Lse open data construction and critiques

Open government data: construction and critiques...

Open data: construction and critiques

Version 1 - 21st February 2012 - LSE Digital Media Futures Course Guest Lecture
tim.davies@soton.ac.uk | @timdavies | http://www.timdavies.org.uk


Part 1: 5 perspectives on open data

Part 2: Unpacking open government data

Part 3: How did we get to here?

Part 4: Claims and critiques

Endnotes: Where next?



Part 1:
5 perspectives on open data



1. Open data is a set of policies
and practices



Open data should be...

Accessible
Place data online

Standardised
.csv, .xml, .txt
Use common formats

Re-usable
Use open licenses



2. Open data is a response to changing
technologies, and societies



Diagram from ‘Open Data, Democracy and Public Sector Reform’, Tim Davies, 2010 -
http://practicalparticipation.co.uk/odi/report/2010/2-3-data-and-information/#3
Technical change: Bandwidth and processing capacity to work with data
has grown. We can share all layers, not just analysed information. This
creates conditions, and demand, for open data.

Social change: As authority becomes decoupled from institutions, more
people outside the establishment want to check on the basis of ‘evidence
based practice’. We want to create our own representations, not just accept
those provided by others.



3. Open data is what open data does



Most people’s direct
experience (and idea) of open
data is of mash-ups,
visualisations, websites and
mobile apps

Map of Esmee Fairbairn Grantmaking based on scraped data and OpenCharities.org datasets; Live Tube Map from http://traintimes.org.uk/map/tube/
Bubble chart from http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/datablog/interactive/2011/dec/06/england-riots-crimes-arrested



4. Open data is a philosophy
& a movement



On the one hand, recent decades have seen an elaboration of ideas of
Intellectual Property, and an emphasis on information as a valuable
commercial asset: owned and enclosed by governments or corporations. On the
other, open source ideas and a reaction to this new era of enclosure have inspired
revitalised movements for access to knowledge (A2K) and an information
commons. Openness is seen as both an ethical good, and the only way to
support global collaboration on the issues that matter.


5. Open data is a foundation
for a collaborative web



World Wide Web leader, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, envisaged a web not just of
documents, but also of datasets - allowing people to collaborate with less friction
across organisational boundaries.

A web of open data is the next step of ‘weaving the web’.


Recap: 5 perspectives on open data

1. Open data is a set of policies and practices

2. Open data is a response to changing technologies, and
societies

3. Open data is what open data does

4. Open data is a philosophy and a movement

5. Open data is a foundation for a collaborative web



Part 2:
Unpacking open government data



Open government data

• We make decisions based on information
• Information = data + context
• Data = encoded information
• Data can be manipulated by computers: sorted, ﬁltered,
remixed and turned back into information in diverse ways




Data as a representation of the world...



There are many contemporary narratives about ‘data’...



Raw data




Big data Raw data




Big data Raw data

MiData




Big data Raw data

Linked data MiData




Open data Big data Raw data

Linked data MiData




Open data Big data Raw data

Linked data MiData ...



• Governments have historically taken on a monopoly role
as data collectors

• Government data collection shapes as well as records the
world

• The government data that is available is the product of
political decisions

• Is a government monopoly on data collection still
necessary?



http://opendeﬁnition.org/okd/

Access; Redistribution; Re-use;
No DRM; Attribution; Integrity;
Non-discrimination...



http://opendeﬁnition.org/okd/

Access; Redistribution; Re-use;
No DRM; Attribution; Integrity;
Non-discrimination...

http://web.idrc.ca/uploads/user-S/12271304441Open_ICT4D_Draft.pdf



Part 3:
How did we get to here?



