[open-government] Fwd: Sunlight: Open data without Germany: The G7 Summit and the bumpy road to transparency

[Steven Clift]

>From Sunlight's blog:
http://ift.tt/1KQsi5W

Anyone from Germany care to add their comments?
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Steven Clift" <clift at e-democracy.org>
Date: Jun 8, 2015 11:16 PM
Subject: Sunlight: Open data without Germany: The G7 Summit and the bumpy
road to transparency
To: <clift at e-democracy.org>
Cc:

(Image credit: Wikimedia Commons <http://ift.tt/1GlMMna>)

While the G7 (previously G8) countries pledged <http://ift.tt/1oB7rec> to
make data "open by default" and "usable by all" in the summer of 2013,
efforts surrounding open data in some of the G7 countries clearly
illustrate hesitation to achieve these goals, as well as difficulty in
implementing the principles of the Open Data Charter <http://ift.tt/17aEr6z>,
which was designed to guarantee that high quality data will be available
from participating countries by the end of 2015.

G7 leaders agreed to follow five open data principles and publish their own
national action plans detailing how they intended to implement the charter.
However, four countries failed to launch their action plans by the October
2013 deadline and Germany released its plan a year late, in the end of
2014. And, even though this year's summit is chaired by Germany, data and
openness still seem to be low priorities for the Merkel administration.

In a newly released paper, Open Knowledge Foundation Germany
<http://okfn.de/> and the stiftung neue verantwortung
<http://ift.tt/1h5Mreo> ("Foundation for a New Responsibility," SNV) argue
that by not addressing the topic at the ongoing G7 Summit, Germany has
again failed to gain the momentum necessary to catch up with the other G7
countries in government openness. German watchdogs suggest that by joining
the International Open Data Charter <http://ift.tt/1GlMOLX> as well as the Open
Government Partnership <http://ift.tt/qKlfrF>, Germany would be on a faster
road toward greater transparency. Last Friday, in cooperation with Open
Knowledge Foundation Germany, the SNV published a new position paper (so
far available in German only) outlining <http://ift.tt/1GlMOLY> the G7's
current state of affairs and possible steps forward.

Thus far, the political signals are discouraging. In terms of progress
towards the Open Data Charter principles, Germany is currently ranked in
last place among the G7 countries, according to a recent analysis
<http://ift.tt/19sQ5vf> published by the Center for Data Innovation. And
while the public community partnership process and the participation
platform for the country’s action plan are positive signs overall, both
resources and a commitment to the process are lacking.

As German watchdogs point out, this is especially discouraging. Other
nations have not only recognized new opportunities to open up data, but
have already achieved great progress in implementation. Even countries like
Italy, France and Japan — all newcomers to the open data field — can boast
substantial achievements. RatingComuniItaliani.it <http://ratingcomuni.it/>,
for instance, uses data published by the Italian government to compare the
financial status and living standards of communities. The French government
has set up an Open Data Task Force <http://ift.tt/1GlMMnb>, making public
transport data (among other datasets) available to encourage innovation for
a more efficient infrastructure. These are just a few of the many examples.

In order to keep up with other nations, German transparency watchdogs urge
their government to commit to greater openness through further work on the
G7 Open Data Charter, as well as to participate in the development and
implementation of the International Open Data Charter
<http://ift.tt/1GlMOLX>. A stronger international commitment — for example,
in the Open Government Partnership or at the International Open Data
Conference 2016 in Madrid — is imperative to close the gap. Efforts in
other countries demonstrate that Germany can only succeed if open data is
made a political priority, provided with the necessary resources and given
a clear timeline for implementation.

The Sunlight Foundation strongly supports German transparency activists in
their efforts to create a culture of openness and urges the German
government to make open data a priority.


from Sunlight Foundation Blog http://ift.tt/1KQsi5W
via IFTTT <http://ift.tt/1bODNcb>
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