[okfn-discuss] "Government takes next steps towards online future"

Fri May 8 11:50:21 UTC 2009

Great news! Thanks for forwarding Yishay...

-- 
Jonathan Gray

Community Coordinator
The Open Knowledge Foundation
http://www.okfn.org

On Fri, May 8, 2009 at 1:47 PM, Yishay Mor <yishaym at gmail.com> wrote:
> http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/newsroom/news_releases/2009/090507_poi.aspx
>
> Minister for Digital Engagement Tom Watson today outlined the next steps in
> the Government's Power of Information programme.
>
> In a speech to the NESTA / UNESCO Public Service Media 2009 Conference the
> Minister announced plans for an overhaul of Crown Copyright rules that will
> make it easier for citizens to re-use Government information, and new
> standards that will improve the quality of official websites.
>
> Tom Watson MP said:
>
> “Just over a year ago ‘Power of Information’ was simply a 15-page document.
> Today it's an integral part of the way the Government does business. We'll
> be formally responding to the PoI Taskforce's excellent report shortly, but
> I'm delighted to say that some of their recommendations are already taking
> form.
>
> “They say information is power, but only distributed information is truly
> empowering. That's why the Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI)
> [External website] has looked again at the restrictions of Crown Copyright,
> and now a licence will automatically be granted to anyone wanting to use the
> information rather than having to apply beforehand. This will makes things
> easier for the kind of innovative individuals who entered Show Us a Better
> Way to access the data they need to create brilliant new applications. OPSI
> has also shown how Government can publish in a ‘web-friendly’ way rather
> than just as PDFs, and I want to see this approach rolled out across
> Government.
>
> “The Central Office of Information [External website] has done outstanding
> work in reducing the number of websites and making those that are left more
> accessible. Today I'm pleased to announce that COI is launching new
> standards on quality to make Government sites as effective and easy to use
> as possible.”
>
>
> ___________________________
>  Yishay Mor, Researcher, London Knowledge Lab
>   http://www.lkl.ac.uk/people/mor.html
>   http://www.google.com/calendar/embed?src=yishaym%40gmail.com
>   +44-20-78378888 x5737
>