The Open Data journey explained
You’re probably no stranger to the buzzword Big Data, right? If you are then unfortunately this article can’t help you with that but let me introduce you to new Data on the business circuit these days, Open Data.
Often referred to as anonymised public data, Open Data can be freely used, modified, and shared by anyone for any purpose. The drive for transparency, accountability and efficiency in Government has resulted in a growing number of Open Data releases covering areas such as health, crime, property and the census. Open Data has evolved into a global movement and businesses are recognising its value and more importantly the commercial benefits of Open Data.
Open Data Movement: Momentum unfolds
Notable accelerators in the Open Data Movement include Barack Obama’s declaration on his first day in office in 2009 that all public data is open by default, and the G8 signing of the Open Data Charter in June 2013 declaring all data be open by default and freely used, modified, and shared by anyone for any purpose.
As the hum of global interest and the availability of data increases exponentially, momentum and appetite within the UK is being driven more forcibly by the Cabinet Office with all the parties supporting data transparency in their election manifestos. Currently the UK leads the world in the quantity and quality of the data it is releasing.
So how much Open Data are we talking about?
There are over 140,000 datasets available in the UK comprising a significant amount of useful information such as:
- All reported crimes by location
- GP Surgeries’ performance results
- Prescriptions issued by pharmacies
- Details of road accidents back to 1979
- Planning applications (dependent on region)
- Licensed premises (dependent on region)
- Plus much, much, more…
Government bodies and commercial enterprises have adopted open-data initiatives and launched platforms that empower Citizens and Businesses to access its potential to uncover new discoveries and opportunities. Open data has drawn enthusiasts around the world, fueling hackathons, challenges and apps contests focused on issues as varied as finance, insurance, health, energy, transportation and education.
Doorda’s Founder and CEO, Clifford McDowell is a member of, and regularly contributes to, discussions on the strategic direction of Open Data comments: “I believe in the power of and the right to access Open Data for the greater good of communities. I am so passionate about providing access to Citizens that I am constantly thinking up innovative ideas on how to tap into the huge wealth of Open Data becoming increasingly available as we are only scratching at the surface of Open Data opportunities“
The next stage of the Open Data journey
As individual UK government departments are being encouraged to release data as soon as they can before any national framework or index is put in place, businesses may start to experience challenges of maintaining insight and aggregating additional datasets that become available. Individuals and businesses are considering better and more efficient ways to keep track of the Open Data releases from over 908 publishers, as well as manage the aggregation of that data when no national standards framework or agreed format or way of connecting data exists. Not forgetting to mention that each release tends to be focused on a region and/or subject area.
With the right framework, Open Data offers real tangible commercial benefits to businesses.
