Five ways to make data more open that you do not need to be an expert to grasp | Local Leaders Network | Guardian Professional

"The hype around open data is justified. The ability of authorities to publish huge troves of information can raise democracy and accountability to a higher standard and it allows those in charge to understand and improve the services they provide. But the hype has also created a myth: that you need to be an expert to understand open data. It is a myth that many are happy to uphold. Private companies and consultants are happy because it means business for them. Some councils are happy to drag their feet on transparency, waiting for consultants to sort out their tech problems. Others are nervous about data loss. However the truth is that open data is easy and technical brilliance is not the be all and end all. Data provided using simple methods can often be even simpler to use. Forget apps and pre-crunched stats, all you really need for open data is a downloadable spreadsheet or a Google document link. Here are five tips for improving the openness of your data."