According to central Government, Open Data has the potential to drive both social and economic growth, harnessing public sector information which is often unanalysed and under-used.
The concept is already seeing innovative smartphone applications built by UK technology start ups, enabling local governments to communicate with their constituencies.
In a speech last year to the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives (SOLACE) annual summit, cabinet minister Francis Maud said councils that harness the power of Open Data will ‘forge ahead’, creating ‘smarter, more connected, more prosperous towns and cities’.
Local authorities including Birmingham and Coventry are already embracing Open Data’s benefits. City Camp Coventry actively encourages and enables local government, businesses, community organisations and academia to share knowledge, web technologies and experience.
Meanwhile, in Birmingham, the Civic Dashboard uses mapping to see where problems are coming from.
Open Data saves money, helping to make bureaucracy and administration more efficient in their own right, says Paul Maltby, the Cabinet Office’s newly-appointed director for transparency and open data. ‘It helps make public services look good to the public, such as providing apps on your phone to tell you when the bus will arrive,’ he says.
Open Data also boosts the economy, as it enables small tech companies and start ups to create smartphone applications for a widespread audience. ‘We know Open Data is out there and people are using it,’ says Maltby. ‘The team are always finding new websites and apps that are using the concept.’
As such, around 250 apps are currently in use from Open Data -13 of which are for local government - under categories such as weather and transport.
One iPhone app, London Bus Checker, features a live countdown for each stop, while roadworks.org works with local authorities to alert members of the public to roadworks and associated disruption. Meanwhile, Fixmystreet is an interaction between residents who have spotted local environmental problems and their local authorities.
Maltby, who is responsible for delivering the UK’s commitment to openness, has high hopes for digital technologies and Open Data at local authority level. However, he admits there are barriers to widespread adoption and there is often a disparity between local and central government.
The jump to Open Data might be substantial for many councils, Maltby says, but the cost savings make it worthwhile. He says: ‘It’s the easy efficiency savings. We are looking at how services are provided and local governments can look at things they didn’t have the technology possibilities for before. It’s a new technology and sector and way of doing things - do people know it’s there and what the possibilities are?’
Malby also thinks Open Data will appeal to the average man on the street. He says: ‘I think some of the ways transport information is used makes sense to real people.’
Then there are more specific challenges. ‘I’ve seen the kind of financial pressure in local authorities and also the amount of change that’s going on,’ says Maltby. But he adds: ‘Look at Birmingham. People must see a different way of doing business. I am very aware of local governments looking at this - there are real savings to be made.’ As a result, the Local Government Association (LGA) has been working with technology experts and civil servants to find out what can be achieved. Maltby points to the analyst in local governments as an often unseen expert.
He says: ‘The analyst in local government, who is sometimes tucked away upstairs, knows about Open Data and he or she can now become more centre stage, helping with this new technology and way of doing things.’
A cost that often holds councils back is the need to “clear up” the data. Maltby points to the Government’s Open Breakthrough Fund to help local authorities who want to look into Open Data.
Meanwhile, the Open Data Institute in East London, which launched in December 2012, aims to bridge the gap between the public and developers. Other resources available include the LGA and the Local Government Insight section on the website.
Open Data and the new trend for “Big Data” - analysing data and using it to save money - could be a coup for many organisations, says Matlby. He cites an example of Open Data in action involving a company called Mastodon C - a London based start up - which used information from the NHS prescription data base and compared branded and generic drug prices.
As a result, the firm discovered £200m of savings could be made. ‘That’s the sort of thing the Open Data Institute has done,’ Maltby says. ‘Economically you’ve got a company that will do well, but it’s also about putting money back into the public sector.’
Many are already starting to collaborate to make Open Data a reality, including the Open Data User Group (ODUG), end users, the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG), developers, and many local governments themselves.
The UK has also become co-chair of the Open Government Partnership, testament to its aim to lead the Open Data revolution. ‘The UK is among 58 countries across the world which are members, and are committed to Open Data,’ says Maltby.
And if momentum continues, the move to Open Data is inevitable. Maltby says: ‘We might be early on but Open Data is already transforming things. We know there’s efficiency savings to be made; there’s economic growth here; and there are more ways of doing government.’
