[euopendata] Terminology: PSI-data vs Open Data

Wed Jan 12 08:32:30 UTC 2011

Hi!

I am back at work from parental leave and started digging into
Sweden's approach to open data. Initial findings suggest that there
are many who confuse the terms "open data" and "PSI". It mainly boils
down to the concept of "free".

The PSI directive does not require data to be free of charge (it has
provisions to deal with transparent pricing though). Although there is
not a universally accepted formal definition of "Open data" most
people who are working in this area consider a price of 0 to be a
requirement.

How can we make sure more people understand these differences? The
term "PSI" is getting a lot of traction within the government sector
and it is easy for people to believe that thay are dealing with "open
data" when, in fact, they may be far from it.

Regards,

Peter Krantz
http://www.opengov.se