The document discusses the development of OpenlyLocal, a project that aggregates and publishes local UK government data as open data. It summarizes that 18 months ago, little local data was available, but OpenlyLocal now scrapes data from over 150 council websites and combines it with other sources. This data, including information on councilors, meetings, and spending over £500, is now available under an open license. UK government is also increasingly committing to open data and a "Right to Data" at all levels.

1. OpenlyLocal & open
local data in the UK
Turin, Italy, December 3

2. OpenlyLocal & open
local data in the UK
Chris Taggart
Turin, Italy, December 3

3. OpenlyLocal & open
local data in the UK
Chris Taggart
•Developer of OpenlyLocal & OpenCharities
Turin, Italy, December 3

4. OpenlyLocal & open
local data in the UK
Chris Taggart
•Developer of OpenlyLocal & OpenCharities
•Member of UK government’s Local Public Data Panel
Turin, Italy, December 3

5. OpenlyLocal & open
local data in the UK
Chris Taggart
•Developer of OpenlyLocal & OpenCharities
•Member of UK government’s Local Public Data Panel
•Member of London’s Digital Advisory Board
Turin, Italy, December 3

6. OpenlyLocal & open
local data in the UK
Chris Taggart
•Developer of OpenlyLocal & OpenCharities
•Member of UK government’s Local Public Data Panel
•Member of London’s Digital Advisory Board
twitter @countculture, blog countculture.wordpress.com
Turin, Italy, December 3

7. Where we were 18 months ago

8. Where we were 18 months ago
• No data published by local government or other
local bodies

9. Where we were 18 months ago
• No data published by local government or other
local bodies
• Small amount of local data published by central
government

10. Where we were 18 months ago
• No data published by local government or other
local bodies
• Small amount of local data published by central
government
• Basic info (list of councils, who councillors are,
dates of meetings) not available as data

11. Where we were 18 months ago
• No data published by local government or other
local bodies
• Small amount of local data published by central
government
• Basic info (list of councils, who councillors are,
dates of meetings) not available as data
• Difficult to use council websites

12. Enter OpenlyLocal

13. Enter OpenlyLocal
• Screen-scrapes the basic information from council
websites – who the councillors are, committee
membership, areas they represent

14. Enter OpenlyLocal
• Screen-scrapes the basic information from council
websites – who the councillors are, committee
membership, areas they represent
• Combines with data from central government –
statistical info, demographics, boundaries

15. Enter OpenlyLocal
• Screen-scrapes the basic information from council
websites – who the councillors are, committee
membership, areas they represent
• Combines with data from central government –
statistical info, demographics, boundaries
• Over 150 councils covered, 10,000 councillors,
50,000 meetings

16. Enter OpenlyLocal
• Screen-scrapes the basic information from council
websites – who the councillors are, committee
membership, areas they represent
• Combines with data from central government –
statistical info, demographics, boundaries
• Over 150 councils covered, 10,000 councillors,
50,000 meetings
• Directory of hyperlocal community and news sites

17. Enter OpenlyLocal
• Screen-scrapes the basic information from council
websites – who the councillors are, committee
membership, areas they represent
• Combines with data from central government –
statistical info, demographics, boundaries
• Over 150 councils covered, 10,000 councillors,
50,000 meetings
• Directory of hyperlocal community and news sites
• All available as open data (XML, JSON, RDF)
under Open Database Licence

20. RDF JSON XML

23. A battle between cities
to be the most open
• London
• Birmingham
• Windsor & Maidenhead
• London Borough of Redbridge
• Lichfield, Manchester, Warwickshire, Bristol, etc

25. Where we are now

26. Where we are now
• UK government committed to giving public a
‘Right to Data’ at all levels of government

27. Where we are now
• UK government committed to giving public a
‘Right to Data’ at all levels of government
• The new Open Government Licence is
lightweight, fully open, and compatible with
CCBY3.0 and is now recommended for all
public bodies (national and local)

28. Where we are now
• UK government committed to giving public a
‘Right to Data’ at all levels of government
• The new Open Government Licence is
lightweight, fully open, and compatible with
CCBY3.0 and is now recommended for all
public bodies (national and local)
• Local councils have been told to start publishing
all spending over £500, contracts, senior
salaries in open, standard form by January 2011

29. Where we are now
• UK government committed to giving public a
‘Right to Data’ at all levels of government
• The new Open Government Licence is
lightweight, fully open, and compatible with
CCBY3.0 and is now recommended for all
public bodies (national and local)
• Local councils have been told to start publishing
all spending over £500, contracts, senior
salaries in open, standard form by January 2011
• Street-level crime data also being published

30. All being imported
into OpenlyLocal
• Currently imported about €4bn in spending
• Over 340,000 individual payments
• Many matched to real-word companies and
charities – we often know more about council
suppliers than they do themselves

35. Final thoughts

36. Final thoughts
• Our lives are just governed by data, but
increasingly are data

37. Final thoughts
• Our lives are just governed by data, but
increasingly are data
• Without the ability to access, use, reuse data we
are second-class citizens, poor relations to
insiders and corporate interests

38. Final thoughts
• Our lives are just governed by data, but
increasingly are data
• Without the ability to access, use, reuse data we
are second-class citizens, poor relations to
insiders and corporate interests
• Formats, linked data, standards – all are
insignificant compared with an open licence

39. Final thoughts
• Our lives are just governed by data, but
increasingly are data
• Without the ability to access, use, reuse data we
are second-class citizens, poor relations to
insiders and corporate interests
• Formats, linked data, standards – all are
insignificant compared with an open licence
• Open means ability to reuse without
restrictions, including commercially

40. Final thoughts
• Our lives are just governed by data, but
increasingly are data
• Without the ability to access, use, reuse data we
are second-class citizens, poor relations to
insiders and corporate interests
• Formats, linked data, standards – all are
insignificant compared with an open licence
• Open means ability to reuse without
restrictions, including commercially
• Scoreboards can be a simple but effective tool