This document discusses the importance and benefits of open data. It notes that data is essential for decision making and accountability but that often data and discussions happen without the full picture. It highlights increasing sources of data and a UN call for a data revolution. The document advocates for Sri Lanka to open government data in line with sustainable development goals the country has committed to. It provides examples of initial open data efforts in Sri Lanka and argues more needs to be done, including developing data literacy.

1. Open Data
+ Open Government
+ Open Minds!
Remarks by
By Nalaka Gunawardene
nalakagunawardene.com

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Are you curious?
Do you sometimes wonder…
 What does it cost us the public
each day Parliament meets?
 How many trishaws/3-wheelers
are running on our roads?
 Just how bad are continuing
losses by SriLankan Airlines &
MihinAir? (LKR billions)
 Who pays for Lanka’s ‘free
education’?

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Conversations in the Dark?
 Often times, we
guess, or just
extrapolate from
what we know
 Often we miss out
the Bigger Picture!
 NOT GOOD ENOUGH
for policy debates!

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Data sources multiplying!
 Remote sensing & sat imagery
 Biometric data
 GIS tracking
 Facilities-based data
 Household surveys
 Social media
 Crowd-sourcing
 Many other channels

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UN: “We Need a Data Revolution!”
“Data are the
lifeblood of
decision-making
and the raw
material for
accountability!”

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2015: Year We Rediscover
The Joy of Stats?
“…Without high-quality data
providing the right information on
the right things at the right time;
designing, monitoring and
evaluating effective policies
becomes almost impossible.” -
Report of UN SG’s Independent
Expert Advisory Group on a Data
Revolution for Sustainable
Development (IEAG), Nov 2014

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Report recommended…
 global consensus on principles and
standards;
 sharing of technology and innovation
for the common good;
 dedication of new resources for data
capacity development;
 establishment of a UN-led Global
Partnership for Sustainable
Development; and
 establishment of a ‘SDG (Sustainable
Development Goal) Data Lab’

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Never Say Never Again?
“Never again should it be
possible to say ‘we didn’t
know’. No one should be
invisible. This is the world
we want – a world that
counts.”
Full Report:
www.undatarevolution.org/
report/

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Data underpins SDGs, just adopted
by govts of the world

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Sri Lanka just committed to SDGs
 17 SDGs, adopted at
Sustainable Dev Summit
2015 held at UN HQ, NY
 Addressed by President
Maithripala Sirisena
 Implicit: LKA Govt accept
reasoning behind SDGs,
incl. Data 4 Development
  Open Data in LK Govt?

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We ask Maithripala Sirisena:
OPEN Your Govt’s Data, Mr Prez!
HAL 9000’s
famous
answer to
“Open the
pod bay
door, HAL”

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In 2001: A Space Odyssey, astronauts
unplugged unresponsive HAL 9000…

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And in Sri Lanka, we citizens
unplugged MR govt on 8 Jan 2015!

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“Why do you need Right to Info (RTI)?
Ask me whatever you want to know!”
Former LKA President Rajapaksa to editors

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Does ANT Govt want citizens to
know too much? Probably not!

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An apt description of LKA state
sector’s PUBLIC data custodians?
Dog in the manger attitude?

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RTI is coming (we sure hope so!)
But Are We Ready?
“To draw an analogy from water
management, opening sluice gates of
a water reservoir can benefit only if
the downstream systems are in place
and the users are ready. With both
water and information, recipients
need to know how to make the best
use of what comes through.”
- Nalaka Gunawardene
Daily Mirror op-ed 14 Sep 2015

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https://www.data.gov.lk

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8 Principles of Open Data
1. Data Must Be Complete
2. Data Must Be Primary
3. Data Must Be Timely
4. Data Must Be Accessible
5. Data Must Be Machine-processable
6. Access Must Be Non-Discriminatory
7. Data Formats Must Be Non-Proprietary
8. Data Must Be License-free

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Open Data Portal of the
Govt of Sri Lanka
As of 15 Oct 2015, has 89 datasets…
 Census & Statistics Dept: 43 datasets
 Central Bank of Sri Lanka: 12
 Info & Communications Tech Agency: 10
 Sri Lanka Police: 10
 Dept of Motor Traffic: 5
 Import & Export Dept, SL Bureau of Foreign
Employment: 3 each
 Board of Investments: 2

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From Dept of Census & Statistics
http://nada.statistics.gov.lk/index.php/

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Lanka Datta
http://nada.statistics.gov.lk/index.php/
 Backed by Dept of Census and Statistics -
central statistical agency in Sri Lanka,
LankaDatta disseminates relevant, reliable
and up-to-date statistical information
being produced by the Agencies in the
National Statistical System of Sri Lanka
while preserving strict confidentiality of
the respondents.

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Lanka Datta public data portal:
Collections as at 15 Oct 2015
 Demography: 90 datasets
 Education: 27 datasets
 Health: 7 datasets
 Agriculture: 75 datasets
 Socio-economic: 93 datasets
 Industries: 30 datasets
 Trade: 36 datasets
 Other (transport, tsunami, etc): 29

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Are these harbingers of Govt
opening public data collections?
 Useful baby steps…
 But woefully inadequate
 Not clear if Govt of LKA as
a whole is committed to
proactive sharing of
public data and info
 Needs clarity and uniform
approach to Open Data

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What about geo-spatial data?
“We need to democratise maps
everywhere in South Asia. For
too long, maps have been
produced and distributed by a
few and among a few!”
- Sudarshan Rodriguez,
prog manager, Tata Institute of
Social Sciences (TISS), India

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Maps for All?
Not yet in Sri Lanka!

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Open your treasure trove of maps,
Mr Surveyor General!
 LKA Civil War ended, 6+ yrs ago:
Restricting access to detailed maps
no longer justified!
 Make available not just paper
maps, but also geo-spatial data
 At AFFORDABLE prices
 With MINIMUM procedure!
 MAKE Lanka a Map-using Nation!

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LKA needs Open Data Policy
for entire public sector!
 India’s Dept of Science and
Technology issued a National
Policy on Data Sharing and
Accessibility (NPDSA) in 2012:
ALL governmental agencies --
including public universities –
MUST publicly share data
generated using public funds AND
in specified DIGITAL formats.
 http://dst.gov.in/nsdi.html

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What about demand-side
of Open Data?
 Data is useless without
skills to analyse it
 Many among us scared of
numbers (avoid use)
 Need to promote Data
Literacy among LKA civil
soc, media and citizens at
large

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Are we Data Literate?
 The Sunday
Times, 11 Oct
2015
 Visualising LKA
budget data
helps us to
better see govt
priorities

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Millions and Billions:
Just what do they MEAN?
Visualising
Data helps
many of us
see the
bigger
picture

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Data needs to be accessible!
Cartoon by Dharshana Karunathilake

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Finally…

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Twitter: @NalakaG
My Ravaya columns archived online:
http://nalakagunawardene.com/ravaya-column/
nalakagunawardene.com
We need all 3:
Open Data + Open Govt
+ Open Minds!