1 Four clues for untying the Gordian knot of Public Sector Information Alberto Ortiz de Zarate Director of Citizen Services Brussels, 2011/06/28 2011 Annual Conference ‘Moving Forward’ Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. I am Alberto Ortiz de Zarate, director of citizen services in the Basque Government, and the man in charge of the open data policy in our region. First, I want to thank the invitation of the PSI Alliance. For me and my Government, is an honour to speak at a forum like this, which brings together much of the European re-users. I want you to know that the main objective of our policy of open data is to fulfil your needs.
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Four clues for untying the Gordian knot of Public Sector Information
Alberto Ortiz de Zarate
Director of Citizen Services
Brussels, 2011/06/28
2011 Annual
Conference
‘Moving Forward’
Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. I am Alberto Ortiz de Zarate,
director of citizen services in the Basque Government, and the man in
charge of the open data policy in our region.
First, I want to thank the invitation of the PSI Alliance. For me and my
Government, is an honour to speak at a forum like this, which brings
together much of the European re-users. I want you to know that the
main objective of our policy of open data is to fulfil your needs.
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Cutting the knot: make it easy
Many models of opening public sector information can be raised by
applying the European Directive 2003/98/EC. But it is not always
good news that many models can coexist. Releasing public
information is a complex problem for Governments, perhaps so
tangled as the Gordian knot that Alexander the Great found in his
campaign of conquest of Persia.
The Basque Government has started up an open government data
strategy 18 months ago. Now we have got experience enough to
define our own model. It’s very important to discuss strong and weak
points of each model in order to approach some kind of agreement
between governments. The aim is to be more effective and more
(1) (1) (1) (1) Generating value and wealthGenerating value and wealthGenerating value and wealthGenerating value and wealth
Innovative products by companies, reusers and citizens in general.
(2)(2)(2)(2) Promoting government transparencyPromoting government transparencyPromoting government transparencyPromoting government transparency
Reuse of data to analyze and evaluate governance.
(3)(3)(3)(3) Interoperability between administrationsInteroperability between administrationsInteroperability between administrationsInteroperability between administrations
New public services using data from different public bodies.
Although we know that we can expect some more, we are focusing
#1: No documents, but data#1: No documents, but data#1: No documents, but data#1: No documents, but data
#2: No authorizations, but free reuse#2: No authorizations, but free reuse#2: No authorizations, but free reuse#2: No authorizations, but free reuse
#3: No information#3: No information#3: No information#3: No information----onononon----demand, but ondemand, but ondemand, but ondemand, but on----offer offer offer offer
#4: No fees, but free#4: No fees, but free#4: No fees, but free#4: No fees, but free
OK, probably I am boring the audience with all of this, talking all the
time about ourselves. I apologize. Now I can offer you a piece of
debate.
The PSI Directive –and the Spanish Law- sets a flexible framework
which allows a number of choices.
As I said before, some Governments are finding difficult to make real
a project of open data.
I think there are 4 knots that must be cut in order to go ahead with
the releasing of data. The key is “keeping it simple”.
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do ityourself!
#1: No documents, but data#1: No documents, but data#1: No documents, but data#1: No documents, but data
Data
Documents
Information
Wisdom
European Directive defines PSI as “documents”. Problems:
It misleads. The information theory tells us that the nuclear unit is
the data, while the document is a collection of data assembled
temporarily for a particular purpose.
It is overwhelming. The number of documents possible from the data
approaches infinity, and the neccesary work incalculable.
It is unclear. PDF documents can not be considered open public
information!
Our choice: raw datasets, with a high level of disaggregation.
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#2: No authorizations, but free reuse#2: No authorizations, but free reuse#2: No authorizations, but free reuse#2: No authorizations, but free reuse
The term "administrative license" implies a request for use of public
information, an administrative proceeding and the issuance of a
license for a particular use for a given period. This is an absurd
bureaucratic complexity, because:
Information on the Internet is directly taken, not is requested.
