It's a sunny day and
canoeists across England head for the nearest river. Before setting out, they
check an app that tells them how fast that river is flowing. Too swiftly or too
slowly? Then perhaps they'll head to the beach, checking an app for bathing
water quality. Afterwards they might relax with a glass of English wine, much
improved since growers have been able to identify the most propitious soils in
which to plant their vines.
This is the kind of
scenario that environment secretary Liz Truss hopes will unfold as the
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) rolls out its Open
Data initiative. It is, she claims, the biggest single government "data
give-away". By making 8,000 data sets available to the public, the
government says it will make it easier for people to experience the countryside
and improve the environment, and save money for businesses.
Truss says that the
data release will help raise rural productivity towards urban levels, and
enable farmers to apply "cutting-edge techniques" to boost efficiency
while allowing for better monitoring and management of environmental risks. "Arable
farmers will be able to pinpoint where on their farms are the best sites to
plant crops, and that will lead to increased yields,” the environment secretary
has promised.
Gavin Freeguard,
senior researcher at the Institute for Government, says that the benefits
should prove mutual. "There is a positive feedback for Defra too, as the
department will get insights into what information users need, and how they use
it.”
That’s a view shared
by Katelyn Rogers, open data project lead at Open Knowledge, a global
non-profit organisation. She believes "data is a resource, a public good”,
waiting to be harnessed to tackle big environmental challenges. "People
will come to this data with fresh eyes, see new possibilities,” Rogers says.
“That's important given that Defra is dealing with big issues such as climate
change.”
However, Freeguard
cautions that while the benefits of open data seem self-evident, the studies do
not yet exist to confirm this. "It's too early to say what the benefits
will be. The UK government is seen as a world leader in terms of open data but
we are still at a reasonably early stage of being able see the full effects.
The main thing is that the data is put out there."
The Country Land and
Business Association is among those that welcome Defra's initiative, arguing
that it should provide opportunities for innovation for farmers, rural
businesses, and land management. "This is a good thing, it came out of the
blue and is a bold move," says Dr Charles Trotman, a senior economist at
the CLA.
Perhaps the biggest
challenge is how to make sense of it all. Is there not a risk, in a haystack
made up of needles, of failing to pick out the most useful ones? "A lot will depend on the ability to
access the data," says Trotman.
He adds: "It
would be a big mistake for Defra to just say 'there you go' and release
everything on a certain date. It will take significant time to analyse this in
a meaningful way. We – and other users – would want to work with Defra to
pinpoint the right types of data, so that certain parties can access certain
types of data sets. Otherwise everyone is going to be running around like
headless chickens."
Freeguard too, says
government must be aware of the risk that useful data can sometimes be “hidden
in plain sight", as "big data evangelism" overruns more nuanced
and judicious thinking and leads to a badly handled release. "It's important
the civil servants sit down with users, ask them what sort of things they might
find helpful."
Defra officials,
according to Rogers, need to ensure that potential users conduct trial access
use of the data before it is released. "They can track how they use the
data, how they navigate the data sources, see where they are getting lost,” he
says. “The most important thing for the civil servants is to look at this from
the perspective of the user. These communities won't have in-depth knowledge of
the structure of government."
The CLA has also
expressed caution, lest open data proves to be a little too open. In
particular, it believes there should be a mechanism in place to ensure
commercial confidentiality is safeguarded. "We don't mind the financial
accounts of farms being published, but that needs to be anonymised," says
Trotman. "If a name is linked to the accounts it would open Defra up to
being sued under the Data Protection Act."
Then there is the
challenge of maintaining momentum for such data-sharing. Lord Maude, the former
Cabinet Office minister, alluded to this at the Open Data Champions roundtable
event this spring, when he admitted that there was "a tendency for the
first 12 months in government to be equally enthusiastic, because all you’re
doing is exposing what your predecessors have done." At which point
reality kicks in. “Then you get to the moment when you are in real time,
exposing for scrutiny and accountability what you have done yourself and all of
a sudden it doesn’t seem like such a great idea.”
Mark Rowe [Publictechnology.net]
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