2.6 Open – cultural dimension for J Carr - Open Data - Public and Private Sector approaches

"The purpose of this dissertation was to explore the relationship between open data polices and public sector procurement in the UK, using Recommendation 9 of the Shakespeare Review as reference. The literature review identified key issues and barriers involved in the implementation of an open data policy and highlighted the added complexity the relationship between the public and private sectors brings to the concept of 'open by default' and the open data value chain. Primary research was carried out, in the form of an e-mail survey to assess local authority engagement with the inclusion of an open data policy in the procurement process, together with a series of unstructured interviews to identify operational issues/barriers. The results were analysed and compared with the literature review and specific case studies. Analysis showed that as yet there is little consideration of this added dimension to open data initiatives outside central government policy documents. That the implementation of this additional complexity as well as an open data strategy as a whole depended more on culture and control within and between organisations and the context, rather than technology. Initial questions were formulated for organisations to consider when contemplating the adoption of an open data policy and opportunities for further research identified."