Open Data Charter and Global Open Data Initiative Launched | Open Government Partnership

"The global drive to open government data has moved forward in the last month with the significant launches of both an Open Data Charter and the Global Open Data Initiative (GODI).     At last week's G8 Conference in Northern Ireland, the leaders gathered all signed on to endorse the new 'Open Data Charter.'  The Charter, which the British Government called 'a huge step forward' endorses five strategic principles that all signatory countries have pledged to apply within national legal frameworks (Open Data by Default, Quality and Quantity, Usable by All, Releasing Data for Improved Governance, and Releasing Data for Innovation).  It further outlines 14 high-value areas, from education to crime to transport, where governments plan to release information.  OGP hopes that the principles advanced in this Charter can be the standard for governments all across the world.  For more analysis of the Charter, this editorial by Sir Nigel Shadbolt of the UK's Open Data Institute explains the significance, and this blogpost from the Open Knowledge Foundation analyses the Charter in greater detail.     Also this month, several civil society groups joined together to help launch the Global Open Data Initiative.  The effort brings together the World Wide Web Foundation, the Sunlight Foundation, Fundar, the Open Knowledge Foundation and the Open Institute in coalition to help advance the cause of open data.  These groups have pledged to work to find ways of advancing the progress governments and others have already made in opening data to the public.  This post at the World Wide Web Foundation site identifies the goals and outlines the mission of the new initiative.     Open data is central to many of the over 300 commitments made by OGP governments as a part of their action plans, and OGP hopes to help advance open data through the next round of action plans."