1. IASSIST 2007 Montreal, May , 2007 Session A2 Open Data and the Common Good Technology Solutions for Difficult Challenges
Pascal Heus
Open Data Foundation

2. Managing open data is challenging!
We are in charge of the data. We support our users but also need to protect our respondents!
We have an information management problem
We want easy access to high quality and well documented data!
We need to collect the information from the producers, preserve it, and provide access to our users!
General Public
Policy Makers
Sponsors
Media/Press
Academic
Business
Government
Producers
Users
Librarians
Many actors & communities with different needs and perspectives
Users: want open access to high quality and well documented data. Need discovery tools.
Public sector, private sector, academics
Producers: prepare the data and need to comply with privacy laws
Data Archives: need to interface with both communities
Policy Makers: need data to measure results and impact and to plan ahead
Sponsors: want to support the most relevant data collection
Public and Media: want access to simple, easy to understand statistics
Solving Information management issues is what ICT & XML are for
Open Data Foundation – IASSIST 2007

3. Open Data Foundation – IASSIST 2007
What is open data?
Answer the needs of producers and users
Fit for use and purpose (high quality):
coherent, consistent, exhaustive, timely, relevant, etc.
Accessible
Discovery, Retrieval
Safe and Secure
Physical access is under control / log
Respondents are protected
Well documented
High quality metadata for casual users, researchers, producers and policy makers
Meets the replication standard
Based on accepted standards / specifications
Open Data Foundation – IASSIST 2007

4. Open Data Foundation – IASSIST 2007
XML Solutions
XML Specs
Well documented data, here we come!
Great, I can provide public metadata!
Academic
Use our specifications and your will be happy! It will harmonize everything.
Producers
Users
Now we can talk to each other!
Government
Sponsors
Librarians
Business
A new actor: the specification/standard settings agencies, consortiums, alliances, etc.
Use XML specifications will solve your problems
User, Producers and Librarians have many reasons to cheer
But….
Policy Makers
General Public
Media/Press
Open Data Foundation – IASSIST 2007

5. Open Data Foundation – IASSIST 2007
The need for Tools
We set specifications and standards. Tools are not our mandate
We produce data not tools! We don’t have the expertise.
XML Specs
Open Data Foundation
Producers
Users
Librarians
We preserve and disseminate data not software! We don’t have the expertise
Software application and guidelines are crucial for the adoption of XML specifications
But very few organizations are developing such tools:
Lack of mandate: most of the agencies are not in the business of developing software
Lack of expertise: even if the would want to, they seldom have the ICT capacity to do so
Lack of coordination: agencies are often locked into their own world and are not particularly interested in the big picture. Someone must be there to coordinate efforts and ensure compatibility
Lack of funding: since the mandate is not there, the money rarely follows. We need a way to raise awareness and funding for tool development
Liability issues: agencies do not want to be held responsible
 Open Data Foundation
Coordinated development of open source tools in an harmonized framework
We use data and software but we don’t build tools! We don’t have the expertise
Open Data Foundation – IASSIST 2007

6. The need for Tools Mandated to develop tools
Provide cross-domain expertise in ICT and statistics
Provide umbrella for coordinated development
Ensure inter-operability
Outline harmonized architecture and environment
Promote open source / maximize reusability
Build global registries
Assume liability
Resources/Fund raising …
Open Data Foundation
Software application and guidelines are crucial for the adoption of XML specifications
But very few organizations are developing such tools:
Lack of mandate: most of the agencies are not in the business of developing software
Lack of expertise: even if the would want to, they seldom have the ICT capacity to do so
Lack of coordination: agencies are often locked into their own world and are not particularly interested in the big picture. Someone must be there to coordinate efforts and ensure compatibility
Lack of funding: since the mandate is not there, the money rarely follows. We need a way to raise awareness and funding for tool development
Liability issues: agencies do not want to be held responsible
 Open Data Foundation
Coordinated development of open source tools in an harmonized framework
Open Data Foundation – IASSIST 2007

7. Open Data Foundation – IASSIST 2007
ODaF Vision
Promote and facilitate the production and use of “open data”
Public metadata, high quality, fully documented, respondent protected, easy to find, accessible in accordance to statistical principles and legislations
Foster a global harmonized framework
Facilitate the flow of data and metadata
Promotes dialog between all stakeholders
The harmonized framework is the key to unlock the data
Unlock the Data!
Open Data Foundation – IASSIST 2007

8. Open Data and the Common Good
Data Confidentiality and the Common Good Julia Lane and Kyle Fennel National Opinion Research Center
The Open Data Environment Chuck Humphrey Canada Research Data Center University of Alberta
Walking the Wire: How Technology Helps Us Achieve the Correct Balance Arofan Gregory and Jostein Ryssevik Open Data Foundation
Open Data Foundation – IASSIST 2007