The societal benefits of open data: going beyond quantifiable financial benefits - International Open Data Conference 2016

"There are a lot of economic benefits resulting from the use of Open Data, but there are numerous positive effects that are not necessarily economic. Openly sharing data can reduce search costs and makes monitoring easier. It enables faster and easier access to information, better resource allocation, increased automation, standardisation and interoperability. Better decision making is one of the main benefits of Open Data sharing, also known as 'data-driven decision making'. Efficiency is an important factor in all companies of all sectors. To provide an illustration of the po­tential non-financial gains, three exemplar indicators are assessed and detailed. The first one is how Open Data can save lives through efficiency gains. The second one is time saving in the transportation sector. This sector is more mature in terms of sharing and using Open Data throughout Europe and will give a good indication of the potential benefits of Open Data for other sectors. The last one is focused on environmental benefits, as this is a subject of growing importance and will cross-cut through most if not all sectors of the economy ..."