April 2003 May 2008 February 2009
Advisory Panel on Public Sector July 2005 “Models of Public Sector Information Final Power of Information
Information (APPSI) is Re-use of Public Sector Provision via Trading Report published.
established to advise on and Information directive comes into Funds” (Newbury, Pollock et. al 2008)
encourage “opportunities in the force. published alongside the 2008 UK
information industry for greater Budget which included commitment to June 2008
re-use of public sector ensure information from Trading Show Us a Better Way competition
information”. Funds “is made available as widely as announced.
March 2006
possible for use in downstream
Guardian 'Free
markets”
Our Data'
October 2008
June 2004 campaign is
Apps for Democracy
TheyWorkForYou.com is launched.
programme run to encourage
launched at NotCon '04 using
re-use of data from the DC
data on political decision making
data catalogue.
scraped from the Hansard March 2008
website. The site is later Interim Power of Information
adopted by MySociety.org. report published and Power of
November 2003 Information taskforce
European Public Sector established
Information Directive is
adopted. States must
implement it by July 2005.
2003 2005 2007
J F M A M J J A S O N D J F M A M J J A S O N D J F M A M J J A S O N D J F M A M J J A S O N D J F M A M J J A S O N D J F M A M J J A S O

2004 2006 2008
Key January 2007
January 2005 Power of Information Report July 2008
Government Led UK Freedom of commissioned. Co-authored by MySociety Office of Public Sector
Information Act June 2006 director Tom Steinberg and Ed Mayo. Information Data Unlocking
comes fully into MEPSIR (Measuring EU Public Service is launched.
Community Led US
force. Sector Information Resources)
Study estimates mean potential October 2007
Research Europe The District of Columbia launch
value from PSI re-use across
Europe at €27bn. the first major government data January 2009
catalogue bringing together data President Obama issues Me
Milestone Event Other Events formerly published in different on Transparency and Open
areas of the DC website, and Government as one of his fir
creating pressure for the release acts in Office.
of further data.
#opendata Timeline
February 2009 March 2009
Focussing on UK Open Government Data Tim Berners-Lee talks to the Raw Data on C
TED Conference about the need released throu
for Raw Data Now from Innovate progr
governments. mash-ups are
Draft 0.1 by @timdavies for Open Data Impacts cycle data is fr
an example of
research project: http://www.practicalparticipation.co.uk/odi/ releasing raw d

Please credit and link to the URL above. Direct any enquiries to tim@practicalparticipation.co.uk
Access and add to the underlying data at http://bit.ly/ak4gYx



y 2008 February 2009 March 2009 September 2009 March 2010
dels of Public Sector Information Final Power of Information First Rewired State The Cabinet Office Director of Further Rewired State events
vision via Trading Report published. Hack the Digital Engagement issues a call take place, with backing and
ds” (Newbury, Pollock et. al 2008) Government Day for developers to help test the funding from UK Government
ished alongside the 2008 UK held in the UK, new Data.gov.uk site launched departments.
get which included commitment to June 2008 with 80 developers in developers beta. The launch
ure information from Trading Show Us a Better Way competition building includes a number of datasets in
announced. applications - RDF. May 2010
ds “is made available as widely as
many of which Prime Minister David Cameron
sible for use in downstream
involved scraping sends a letter to government
kets”
October 2008 government data. departments asking for specific
Apps for Democracy December 2009 action on opening up
programme run to encourage Putting the Frontline First government data and
re-use of data from the DC strategy commits government to establishes a new 'Transparency
data catalogue. greater openness in the release Board' to include Tim Berners-
March 2008 of data. The report also Lee, Nigel Shadbolt, Tom
Interim Power of Information establishes a Local Data Panel Steinberg (Founder of
report published and Power of to focus in the release of local MySociety) & Rufus Pollock
Information taskforce authority data.
established
June 2010
COINS (UK Government
Spending) dataset released.
2007 2009 2010
A M J J A S O N D J F M A M J J A S O N D J F M A M J J A S O N D J F M A M J J A S O N D J F M A M J J A S O N D

2008
January 2007
Power of Information Report July 2008 January 2010
commissioned. Co-authored by MySociety Office of Public Sector Data.gov.uk officially launched and
director Tom Steinberg and Ed Mayo. Information Data Unlocking made availble to all. London also
Service is launched. launches datastore for the capital.

