<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">(scusate cross-posting)</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">
G8 Open Data Charter and Technical Annex:</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/open-data-charter/g8-open-data-charter-and-technical-annex#technical-annex">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/open-data-charter/g8-open-data-charter-and-technical-annex#technical-annex</a><br>
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<div><font face="verdana, sans-serif">______________________________</font></div><div><font face="verdana, sans-serif">Piergiorgio Cipriano</font></div><div><font face="verdana, sans-serif">@PgCipriano</font></div><div><font face="verdana, sans-serif"> </font></div>
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<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">---------- Forwarded message ----------<br>From: <b class="gmail_sendername">Christian Villum</b> <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:christian.villum@okfn.org">christian.villum@okfn.org</a>></span><br>
Date: 2013/6/18<br>Subject: [okfn-discuss] Fwd: G8 Highlights Open Data as Crucial for Governance and Growth<br>To: Open Knowledge Foundation discussion list <<a href="mailto:okfn-discuss@lists.okfn.org">okfn-discuss@lists.okfn.org</a>><br>
<br><br><div dir="ltr">(apologies for any cross-posting)<div><br></div><div>Dear all,</div><div><br></div><div>We've just released this on the Open Knowledge Foundation blog:<br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr">
<div><br></div><div><h2 style="margin:8px 0px 10px;font-family:OpenSans,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;line-height:37px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-size:30px;background-color:rgb(245,247,246)">
G8 Highlights Open Data as Crucial for Governance and Growth</h2><div style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:20px;background-color:rgb(245,247,246)">
June 18, 2013 in <a href="http://blog.okfn.org/category/featured/" title="View all posts in Featured" rel="category tag" style="color:rgb(62,143,128);text-decoration:none" target="_blank">Featured</a>, <a href="http://blog.okfn.org/category/open-data/" title="View all posts in Open Data" rel="category tag" style="color:rgb(62,143,128);text-decoration:none" target="_blank">Open Data</a>, <a href="http://blog.okfn.org/category/policy/" title="View all posts in Policy" rel="category tag" style="color:rgb(62,143,128);text-decoration:none" target="_blank">Policy</a></div>
<div style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:20px;background-color:rgb(245,247,246)"><p style="margin:0px 0px 10px">Today’s release of an <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/open-data-charter/g8-open-data-charter-and-technical-annex" style="color:rgb(62,143,128);text-decoration:none" target="_blank">Open Data Charter by the G8</a> is testimony to the growing importance of open data worldwide. The Charter recognizes the central role open data can play in <strong>improving government and governance</strong> and in <strong>stimulating growth</strong> through innovation in data-driven products and services. It endorses the principle of “<strong>open by default</strong>” — also supported in <a href="http://blog.okfn.org/2013/05/10/government-data-open-and-machine-readable-by-default-announces-president-obama/" style="color:rgb(62,143,128);text-decoration:none" target="_blank">President Obama’s recent Executive Order on open data</a> — and makes clear that open data must be open to all and usable by both machines and humans (as per the <a href="http://opendefinition.org/" style="color:rgb(62,143,128);text-decoration:none" target="_blank">Open Definition</a>).</p>
<p style="margin:0px 0px 10px"><img alt="" style="min-height: auto; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle; border: 0px;"></p><p style="margin:0px 0px 10px">
As, Rufus Pollock, Founder of the Open Knowledge Foundation said: “We are delighted to see such high-level endorsement of the key principles of open data and transparency which the Open Knowledge Foundation, together with many others, have been campaigning for over a period of many years. At the same time, there is still much for the G8, and other countries, to do.”</p>
<p style="margin:0px 0px 10px">The <a href="http://blog.okfn.org/2013/06/14/g8-countries-must-work-harder-to-open-up-essential-data/" style="color:rgb(62,143,128);text-decoration:none" target="_blank">early results from Open Data Census reported last week</a> show that, even for a small number of core datasets, G8 countries in many cases have a long way to go in opening up essential data. It is therefore good to see that the Charter recognizes a list of “high value datasets” which should be prioritized for release, though it is disappointing that there are no explicit commitments to release the types of data mentioned (and as the Census results showed there is much to be done in this area).</p>
<p style="margin:0px 0px 10px">Moreover, as the Charter acknowledges with its 2nd principle on quality and quantity, it’s not just about open data but about quality data — the value of open data will be much diminished if the data turns out to be missing crucial information. In this area much of the devil is in the detail and it will take some detailed follow-up work to make sure this principle turns into practice.</p>
