This document summarizes a speech given by Alberto Ortiz de Zarate, the director of citizen services in the Basque Government and head of their open data policy. He discusses the Basque Government's open data strategy and model, which began 18 months prior. Their model focuses on releasing raw datasets without fees or need for authorization in order to cut through bureaucratic knots and encourage reuse. The goal is to generate value, promote transparency, and increase interoperability. Ortiz de Zarate outlines their timeline and highlights their open data portal, opendata.euskadi.net, as a success case that indexes over 1,500 datasets.

1. Alberto Ortiz de Zarate
Director of Citizen Services
Brussels, 2011/06/28
Four clues for untying
the Gordian knot of
2011 Annual Public Sector Information
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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2. 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
useful for european society.
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3. PSI chronology
the background
green DIRECTIVE LAW PSI
paper 2003/98/CE 37/2007
99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12
First of all, let me explain the timeline of our project.
There is quite a long history since 1998, when the European
Commission drafted the Green Paper on public sector information in
the information society.
That was the foundation stone of the PSI movement.
In 2003, the European directive on this matter was approved. Spain
approved its own law at the end of 2007.
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4. PSI chronology
the background
green DIRECTIVE LAW PSI
paper 2003/98/CE 37/2007
99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12
oGov Data USA:
OGD Principles data.gov
data.gov:
data.gov: conducts the 8 principles of Open
Government Data.
In parallel to the PSI movement, we find an equivalent in USA, called
Open Government Data.
PSI and OGD are not exactly the same, but both seek compatible
goals, albeit from somewhat different ideological approaches .
In 2007 we have the oGov Data Principles manifesto. In 2009,
President Obama came to office and, in a short time, data.gov is
online.
It’s the first time that a national government conducts the eight
principles of open government data.
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5. PSI chronology
the background
UK (Brown):
green DIRECTIVE LAW
paper
data.gov.uk
2003/98/CE 37/2007
99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12
oGov Data data.gov
OGD Principles
data.gov.uk:
data.gov.uk: first in Europe
In 2009, we find the first case in Europe, with data.gov.uk, by the
Gordon Brown Government in the UK.
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6. PSI Chronology
07 08 09 10 11 12
The Basque Country
makes history
Now we are going to focus in the very last years, in order to explain
the Basque history on open data.
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7. PSI chronology
from a basque point of view
DECREE
472/2009
07 08 09 10 11 12
LAW
37/2007 data.gov data.gov.uk
Decree 472/2009 gives responsibility on
472/2009,
openness of public information to the Office of
Citizen Service
In 2009, August , we established that the Office of Citizen Service was
to be in charge of opening public information.
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8. PSI chronology
from a basque point of view
Government
DECREE Commitment
472/2009
07 08 09 10 11 12
LAW
37/2007 data.gov data.gov.uk
Commitment 29/12/2009 the Basque
29/12/2009:
Government ordered starting up the project
to open public data
Commitment 29/12/2009: the Basque Government ordered starting
up the project to open public data
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9. PSI chronology
from a basque point of view
Commitment
29/12/2009 Open Data
Decree Euskadi
472/2009
07 08 09 10 11 12
LAW
37/2007 data.gov data.gov.uk
07/04/2010: "Open Data Euskadi" starts,
with over 1,000 datasets
On 2010, April, we started up opendata.euskadi.net, our catalog of
open data. It was the first non-anglosaxon open data website in the
world.
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10. PSI chronology
from a basque point of view
Commitment
29/12/2009
Decree
472/2009
07 08 09 10 11 12
LAW
37/2007 data.gov data.gov.uk “you are here”
here”
1.500 datasets
Now we are in the middle of 2011. We have around 18 months of
experience by now, and around 1.500 datasets.
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11. opendata.euskadi.net
07 08 09 10 11 12
This is how our portal looks like, with contents in 3 languages:
spanish, basque and english.
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12. Our model of Open Government Data
That was the history. I think it will be more interesting to talk about
our strategy and our model.
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13. Strategic framework:
Open Government
We are working under the umbrella of an Open Government
strategy.
The Basque government has expressed its commitment to the
principles of open government: transparency, participation and
collaboration.
At one hand, each department is launching initiatives for open
government, from a sectorial point of view. At the other hand, we are
launching some cross-cutting initiatives for the whole government.
One of them is Open Data Euskadi. Another one is Irekia, our Open
Government website, which I strongly recommend to visit and know.
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14. “In the Basque Country that I want, the citizen is an
adult one who is able to think, decide and take
responsibility by participating in the joint
construction of the country.
And I want to stress this: the times when citizens
were treated like children who are led by the hand,
who are told what to do are over. The days when
people look to the politic parties or public institutions
to know where to walk have come to an end.”
