Commercial exploitation of Europe’s public sector information (PIRA Study)

Study commissioned by the European Commission, Directorate General for the Information Society, reporting on the commercial value of European PSI (2000)

Title: Commercial exploitation of Europe’s public sector information - Executive Summary (20 September 2000)

Title: Commercial exploitation of Europe’s public sector information - Final (Complete) Report (30 October 2000)

Study Commissioned by the European Commission, Directorate General for the Information Society

Study completed by: Pira International Ltd., University of East Anglia and KnowledgeView Ltd.

This study provides an overview of the potential for commercial exploitation of European public sector information (PSI). It includes, through numerous case studies, actual examples of good practice in PSI exploitation within the EU as well as descriptions of the many types of barriers to this exploitation, thereby providing an extensive estimate of the value of PSI in the EU. The conclusions drawn from the results have far reaching consequences not only in revenue terms but also for employment in the Member States. As the value of the information industry (of which a substantial part is the commercial exploitation of PSI) rivals that of the more traditional industrial sectors such as textiles or scientific instruments, and both of these sectors employ many hundreds of thousands of people across the EU, this study offers a compelling case for the EC and European governments to give the issues raised serious consideration.