<p style="margin:0px 0px 10px">As a concrete example of the quality point, in our work with open data on government finances in the <a href="http://openspending.org/" style="color:rgb(62,143,128);text-decoration:none" target="_blank">OpenSpending project</a> we’ve often been hampered by the lack of crucial identifiers (for example, for companies or departments), or by data that does not have the granularity to enable it to be used to answer key questions (such as how much was spent on project X), or by simple inaccuracy and unreliability.</p>
<p style="margin:0px 0px 10px">Martin Tisne of the Omidyar Network said: “We need to benchmark what excellence means in open data and set a standard so that government reformers are empowered and civil society can engage and monitor. The Open Data Charter does this and offers its principles for consideration to other countries and initiatives. Open data is the most popular commitment out of hundreds put forward by close to 60 countries part of the Open Government Partnership. The Charter will be a great tool for these countries to develop ambitious and meaningful open data initiatives.”</p>
<p style="margin:0px 0px 10px">Finally, Governments will have to think hard about how to turn transparency into accountability. This may involve both developing skills and innovations, as mentioned in the Charter, but also thought about the kinds of incentives, and changes in governance, that will make transparency actionable.</p>
<h3 style="margin:10px 0px;font-family:OpenSans,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;line-height:30px;color:inherit;font-size:24px">Open Data Charter</h3><p style="margin:0px 0px 10px">We will be updating this with key extracts from the charter as we analyze it.</p>
<h3 style="margin:10px 0px;font-family:OpenSans,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;line-height:30px;color:inherit;font-size:24px">Lough Erne Declaration</h3><p style="margin:0px 0px 10px">The main <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/g8-lough-erne-declaration/g8-lough-erne-declaration-html-version" style="color:rgb(62,143,128);text-decoration:none" target="_blank">Lough Erne Declaration</a> dedicates to 5 of the 10 points to transparency and open data issues:</p>
<blockquote style="padding:0px 0px 0px 15px;margin:0px 0px 9px;border-left-width:5px;border-left-style:solid;border-left-color:rgb(238,238,238);color:rgb(128,128,128);font-style:italic"><p style="margin:0px 0px 9px;font-size:16px;line-height:25px">
… Governments have a special responsibility to make proper rules and promote good governance. Fair taxes, <strong>increased transparency</strong> and open trade are vital drivers of this. We will make a real difference by doing the following:</p>
<p style="margin:0px 0px 9px;font-size:16px;line-height:25px">…</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 9px;font-size:16px;line-height:25px">2. Countries should change rules that let companies shift their profits across borders to avoid taxes, and multinationals should report to <strong>tax authorities what tax they pay where</strong>.</p>
<p style="margin:0px 0px 9px;font-size:16px;line-height:25px">3. Companies should know who really owns them and tax collectors and law enforcers should be able to obtain this information easily.</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 9px;font-size:16px;line-height:25px">
…</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 9px;font-size:16px;line-height:25px">5. Extractive companies should report payments to all governments – and governments should <strong>publish income from such companies</strong>.</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 9px;font-size:16px;line-height:25px">
…</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 9px;font-size:16px;line-height:25px">7. <strong>Land transactions should be transparent</strong>, respecting the property rights of local communities.</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 9px;font-size:16px;line-height:25px">
…</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 9px;font-size:16px;line-height:25px">10. <strong>Governments should publish information on laws, budgets, spending, national statistics, elections and government contracts in a way that is easy to read and re-use, so that citizens can hold them to account.</strong> [emphasis added]</p>
</blockquote></div><font color="#333333" face="Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size:14px;line-height:20px"><div><font color="#333333" face="Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size:14px;line-height:20px"><br>
</span></font></div>Link to post: <a href="http://blog.okfn.org/2013/06/18/g8-highlights-open-data-as-crucial-for-governance-and-growth/" target="_blank">http://blog.okfn.org/2013/06/18/g8-highlights-open-data-as-crucial-for-governance-and-growth/</a></span></font></div>
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<p>-- </p>
<p>Christian Villum</p>
<p><span>Community Manager, Open Government Data + </span><span>Local Groups Network<br></span>skype: christianvillum | <a href="http://www.twitter.com/villum" target="_blank">@villum</a><br>The<a href="http://okfn.org/" target="_blank"> <span>Open Knowledge Foundation</span></a><span><br>
</span><i>Empowering through Open Knowledge<br></i><span><a href="http://okfn.org/" target="_blank">http://okfn.org/</a></span> | <a href="http://twitter.com/OKFN" target="_blank"> <span>@okfn</span></a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/OKFNetwork" target="_blank"> <span>OKF on Facebook</span></a> |<a href="http://blog.okfn.org/" target="_blank"> <span>Blog</span></a> |<a href="http://okfn.org/about/newsletter" target="_blank"> <span>Newsletter</span></a></p>
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