The Open Data journey explained
You’re probably no stranger to the buzzword Big Data, right? If you are then unfortunately this article can’t help you with that but let me introduce you to new Data on the business circuit these days, Open Data.
Often referred to as anonymised public data, Open Data can be freely used, modified, and shared by anyone for any purpose. The drive for transparency, accountability and efficiency in Government has resulted in a growing number of Open Data releases covering areas such as health, crime, property and the census. Open Data has evolved into a global movement and businesses are recognising its value and more importantly the commercial benefits of Open Data.
Notable accelerators in the Open Data Movement include Barack Obama’s declarationon his first day in office in 2009 that all public data is open by default, and the G8 signing of the Open Data Charter in June 2013 declaring all data be open by default and freely used, modified, and shared by anyone for any purpose.
As the hum of global interest and the availability of data increases exponentially, momentum and appetite within the UK is being driven more forcibly by the Cabinet Office with all the parties supporting data transparency in their election manifestos. Currently the UK leads the world in the quantity and quality of the data it is releasing.
