Open Data
(the following are excerpts from the Tusla Reference Paper on Open Science)
Open Data is research data that;
- Is freely available on the internet
- Permits any user to download, copy, analyse, re-process, pass to software or use for any other purpose
- Is without financial, legal or technical barriers other than those inseparable from gaining access to the internet itself
It is “Data that can be freely used, re-used and re-distributed by anyone” and “can be accessed on equal terms by the international research community at the lowest possible cost”. Additionally, “the openness of data applies to all components of the research process, not just to research outcomes”.
More specifically, in respect of public services,
“The concept of Open Data is about making data held by public bodies available and easily accessible online for reuse and redistribution. As public bodies have progressed in areas like eGovernment and data analytics, the potential of data and, in particular, Open Data to help deliver economic, social and democratic benefits has become clearer”.
Data needs to be Open by Design.
When research is undertaken, and data is either a key component, objective and/or intended result of that research, there is a need from the beginning of the project or study, to build in the capacity (in line with some of the format information briefly described below in 12.4.3) to ensure that data can be open, free and re-usable. It is not a capacity which can easily be retrospectively applied to past/previous datasets. As one article states,
“Open data needs to be embedded in the research process from start to finish”
Data versus Information
From a general perspective, a difficulty which can emerge is the way in which so many of the terms we use such as ‘Information’, Knowledge’ and ‘Data’ are used synonymously. Data is one form of information which sits alongside many others. It is understandable that staff within a given context find it easy to speak of data as information or even to equate data with statistics or statistical information. Data can also take non-numerical forms.
Where can Open Data be found
Considerable attention has been paid internationally and nationally to creating and realising the value of open data. Sets of standards as well as national and international data portals and/or repositories have been developed to both encourage as well as underpin the organization and publishing of Open Data sets.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development published a set of Principles and Guidelines for Access to Research Data in August 2007.
An Irish five year Open Data Strategy (2017-2022) also exists, flowing from which an Open Data portal now exists at https://data.gov.ie/data whose stated aim is promoting innovation and transparency through the publication of Irish Public Sector data in open, free and reusable formats.
Internationally and at EU Level, a European Data portal also exists at https://www.europeandataportal.eu/.
Open data portals are not intended as document storehouses or data warehouses. Rather, they should be seen as living, present focussed and dynamic entities with the potential to be tapped into and used easily as well as added to frequently.