Open Data

Open Data is the free availability and usability of mostly public data. It is based on the assumption that beneficial developments are supported such as Open Government, when data for everyone to be made accessible and thus allow more transparency and cooperation. For this purpose, use the Creator licensing models that largely forgo copyright, patents or other proprietary rights. Open Data here is similar to many other "Open " movements such as Open Source, Open Content, Open Access, Open Education, and is a prerequisite for Open Government.

  • 9.1 in German
  • 9.2 in English

Definition of " Open Data "

Open data are all data sets that are made in the public interest of the company without any restriction, free to use, for redistribution and for free further use freely available. One might think about of teaching material, spatial data, statistics, traffic information, scientific publications, medical research or radio and television broadcasts. In " Open Data " is not limited to databases of public administration, as well as the private sector operating companies, universities and radio stations as well as non-profit institutions produce corresponding contributions.

For identification of data as open data, there are different license notices such as CC Zero. Licenses that restrict the use of the data, for example by prohibiting changes or commercial use not correspond to the agreement of the "Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Knowledge " and are not considered as open data.

Requirements of the Open Data movement

The concept of Open Data is not new, but the concept - to date not been defined generally valid - unlike, for example, Open Access. Open Data refers specifically to information outside a text form, such as weather data, maps, genomes or medical data. Since this material is of commercial interest, it comes here often to contradiction. Proponents of open data, however, argue it were dealing with common property, and the free use of the data must not be hindered by restrictions.

A typical case is to show the need for Open Data:

" Numerous scientists have pointed out the irony that right at the historical moment When We have the technologies to permit worldwide availability and distributed process of scientific data, broadening collaboration and accelerating the pace and depth of discovery [ ... ] we are busy locking up that data and Preventing the use of correspondingly advanced technologies on knowledge. "

" Many scientists have the irony pointed out that right now, at the time in history that we have the technologies that enable global availability of scientific data and distributed processing this where cooperation will be deepened and discoveries can be accelerated by exactly at this time, we occupy our time, just closed to keep these data and thereby prevent the application of advanced technologies for their development as well. "

Data producers often neglect the need to define user rights. For example, licensing exclude unnecessary data from a further free use of a missing ( possibly free ).

The Open Data movement not only demands free access to data, but also generates this myself. One example is OpenStreetMap. Proponents claim that a democratic society is possible through the Open Data concept - allowing, for example, the English website TheyWorkForYou.com to track the voting behavior of British MPs. In the context of data relating to a government, is also spoken of Open Government. Rob McKinnon said at a lecture at the re: publica, that " may lead to new power structures within a society, the loss of data privilege. " Another good example is farmsubsidy.org the page that shows, who are paid to EU agricultural subsidies, which account for almost half of the total budget. Especially German politicians lock themselves have long known that this information is public.

Data to meet the criteria of Open Data must be provided structured and machine-readable available so that they filter to browse and can be further processed by other applications. Data from government agencies are, for example, often in PDF format and hence not further processed without any problems.

Arguments for Open Data

Arguments against Open Data

  • Moral claim to copyright
  • The author would like to achieve financial gain
  • Innovation protection through trademark and patent law. The author wishes to protect his new ideas.
  • Through Open Data occur funded by tax dollars collected information to compete with commercial offerings ( competition law, see also armed to the daily news app )
  • Due to the easy accessibility of data and possibly even the right to make changes to it, there is a risk that the data might be corrupted intentionally or unintentionally
  • By exposing their abuse of data is facilitated. Examples are lists of vulnerabilities in IT systems, data from the weapons research, or publications on genetically modified highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses.
  • Privacy concerns, for example, if the behavior of individuals is recorded, and the records were not sufficiently anonymous
  • Liability: Depending on whether the open data sets are made ​​available to the customer for free or commercially available, the liability is different if these records are used, and it comes to a claim. The legal situation concerning liability can vary greatly depending on the individual case.

History

Keith Jeffery writes:

" Although the term open data is rather new, the concept is rather old. The International Geophysical Year of 1957-8 Caused the setting up of several world data centers and - more importantly - set standards for descriptive metadata to be used for data exchange and use Secure ".

" Although this is a fairly new term in Open Data, the concept is much older as such. During the International Geophysical Year in 1957/58, various World Data Center established and standards for descriptive metadata set which regulate the exchange and use of data. "

Harlan Yu and David G. Robertson write:

"The earliest appearance of the term ' open data ' in a policy context Appears to come from science policy in the 1970s: When international partners helped operate the NASA ground control stations for American satellites, the operative international agreements required Those partners to adopt an ' open -data policy Comparable to did of NASA and other U.S. agencies participating in the program, particularly with respect to the public availability of data. 'The agreements did so required data be made ​​available to NASA ' in the NASA -preferred format. ' Later, a 1995 National Academy of Sciences report titled On the Full and Open Exchange of Scientific Data Elaborated the idea of sharing data from environmental monitoring satellites, Perhaps reflecting its shared lineage with Those Earlier NASA agreements: 'International programs for global change research and environmental monitoring crucially depend on the principle of full and open exchange .... Experience Has Increased access to scientific shown did data, information, and related products Has Often led to significant scientific discoveries and the opportunity for educational enhancement. "

Closed Data

Various mechanisms exist to impede the freedom of access to data and the free re-use:

  • Storing the data in non- digitized (ie paper ) form
  • Use of proprietary technologies (eg non-open file formats)
  • Copyright
  • Patents
  • License Agreements
  • Temporary or paid access to the data
  • Commercial vendors who are trying to gain influence on policy with lobbying, and Open Data limit. This happened for example in PubChem, a U.S. database for chemical compounds.

Support organizations, the Open Data

Germany

  • Data -deutschland.de = GovData.de - data portal for Germany the Federal Ministry of the Interior for federal, state and local governments, current beta status
  • Open Data Network - Germany
  • Open Knowledge Foundation Germany
  • Government 2.0 Network Germany
  • Initiative for Open Data in the Ruhr

Austria

  • Cooperation OGD Austria
  • OGD Austria
  • Province of Upper Austria
  • Tyrol

Switzerland

  • Opendata.ch

Other

Geoinformation Text (literary theory) Fact Budapest Open Access Initiative
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