[okfn-discuss] Defining open data - blog post

Thu Oct 3 23:03:53 UTC 2013

Found via DuckDuckGo:

http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2010/jul/16/data-plural-singular

But in *this* case it is more clearly "is" in terms of the way we're using
"data" in the definition. It's a mass noun like "software" not "softwares"
but clearly there's debate.

I agree the simple one-sentence definition is good

--
Aaron Wolf
wolftune.com

On Thu, Oct 3, 2013 at 3:30 PM, Gene Shackman <eval_gene at yahoo.com> wrote:

> "Open data is data that can be freely used, shared and built-on by anyone,
> anywhere for any purpose."
>
> This says it all. This is the best definition, it is clear and easy to
> understand. Everything else is just details.
>
> All the stuff about how the data should be available (e.g., machine
> readable, human readable, should have clear dictionaries, etc), where it
> should be, who should present it, how much of it should be available, etc.,
> all that stuff is detail.
>
> Any documents about open/free/libre data should start with this simple,
> clear, short statement.
>
> Just one comment. Should it be "Open data are" rather than "Open data is"?
> Let's see, "the open internet is" but "free websites are"
>
> Gene
>
>
>  ------------------------------
>  *From:* Luis Villa <luis at lu.is>
> *To:* Open Knowledge Foundation discussion list <
> okfn-discuss at lists.okfn.org>
> *Sent:* Thursday, October 3, 2013 11:29 AM
> *Subject:* Re: [okfn-discuss] Defining open data - blog post
>
> Nifty. Anything in particular motivate this now?
>
> Luis
>
>
> On Thu, Oct 3, 2013 at 7:17 AM, Laura James <laura.james at okfn.org> wrote:
>
> *All, *
> **
> ****
> **
> ****
> * *
> **
> *
> *
> *We just posted about "Defining Open Data" on the Open Knowledge
> Foundation blog - setting out a clear and accessible explanation
> (hopefully!).  There will be more posts about the Open Definition and how
> it relates to other open principles in the next few days.*
>
> http://blog.okfn.org/2013/10/03/defining-open-data/
>
> Laura
>
> *
> *
> *
> *
> *
> *
> *Open data is data that can be freely used, shared and built-on by
> anyone, anywhere for any purpose*. This is the summary of the full Open
> Definition <http://opendefinition.org/okd/> which the Open Knowledge
> Foundation <http://okfn.org/> created in 2005 to provide both a succinct
> explanation and a detailed definition of open data<http://okfn.org/opendata>
> .
> As the open data movement grows, and even more governments and
> organisations sign up to open data, it becomes ever more *important that
> there is a clear and agreed definition* for what “open data” means if we
> are to realise the full benefits of openness, and avoid the risks of
> creating incompatibility between projects and splintering the community.
>  *Open* can apply to information from any source and about any topic.
> Anyone can release their data under an open licence for free use by and
> benefit to the public. Although we may think mostly about government and
> public sector bodies releasing public information such as budgets or maps,
> or researchers sharing their results data and publications, any
> organisation can open information (corporations, universities, NGOs,
> startups, charities, community groups and individuals).
> There is open information in transport <http://transport.okfn.org/>,
> science <http://science.okfn.org/>, products<http://product-open-data.com/>
> , education <http://education.okfn.org/>, sustainability<http://sustainability.okfn.org/>
> , maps <http://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=5/51.500/-0.100>, legislation<http://legislation.okfn.org/>
> , libraries <http://openbiblio.net/principles/>, economics<http://openeconomics.net/>
> , culture <http://openglam.org/>, development<http://open-development.okfn.org/>
> , business <http://opencorporates.com/>, design <http://design.okfn.org/>
> , finance <http://openspending.org/> …. So the explanation of what open
> means applies to all of these information sources and types. Open may also
> apply both to data – big data and small data<http://blog.okfn.org/2013/04/22/forget-big-data-small-data-is-the-real-revolution/> –
> or to content, like images, text and music!
>  So here we set out clearly what open means, and why this agreed
> definition is vital for us to collaborate, share and scale as open data and
> open content grow and reach new communities.
> What is Open?
> The full Open Definition <http://opendefinition.org/okd/> provides a
