<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Go to Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\n
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n There is a general consensus that when we talk about open data we are referring to any piece of data or content that is free to access, use, reuse, and redistribute. Due to the way most governments have rolled out their open data portals, however, it would be easy to assume that the data available on these sites is the\u00a0only\u00a0data that\u2019s available for public consumption.\u00a0This isn\u2019t true.<\/span><\/p>\n Although data sets that receive a governmental stamp of openness receive a lot more publicity, they actually only represent a fraction of the public data that exists on the web.<\/p>\n So what\u2019s the difference between \u201cpublic\u201d data and \u201copen\u201d data?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0 Generally speaking, \u201copen data<\/a>\u201d is the information that has been published on government-sanctioned portals. In the best case, this data is structured, machine-readable, open-licensed, and well maintained.<\/p>\n \u00a0 Public data<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>is the data that exists everywhere else. This is information that\u2019s freely available (but not really accessible) on the web. It is frequently unstructured and unruly, and its usage requirements are often vague.<\/p>\n Well, for starters, it means that there\u2019s a discrepancy between the open data that exists in government portals and public data in general. This is an important distinction to make, because while there\u2019s a lot of excitement surrounding open data initiatives and their potential to transform modern society, the data that this premise rests on\u200a\u2014\u200aopen data\u200a\u2014\u200ais only a fraction of what\u2019s needed in order for this potential to be realized.<\/p>\n The fact is this: the majority of useful government data is either still proprietary or stowed away in a filing cabinet somewhere, and the stuff that\u00a0is\u00a0available is being released haphazardly.<\/p>\n Does it actually\u00a0matter\u00a0that there\u2019s a distinction between these two kinds of data? Well\u2026 yes.<\/p>\n Open data, because it represents such a small portion of what\u2019s available, hasn\u2019t lived up to its potential. People, like me, who have very high hopes for the\u00a0<\/span>open data movement<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>haven\u2019t yet seen the ROI (economically or socially) that we were supposed to. The reason\u00a0we haven\u2019t is manyfold, but this distinction is part of the problem.<\/p>\n In order for open data to be as effective as predicted, the line that demarcates open and public data needs to be erased, and governments need to start making a lot more of their public information open data. After all, we\u2019re the ones paying for it.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n\nYep. And it\u2019s a big\u00a0one.<\/span><\/h3>\n
What is open data?<\/h3>\n
![](\"https:\/\/blog.thinkdataworks.com\/hs-fs\/hubfs\/Imported_Blog_Media\/1*XmIw2RGBkTVObIeyLoJrow.gif?width=600&name=1*XmIw2RGBkTVObIeyLoJrow.gif\")
<\/div>\n<\/p>\nWhat is public data?<\/h3>\n
![](\"https:\/\/blog.thinkdataworks.com\/hs-fs\/hubfs\/Imported_Blog_Media\/1*SHfzT2EbUE71KT4ItZtPGg.gif?width=370&name=1*SHfzT2EbUE71KT4ItZtPGg.gif\")
<\/div>\n<\/p>\n\n
“Only 10% of government data is published as open data”<\/h4>\n<\/blockquote>\n
![\"michael-9wXvgLMDetA-unsplash\"](\"https:\/\/blog.thinkdataworks.com\/hs-fs\/hubfs\/michael-9wXvgLMDetA-unsplash.jpg?width=426&name=michael-9wXvgLMDetA-unsplash.jpg\")
<\/p><\/blockquote>\nWhat does this mean?<\/span><\/h4>\n
Does it matter?<\/span><\/h4>\n
\n\n