[euopendata] Open data, public sector financing model and data quality?

[Peter Krantz]

Hi!

I was recently involved in a discussion on how the financing model of
a data producing agency could impact data quality. The discussion went
something like this:

Switching the financing model of an agency from charging for data to
government funding makes it a target for future spending cuts. This
would likely lower the quality of data since:

a. Spending cuts come att irregular intervals when politicians may
need money in another sector. That may make it difficult to provide
high quality data over time.
b. If data was free there is lower external pressure to provide high
quality data.
c. If quality is lowered it will impact other areas of the public
sector where the data is used.

Are there any studies that have looked into the data quality aspects
in relation to the way a public sector agency is funded?

One article that touches on the topic is: http://www.openaid.de/de/node/8716

Regards,

Peter