> precise definition of what open data is. There are 2 important elements to
> openness:
>
>    - *Legal openness*: you must be allowed to get the data legally, to
>    build on it, and to share it. Legal openness is usually provided by
>    applying an appropriate (open) license<http://opendefinition.org/licenses/> which
>    allows for free access to and reuse of the data, or by placing data into
>    the public domain.
>    - *Technical openness*: there should be no technical barriers to using
>    that data. For example, providing data as printouts on paper (or as tables
>    in PDF documents) makes the information extremely difficult to work with.
>    So the Open Definition has various requirements for “technical openness,”
>    such as requiring that data be machine readable and available in bulk.
>
> There are a few key aspects of *open* which the Open Definition<http://opendefinition.org/okd> explains
> in detail. Open Data is useable by anyone, regardless of who they are,
> where they are, or what they want to do with the data; there must be no
> restriction on who can use it, and commercial use is fine too.
> Open data must be available in bulk (so it’s easy to work with) and it
> should be available free of charge, or at least at no more than a
> reasonable reproduction cost. The information should be digital, preferably
> available by downloading through the internet, and easily processed by a
> computer too (otherwise users can’t fully exploit the power of data – that
> it can be combined together to create new insights).
> Open Data must permit people to use it, re-use it, and redistribute it,
> including intermixing with other datasets and distributing the results.
> The Open Definition <http://opendefinition.org/okd> generally doesn’t
> allow conditions to be placed on how people can use Open Data, but it does
> permit a data provider to require that data users credit them in some
> appropriate way, make it clear if the data has been changed, or that any
> new datasets created using their data are also shared as open data.
> There are 3 important principles behind this definition of *open*, which
> are why Open Data is so powerful:
>
>    - *Availability and Access*: that people can get the data
>    - *Re-use and Redistribution*: that people can reuse and share the data
>    - *Universal Participation*: that anyone can use the data
>
> Governance of the Open Definition
> Since 2007, the Open Definition has been governed by an Advisory Council<http://opendefinition.org/advisory-council/>.
> This is the group formally responsible for maintaining and developing the
> Definition and associated material. Its mission is to take forward Open
> Definition work for the general benefit of the open knowledge community,
> and it has specific responsibility for deciding on what licences comply
> with the Open Definition.
> The Council is a community-run body. New members of the Council can be
> appointed at any time by agreement of the existing members of the Advisory
> Council, and are selected for demonstrated knowledge and competence in the
> areas of work of the Council.
> The Advisory Council operates in the open and anyone can join the mailing
> list <http://lists.okfn.org/mailman/listinfo/od-discuss>.
> About the Open Definition
> The Open Definition <http://opendefinition.org/okd/> was created in 2005
> by the Open Knowledge Foundation with input from many people. The
> Definition was based directly on the Open Source Definition<http://opensource.org/osd-annotated>
>  from the Open Source Initiative <http://opensource.org/> and we were
> able to reuse most of these well-established principles and practices that
> the free and open source community had developed for software, and apply
> them to data and content.
> Thanks to the efforts of many translators in the community, the Open
> Definition is available in 30+ languages <http://opendefinition.org/okd/>.
> More about openness coming soon
> In coming days we’ll post more on the theme of explaining openness,
> including a more detailed exploration of the Open Definition, the
> relationship of the Open Definition to specific sets of principles for
> openness – such as the Sunlight Foundation’s 10 principles<http://sunlightfoundation.com/policy/documents/ten-open-data-principles/> and
> Tim Berners-Lee’s 5 star system<http://www.w3.org/DesignIssues/LinkedData.html>,
> why having a shared and agreed definition of open data is so important, and
> how one can go about “doing open data”.
>
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