[wsfii-discuss] Europe's GeoData belongs to the public?

Tue Nov 14 13:01:32 UTC 2006

so who is campaigning on open geodata- in the UK? - where have advocates 
made in-roads on this issue internationally?

through platforms such as flickr, geodata is fast becoming both an easy to 
use and an expected feature

the arguments for "open geodata" as a common public good etc, are pretty 
much in parallel to the advocacy of "open spectrum"

John
http://openspectrum.org.uk/

>From: "Malcolm Matson" <cityman at city.co.uk>
>Reply-To: Discuss list on the World Summit on Free Information 
>Infrastructure<wsfii-discuss at lists.okfn.org>
>To: "Discuss list on the World Summit on Free Information 
>Infrastructure"<wsfii-discuss at lists.okfn.org>
>Subject: Re: [wsfii-discuss] Europe's GeoData belongs to the public?
>Date: Tue, 14 Nov 2006 04:22:37 +0000
>
>Hi Tracy,
>As I said, I am not expert on this - but I thought that under the UK 
>Freedom
>of Information Act, any charge for information provided HAS to be related 
>to
>the 'cost' of retirving it and sending it and NOT to recover any costs
>related to its origination?  Maybe I am wrong.
>Thanks for drawing this to our attention.   Hope to see Jim F. drive across
>the border from India today to join us!
>Malcolm
>
>On 14/11/06, Tracey P. Lauriault <tlauriau at magma.ca> wrote:
>>
>>Cheers Malcom!
>>
>>The issue is in the UK is that you can get the data but at a very high
>>cost and with very restrictive use.  Making the tax payer, the citizen
>>pay twice and keeping the data out of the hands of social researchers,
>>ngo's who want to do a poverty analysis, and regular citizens who want
>>to study their neighbourhoods.  Also there are restrictions in
>>publishing what you have bought as well.
>>
>>Do well at the panel in Pakistan!
>>
>>t
>>
>>
>>Malcolm Matson wrote:
>> > Hi Tracy - it's not my speciality but has anyone looked at this
>> > important issue from the standpoint of the UK 'Freedom of Information
>> > Act 2000 <http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2000/20000036.htm>'?  Might
>> > be worth it.
>> > Regards (from Pakistan where I am with Vickram and colleagues)
>> >
>> > Malcolm
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > THE *OPLAN* FOUNDATION
>> >
>> > *Malcolm J Matson*
>> >
>> > 77 Andrewes House, London EC2Y 8AY, UK
>> > tel. +44(0) 20 7638 2344 : mob. +44(0) 7977-407845
>> > malcolm.matson at oplan.org <mailto:malcolm.matson at oplan.org>
>> >
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>> >
>> >
>> > On 14/11/06, *Tracey P. Lauriault* <tlauriau at magma.ca
>> > <mailto:tlauriau at magma.ca>> wrote:
>> >
>> >     A few people at WSFII Dharamsala asked me about access to
>> >     Geographic Data (e.g. maps, census, environment data & maps, radar
>> >     images, satellite images, air photos etc.) for their countries and
>> >     cities in Europe.
>> >
>> >     These data are hard to access for a number of reasons and I would
>> >     like to point you to an important what is happening in Europe that
>> >     will eventually determine how all European Member Nations address
>> >     issues of access and cost of these important civic data sets.  The
>> >     UK position on full cost recovery is the worst and it is
>> >     influencing others.  If you want *open and free - as in no cost -
>> >     access to the GeoData your national governments collect with your
>> >     tax dollars, and you do not want to pay for it twice - i recommend
>> >     you act on the following:*
>> >
>> >
>> >         Open GeoData - http://publicgeodata.org/
>> >
>> >         On 23 January 2006, the Council of European Union has formally
>> >         adopted a common position on the Inspire Directive, which
>> >         stipulates that *Geographic Data collected by National Mapping
>> >         Agencies all over Europe should be owned by such agencies and
>> >         not by the Public*
>> >
>> >
>> >         *The Open Knowledge Foundation Open Data Manifesto -
>> >         http://okfn.org/geo/manifesto.php*
>> >
>> >         Geodata is a public good. Open access to it, under a 'Commons'
>> >         (ShareAlike) license, is the best way to see its full benefits
>> >         realized by industry and citizens. At the same time such an
>> >         arrangement, by requiring users to redistribute updates and
>> >         improvements to the data, promises to deliver more and better
>> >         data for less.
>> >
>> >
>> >         *Free Our Data : The Blog* - 
>>http://www.freeourdata.org.uk/blog/
>> >
>> >         Free Our Data is the campaign started by Guardian Technology
>> >         <http://technology.guardian.co.uk/weekly/> beginning with the
>> >         article Give us back our crown jewels
>> >         <
>>http://www.guardian.co.uk/Technology/weekly/story/0,,1726229,00.html>.
>> >         The argument is simple: by charging for data that is collected
>> >         (sometimes with the force of law) by government-owned bodies,
>> >         the government is holding back the growth in public and
>> >         private use of that data which could benefit the UK overall.
>> >         That is, a short-term "gain" hides a much bigger loss in terms
>> >         of entrepreneurship, jobs created and competitive edge lost.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
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>> >
>> > 
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