1. data.gov.uk : how did we do it?
Professor Nigel Shadbolt
UK Open Data Advisor
16th March 2011
Paris
Nigel Shadbolt

2. A race always helps…
data.gov online Open Government data.gov relaunch
January 1, 2009
December 8, 2009
Openness will strengthen
May 21, 2010
May 21, 2009
our democracy and promote Directive released with semantic web
57 Data Sets ~2000 Data Sets featured
efficiency and effectiveness
in Government.
--- President Obama
2010 …
2009
June, 2010
~6000 Data Sets
January 19, 2010
~3000 Data Sets
June30,2009
Putting Govt Data data.gov.uk online
online- Semantic Web and
Data.gov.uk beta Linked Data enabled
2005

3. “Where there is no vision the people
perish” Proverbs 29,18
Cholera Bicycling traffic
cases accidents

4. Open Data is not partisan
• Tim Berners-Lee and myself
appointed 9th June 2009 and set
about creating data.gov.uk
• Open Data referenced in both
main UK party manifestos
• Reappointed to Public Sector
Transparency Board June 2010
• Governments, local authorities,
cities releasing data

5. Promote Open Data at all levels: the state,
regions and cities

6. Use a range of arguments
• Transparency
• Accountability
• Engagement
• Improve Public Services
• Efficiency – better for less
• Economic and social value
• Government as a platform

7. Publish and the apps come

8. Publish data that matters…

9. In the UK most recently crime….

10. Embed Public Data Principles
• Data release driven by public and
businesses
• Publish the data unless good
reason not to
• Public data will be timely and fine
grained
• Public data will be published in
reusable, machine-readable form
• Release data quickly, and then
re-publish it in linked data form
• Public data will be released under
the same open licence which
enables free reuse, including
commercial reuse….

11. Support the journey to stardom
Put your data on the Web (any format)
Make it available as structured data
Use open, standard formats
Use URLs to identify things
Link your data to other people s data

12. data.gov.uk 5 Linked Data
• National digital
infrastructure being built
• URIs for schools, roads,
bus stops, post codes,
admin boundaries...
• Some of the data links
across and connects
other data together
• Key data link points exist

13. Connect to the Web of Linked Open Data

14. Challenges – Infrastructure
• There will be a very
great deal of data….
• Who pays the cost of
supporting it?
• Where will the data
Shutterstock
live?

15. Challenges – Quality
• Uk NaPTAN (public
access transport
points)
• Includes 360,00 bus
stops
• Around 18,000 errors

16. Challenges – Quality
• UK NaPTAN (public
access transport
points)
• Includes 360,00 bus
stops
• Around 18,000 errors
• Which can be crowd
source improved

17. Challenges – Interpretation
• Trust people with the
data
• They might interpret it
in unexpected ways
• Do they have the skills?
• New levels of data
literacy

18. Challenges – Security & Privacy

19. Lessons
• Use TD, BU, MO • Use open standards
• Use agile methods • Use public data principles
• Use open source • Use the community
• Use open licences • Saisir l’occasion