Introduction
In the Open Data White Paper of June 2012, the Rt. Hon Francis Maude describes data as ‘the 21st Century’s new raw material.’ Truly, data is changing the way we live and work, evidenced by the rise of online information exchange and a move towards digitizing many of our previously manual activities and transactions, and especially, with the launch of open-data government initiatives such as Data.gov and Data.gov.uk. The UK is leading the charge in a global movement towards total transparency of this data, with a view that this shift will ‘empower citizens, foster innovation and reform public services.’
This briefing day is in response to a call for more information on the subject from members following the release of the first White Paper in 2012, and how this new potential may be addressed and/or harnessed. More recently still, the movement is gathering pace with Stephan Shakespeare’s Review in May this year, as well as the Government’s own response to that review, the recent EU Directive, and the G8 Open Data Charter released just days ago.
This DPC briefing day aims to provide an overview of the subject of Open Data, presenting participants with some of the relevant implications from these recent activities. Leaders in the field will be invited to foreground their own work and their practical concerns about Open Data, and recent case studies will demonstrate how a selection of organisations have managed the concept. Participants will be invited to reflect on their own needs and an extended discussion will follow.
Participants at this workshop will:
- Have an advanced introduction to the concept of Open Data
- Be introduced to how this may be relevant to their own work and organisation
- Hear case studies that demonstrate how the concept of Open Data has been put into practice and the issues that have resulted
- Have an opportunity to discuss their own concerns about Open Data with leaders in the field
- Examine the place and value of Open Data
- Meet others embarking on or, in the process of, making their own data transparent
Who should come?
This meeting will be of interest to:
- Records managers and information officers in public and private sector organisations
- Regulators in sectors where Open Data may be applicable
- Risk managers, executives and chief information officers seeking to minimise information risk or maximise information potential
- Policy makers in digital curation and preservation
- Innovators and researchers in information technology
- Analysts seeking to develop tools and approaches for longer term transparent information management
Programme of Events
0900 Registration and Coffee
0930 Welcome and introductions - William Kilbride, DPC
0935 Open Data: what it is, why it matters and will it last? Paul Miller, Cloud of Data
1005 From open access journals to open access data, Brian Hole, Ubiquity Press / UCL
1035 Resilient Linked Data – Dave Reynolds, Epimorphics
1105 Q+A
1115 Tea and coffee
1145 Use case studies:
Case study 1: Data preservation and data citation – Catherine Hardman, ADS
Case study 2: British National Bibliography and Open Data – Neil Wilson, British Library
Case Study 3: Opening Up Legislation as Linked Data – Amanda Cooper, TSO
1245 Questions & Answers - chaired by William Kilbride, DPC
1300 Lunch
1345 Roundtable discussion
1430 Thanks and Close