Patxi Lopez, January 14, 2010
“A new social contract between Basques”
http://www.slideshare.net/Irekia/100114-contrato-social-kontratu-sozial
Our region’s President is giving a strong support to the Open
Government strategy, and to this project. I want to quote 2
paragraphs from a speech at the beginning of 2010.
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15. Main objectives
(1) Generating value and wealth
Innovative products by companies, reusers and
citizens in general.
(2) Promoting government transparency
Reuse of data to analyze and evaluate governance.
(3) Interoperability between administrations
New public services using data from different
public bodies.
Although we know that we can expect some more, we are focusing
the project on 3 main goals:
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16. Cutting the Gordian knot
#1: No documents, but data
#2: No authorizations, but free reuse
#3: No information-on-demand, but on-offer
information-on- on-
#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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17. #1: No documents, but data
do it Wisdom
yourself!
Information
Documents
Data
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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18. #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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19. on- on-
#3: No on-demand, but on-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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20. #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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21. Priority in the releasing of data
with reasonable technological sophistication
1.500 datasets
tecnological model
4 stars on a scale of 5 (Berners-Lee)
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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22. A model based on web content
transparency
step:
1st step:
public information = online
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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23. A model based on web content
transparency
collaboration
step:
2nd step:
release of open datasets
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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24. A model based on web content
transparency
collaboration
wealth
innovation
transparency
step:
3rd step:
reuse provides social value
Reusers can make new information and new services, pursuing a new
business, some innovation or transparency and accountability to
control the Government’s actions.
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25. Areas of value
For Governments and civil society (Ton Zijlstra):
• Participation, self empowerment
• Transparency, democratic control
• Better (gov) products and services
• New (gov) products and services
• Policy impact analysis, data journalism
• Efficiency and effectivity of government bodies
• New knowledge
entrepeneurs:
For companies and entrepeneurs:
• 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
some to companies and entrepeneurs.
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26. opendata.euskadi.net
If I had some time yet, we can take a glimpse to our website,
opendata.euskadi.net.
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27. “one stop shop” for reusers
shop”
1.500
datasets
Every department or body in the Basque Government is responsible
for their datasets. We provide a gate, an “one stop shop” which
makes easier to find and download all the stuff.
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28. Types of data released
• Official statistics
• Geographic data, maps, orthophoto ...
• Environmental information
• Meteorology
• Tourism resources
• Tenders
• Grants and subsidies
• Other procedures
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29. More datasets
• Data on management
• Data of common interest to many
applications
• Data on human rights
• Translation memories into basque
language
• The incidence of real-time traffic
• Election results
• Location of health care resources
• Atlas of mortality
•…
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30. Some extras
As an example of reuse, some products have
been developed:
– Weather forecast widget
– Map of traffic incidences
– Search for grants and subsidies in real
time
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31. Participation and learning
We have a blog and a twitter profile to boost participation and to
share knowledge between reusers and government. If you develop a
new service with data from Open Data Euskadi, we will give publicity
here.
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32. A success case
on top!
Modestly, but honestly, we think ours is a success case. I fell more
than happy every time I put “open data” in google.es and see that
“open data euskadi” is just on top.
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33. Keys to success
1. Highest political leadership
2. Short-term releasing the maximum number of datasets.
3. First datasets of maximum utility and minimum difficulty
4. Making the project sustainable, with moderate levels of
investment and spending
5. Providing good web content, usable and
understandable, before making it available as open
data.
6. Structured formats and standards.
7. Listen and involve reusers in order to meet their needs.
8. Advance the technological model, without seeking the
leadership in this regard.
9. Permanent Beta: flexibility in response to the changing
environment.
Let me share with you which are the keys that explain our success.
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34. Hatching a global movement
CTIC Foundation: http://datos.fundacionctic.org/sandbox/catalog/faceted/
To finish, I have two conclusions: one positive and another one
negative.
The positive one is that Open Government Data is growing
quickly, and it is a global movement yet. And Europe can claim
some leadership in this issue.
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35. Lilacs out of the dead land
CTIC Foundation: http://datos.fundacionctic.org/sandbox/catalog/faceted/
The negative one is summarized in this verse form “The Waste Land”,
by TS Elliot: “lilacs out of the dead land”. In fact, we have only
isolated examples of open data policies, like lost islands all over an
empty ocean. And there is not any coordination between the islands.
So, reusers can’t do a good work out of europen data.
I think that nowaday priorities are:
- releasing much many datasets
- coordinate which data must be released everywere and with which
format
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36. mila esker | thank you
Alberto Ortiz de Zárate
a-ortizdezarate@ej-gv.es
http://eadminblog.net
linkedin.com/in/alorza
@alorza
Ready for your questions!
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