Exploring the Potential of Open Data

When I was a reporter, I had to file my fair share of open records requests — even when we all knew the information I wanted qualified as an open record. After awhile, I developed a pretty good feel for the agencies that would give me a hassle. For the most part, these people were at small government agencies and didn’t understand the sunshine laws in their state. Maybe that’s why I believe the Open Data movement has so much potential: It’s like one big sunshine law push. And not surprisingly, some agencies fight the release of their data. Nor am I surprised to learn that when they do release it, it’s not always in a usable condition. 'Freeing the data is just the first step,' Christopher Meyer told O’Reilly Radar’s Alex Howard earlier this month. Meyer is the vice president for external affairs and information services at non-profit Consumers Union, which publishes Consumer Reports. 'It has to be organized in a consumer-friendly format. That means a much more intense effort by the government to understand what consumers want and how they can best absorb the data.' Meyer said Consumer Reports and its policy and action arm, Consumers Union, are pushing federal and state governments and private health providers to release information about hospital-acquired infections. This is no small problem; these infections kill about 100,000 people a year, he said. There’s a world of under-used information like that sitting in government databases, from state citizen complaint registries to environmental pollution trends to food inspection data. Government agencies drag their feet on releasing data for any number of reasons. Sometimes, businesses actually pressure the government not to release the data, according to Howard’s article. But one idea behind Open Data, and one I happen to embrace, is that dragging problems into the sunshine is key to fixing them. Meyer discussed this with Howard, pointing out that even though the data on infections was released in 1999, little was done. Consumers Union championed the cause in 2003 and so far has had laws passed in 30 states to disclose the data. Open data isn’t just about consumers and transparencies. Governments are investing because they hope to see new businesses emerge, with new jobs. In short, it’s seen as a way to spur economic growth, even possibly a new Open Data economy ..."