Trojette report makes economic case for free government data - Telecompaper

"The French government's open data policy would benefit from new business models, according to a report submitted to the prime minister's office by Mohammed Adnene Trojette, a member of the court of auditors. The report focuses on the 27 government departments that still charge users for their data and are seeing a drop in revenue. It argues that although public sector data should be free to end users in principle, 'an essential transformation towards new economic models' is required, and quickly. During a transition period departments like geographical information service IGN and statistics office Insee could continue to sell their data in a way that does not discourage innovation. Trojette refers to competition to the IGN from the free Google Maps service, and cites several foreign success stories, such as the emergence of Garmin and The Weather Channel, giants worth several billions dollars on the stock market."