting of licence is a more involved process. We engaged various data stakeholders — from data owners, policy makers, data users like researchers, developers, to International Organisations like the Open Knowledge International who constantly raise the bar for governments. It was undeniably challenging to balance the interests and take into account the different perspectives of various parties.
But at the end of the day, it came down to our main objective and first principle: To inspire and enable users to generate the most value out of our data. You — the users — are at the heart of our Open Data Strategy.
The Outcome: More “Opened” Data
The Open Data Licence and API TOS are deliberate moves to make our Open Data even more “open”. While many governments release data free-of-charge online, the use of data might be bounded by strict rules. Open licensing is the key aspect of actually releasing Open Data. Using an internationally recognised reference, we made sure that our Licence complies with the definition of Open Licensing under Open Knowledge International’s Open Definition.
Rethinking our Open Data Strategy
The new Open Data Licence and API TOS mark a milestone in enhancing the usability of our Open Data. The revamp of Data.gov.sg in 2015 goes far beyond creating a better user interface and adding cool features. The government went through a major rethink of our Open Data Strategy — from chasing quantity of datasets in order to populate our portal, to focusing on the quality (e.g. machine usability) of data, making sure people can use the data freely (through open licensing), and inspiring people to create applications that benefit society through visualisations and our Data Blog.
With this, we would like to call out to all data users out there to join us in this Open Data journey — whether you are a researcher, developer, student, or simply just exploring the website, give us your valuable feedback, or share your personal experiences on Open Data. If you developed a cool product using our data, show us and inspire us to work even harder!
