Austrian Open Data Initiative wants to Show what’s Possible
Source: Tweets by @robertharm, @open3gov, @opendataAT and ORF ZukunftsWeb future zone
Vienna Reports on data.gov.at Meetup
Vienna: 9 April 2010
The Austrian Open Data initiative is online and at work.
On the 8th April 2010, Vienna hosted a Semantic Web Meetup focused on discussing an Austrian data.gov and resources to build on open government data.
- The next meeting of the Austrian Open Data Initiative takes place on the 12th May at 9.30 a.m. in room D, quartier 21 of the Vienna Museum Quarter.
The April event was well attended, and by all accounts, a very successful and animated event. Plus, the corresponding event documentation and resources are already online (press release, presentations, lightning talks, photos and more).
Follow on Twitter: @opendataAT
The Meetup documentation is published on Zukunftsweb.
MeetUp Page with presenations, Lightningtalks and Interview (Material zum) MeetUp vom 8.4.2010
What did the participants say?
Here are a few comments published on the Meetup site (approximate English translation); the others you can read online (German language).
- “Hot Topic, super Talks”
- “very well organized. cool topic.”
- “very informative networking event with some very interesting lectures”
- "Good starting point. topics raise more (open data, psi reuse, freedom of information). from my knowledge of public administration and, in my experience - (still) too euphoric, but you have to have high goals indeed. ;-) "
- "Highly interesting, especially socio-political issue also. Competent, interesting lectures. Different speed between EU countries are thinking. Professional and nice organisation. I personally would like at the end of the event still like to donate a round of beer / wine, the for the mood afterwards. Thanks and I look forward to the next event and taking "part" in this movement."
Press Release
The press release by FUTUREZONE ORF.AT entitled (Initiative will open up government data ) (approximate English translation) (German text online), published 9th April 2010 states:
“Category: ÖSTERREICH09.04.2010 | Posted at 11:44 clock by representatives of the Austrian research institutions and universities, launched the initiative "Open Government Data" wants to make government information freely accessible and processed automatically. This is to enable new applications and services and the participation of citizens in political processes are encouraged.
On the website WhereDoesMyMoneyGo.org British citizens can check at where their tax levies are spent. The service also gives insight into how the government spending has changed over the years and provides the data.
WhereDoesMyMoneygo is one of many applications that take advantage of free government data that has been available since the beginning of the year in the UK available on the website Data.gov.uk in increasing numbers.
"Better benefits for citizens and business"
Pollock was on Thursday evening at a meeting of "Open Government Data" in Vienna Guest. The Alliance is committed to free access to government data in Austria, so that citizens, government and business better benefits to draw from the large existing data sets, as the idea of "Open Government Data" was in the premises of the Austrian Computer Society in Vienna .
To be put in a central directory in human-and machine-readable form by the public sector funded and collected data, a requirement of the initiative.
"Should the data be made available in a standardized raw", the Semantic Web researchers and IT consultant Andrew Langegger recalling said the manual prepared by open-government initiatives principles for the release of government data (Open Government Data Principles), which under others, the timely, non-discriminatory and royalty-publication of public information materials proclaim.
"Win-Win Situation"
This would a "win-win situation" arising between the government and people, the scientist: "Open systems enable external involvement."
Based on the data to new applications would emerge from Drittanabietern. With the data public could check state reports. But the efficiency of administration could be increased because data are often collected several times and could be avoided on the freedom of access duplication.
"Rethink required"
"A rethinking is necessary," said Langegger, who also draws parallels with Open Source Software, "With open source software have created new markets and better services." The initiative would now create awareness of free government data and break down barriers that prevent citizens from using the data itself, "said Martin Kaltenböck of the Vienna Semantic Web Company, which supports the initiative on their project Zukunftsweb:" Anyone involved who will be invited, "said Kaltenböck. The same applies to public bodies.
Numerous hurdles in Austria
there barriers to the release of government data exist in Austria, many said Peter Parycek, director of the Center for E-Government at the Danube University Krems: "Most of the data that are of interest, were already sold." In addition, many data created by outside vendors for the state, were protected by copyright.
There is also in the administration's interest to maintain closed data silos and prevent transparency, Parycek said: "Transparency is losing power." The "non-existing culture of transparency in Austria was" the biggest hurdle, the researchers. This could also lead to competitive advantage and that Austria lost to Anglo American and Scandinavian countries have high standards of transparency, behind devices.
Britain leading in Europe
In the UK had a combination of open-minded government officials, civil society initiatives and companies that have the potential of free government data have identified led to the rapid creation of an infrastructure for open data, said Open Knowledge Foundation founder Pollock.
The end of January started Data.gov.uk platform has been implemented within a year. , Including behind the initiative, World-Wide Web inventor Tim Berners-Lee had contributed. But the politicians have recognized the signs of the time, Pollock, who quoted the British Prime Minister Gordon Brown (Labour) with the words: "All that is needed is the will and the government's willingness to give control."
U.S. model
That was also open data in government about to be made was due to Barack Obama, the Open Government Agenda taken as the highest in his government plan, said e-government researchers Parycek.
The United States started in April 2009 with data of the Government on the Web site Data.gov and made accessible to the general public. Obama did make his election promises, policy on an equal footing with the citizens and to jointly develop solutions.
Open data would change the ways of public participation in politics and society fundamentally, "said Pollock. Previously it was said that the government knows better. The opening up of data and the linking of databases by applications, it allows citizens to challenge decisions and to analyze.
The United States now has some 1500 data of the government that are offered online. In the UK there are already over 3,000. Developers can use them easily in order to build creative applications, but also commercial web offers.
"Show what is possible"
The Austrian "Open Government Data Initiative will now begin to campaign on policy for the opening of government data and to inspire and companies for the potential of open data. These are some prototypes of applications based on open databases are implemented, Kaltenböck announced: "We want to show what is possible."
Resources with more information about Austrian Open Data Work
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