October 2007
December 2009
The District of Columbia launch April 2010
The US Open Government Directive
the first major government data January 2009 Ordnance Survey release
establishes deadlines for US
catalogue bringing together data President Obama issues Memo significant GeoData as open data
Government Departments to get more
formerly published in different on Transparency and Open following a long 'Free our data'
information online.
areas of the DC website, and Government as one of his first campaign by the Guardian, and
creating pressure for the release acts in Office. consistent calls from developers
of further data. for better access to geodata.
June 2009
Tim Berners-Lee and Nigel Shadbolt
February 2009 March 2009
appointed as advisors to the UK Government
Tim Berners-Lee talks to the Raw Data on Cycle Accidents
on opening up access to government data.
TED Conference about the need released through the Directgov
for Raw Data Now from Innovate programme. A range of
governments. mash-ups are created, and the
cycle data is frequently cited as May 2009
an example of the potential of Data.gov launched in the US
releasing raw data. with 47 datasets.



Proliferation
of open data initiatives July 2011:
across the world Open Public Services
white paper
Continued UK Gov
transparency September 2011:
drive Open Government Partnership
launch

April 2011:
Data.gov faces funding
cuts
August 2010: July 2011:
Web foundation launch opendata.go.ke
OGD programme



Open (government) data movements

• The Public Sector Information (PSI)
lobby

• Access to Information / Freedom of Information (FOI)
• Civic hacker / digitising government / computerisation
movement


Part 4:
Claims and critiques



“Open data will revitalise democratic
engagement.”

Eric Pickles, Communities Secretary

Quote from Eric Pickles, quoted at http://www.edemocracyblog.com/political-blog/accountability-open-data-and-democracy/



“Secondly, one of the common justiﬁcations for opening government
data is that it obviates the need for intermediary organizations, and
empowers individual citizens by providing direct access to the
information government itself uses to make decisions. This basic mistrust
of bureaucratic organization is reﬂected in the frequent claim made by
technologists that governments should simply release the raw data and
leave others to get on with the job of using it. Although this may be
relatively successful as a model for producing socially- and economically-
valuable software, this paper has suggested it has yet to prove its worth
as a model for political action. “
Mcclean, T. (2011). Not with a Bang but a Whimper The Politics of Accountability
and Open Data in the UK.



“Open government data will support economic
growth.”



“Open government data will support
accountability and efﬁciency”

Just the dataset? Raw data has to go through a lot of steps before it’s usable.
Do open data initiatives have a responsibility to support those steps?


“Open government data will support
accountability and efficiency”
Constraint:
Improve Data imperfect
Open Data Quality data

API or Complement:
Cleaned Geospatial or
Cleaned Data
Data Dump Structured data

Interlocking S1
Human -> Materia
Complement:
Improve
Linkable Contextual
Analytics,
Data Understanding Visualisation
= physical artefact

Interlocking S2
= material agency Material -> Human
Source Code Mashups & Complement:
and Apps
Configurations Open source

= human agency

Interlocking S3
Human -> Material
Shared Code Libraries Complement:
Code &
Configurations Existing
Repository Services

Service Integration
Technology
(c) George Kuk and Tim Davies, 2011
Adapted from draft of Assembling Open Data Complementarities for Service Innovation. Available at:
http://www.practicalparticipation.co.uk/odi/2011/02/what-supports-the-sustainable-re-use-of-open-data/

Just the dataset? Raw data has to go through a lot of steps before it’s usable.
Do open data initiatives have a responsibility to support those steps?


“...for “open data” to have a meaningful and supportive impact on the poor
and marginalized, direct intervention is required to ensure that elements
currently absent in the local technology and social ecosystem are in fact, made
available”
Gurstein, M. B. (2011). Open data: Empowering the empowered or effective data use
for everyone? First Monday, 16(2).



So: is open government data good or bad for democracy
and society?



Recap

Part 1: 5 perspectives on open data

Part 2: Unpacking open government data

Part 3: How did we get to here?

Part 4: Claims and critiques





• It’s still early days for open government data. Key
questions remain over the sorts of production, and
reform engagement it will support in practice.

• Research is getting going - but faces a research
paradox.
• The openness of open data can hide the trails we might use to
trace it’s impacts

• The ‘movement’ is going global: and encountering
new ideas and challenges in the process.



More at:

http://www.opendataimpacts.net

E-mail: tim.davies@soton.ac.uk


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