The hidden costs of open data -- GCN

"As more local governments open their data for public use, the emphasis is often on 'free' -- using open source tools to freely share already-created government datasets, often with pro bono help from outside groups. But according to a new report, there are unforeseen costs when it comes pushing government datasets out of public-facing platforms -- especially when geospatial data is involved.

The research team, led by University of Waterloo professor Peter A. Johnson and McGill University professor Renee Sieber, conducted a literature review based on 20 years of studies related to open data.

Costs related to data collection, publishing, data sharing, maintenance and updates are increasingly driving governments to third-party providers to help with hosting, standardization and analytical tools for data inspection, the researchers found. GIS implementation also has associated costs to train staff, develop standards, create valuations for geospatial data, connect data to various user communities and get feedback on challenges."