If public, I have the right to make use of it. Why limit my access?
Our choice: CC-BY license where neccessary
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#3: No on#3: No on#3: No on#3: No on----demand, but ondemand, but ondemand, but ondemand, but on----offer offer offer offer
When we think of documents and administrative licenses, we are
thinking of a system of public information at the request of
stakeholders. This builds:
An unsustainable system. Each request would be an onerous
administrative burden.
Barriers to consumption. It's hard to ask for information we do not
know that there is.
Our choice: release the information without waiting until is
demanded, while listening to the demands to release more
information.
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#4: No fees, but free#4: No fees, but free#4: No fees, but free#4: No fees, but free
Australian Government: http://www.finance.gov.au/publications/gov20taskforcereport/chapter5.htm
The EU directive allows the setting of fees for the use of public
information. Again, we are in a paradigm of documents into a
demand system. However, when focusing on data in a offer system,
the fees are unnecessary and counterproductive.
The fees are a major barrier. Reuse decreases exponentially with the
price of fees. Even small amounts can be a barrier that discourages
most.
The data is cheap. If an Administration already offers information on
its website, the cost of offering data besides is minimal.
The collection costs. The recovery procedures are only sustainable
with high rates.
Our choice: spend a small budget, release lots of data and let them
free.
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Priority in the releasing of dataPriority in the releasing of dataPriority in the releasing of dataPriority in the releasing of data
1.500 datasets
tecnological model
4 stars on a scale of 5 (Berners-Lee)
with reasonable technological sophistication
The technological model has also to be considered.
Most of you will know the useful Berners-Lee’s scale of 5 stars.
We have focused our strategy on the releasing of data, not on the
technological sophistication. Nevertheless, we need to keep a
balance. Datasets rated in the first stars of the scale are too much
difficult to reuse. We feel comfortable with a 4 stars rate, and even 3
stars may be enough for reusers.
Of course, you can focus your strategy on the technological model.
Doing so, you can contribute to make bigger the cloud of linked data.
But the fact is that, unless you have unlimited resources, you will
have to choose between many datasets or few-but- beautiful
datasets.
In the present time, with so few data to reuse, it is the time of
focusing in the amount, with only a reasonable technological
sophistication.
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A model based on web contentA model based on web contentA model based on web contentA model based on web content
1st 1st 1st 1st stepstepstepstep::::
public information = online
transparency
Our model relies on the Government’s web platform: euskadi.net.
So, our first commitment is to publish the information on our
websites, so that my mother can easily find, read and understand it.
This is the real action for transparency: all the information for
everyone.
Hidden information, databases, PDF documents… have to be
transformed in web contents –HTML
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A model based on web contentA model based on web contentA model based on web contentA model based on web content
2nd 2nd 2nd 2nd stepstepstepstep::::
release of open datasets
transparency
collaboration
Once we show the information on the web, the next thing to do is to
release the raw data (xml, csv, wms…) and give access to it in Open
Data Euskadi.
Reusers can take datasets in order to create new information. This is
a relation of collaboration with the Government.
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3rd 3rd 3rd 3rd stepstepstepstep::::
reuse provides social value
A model based on web contentA model based on web contentA model based on web contentA model based on web content
transparency
collaboration
wealth
innovation
transparency
Reusers can make new information and new services, pursuing a new
business, some innovation or transparency and accountability to
ForForForFor companiescompaniescompaniescompanies andandandand entrepeneursentrepeneursentrepeneursentrepeneurs::::• New businesses based on reuse of data
• Products and services enriched with data reuse
• Stimulation of local innovation
• More efficient and transparent markets
• Improving internal efficiency
Ton Zijlstra: http://www.slideshare.net/TonZijlstra/ogd-in-europe
Thinking a little more in this relation of collaboration with reusers, we
find a number of areas of value. Some of then are related to
Governments and civil society (I took them from Tom Zijlstra) and