{"id":4785,"date":"2023-09-27T09:58:00","date_gmt":"2023-09-27T09:58:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.gov.scot\/digital\/?p=4785"},"modified":"2023-09-27T11:40:41","modified_gmt":"2023-09-27T11:40:41","slug":"foundations-first-realising-the-potential-of-open-data","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.gov.scot\/digital\/2023\/09\/27\/foundations-first-realising-the-potential-of-open-data\/","title":{"rendered":"Foundations first \u2013 realising the potential of open data"},"content":{"rendered":"

A blog by Louise Meikleham, Senior Data Policy Officer in Digital Directorate’s Data Division, explores data\u2019s role in Scotland\u2019s Open Government Action Plan.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Data is all around us. From fitness to finance, holidays to health, it\u2019s everywhere. As individuals we use it all the time to make decisions. But we\u2019re not just consumers, we produce large quantities of data in how we live and the choices we make.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Data and the insight it generates can be transformative. Industry and society increasingly rely on data. It fuels innovation and informs government policies that affect us all. It\u2019s a valuable asset for the public sector and there\u2019s a huge opportunity to use the knowledge created from data to drive change, transform public services and empower communities.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Open data<\/span><\/b><\/a> can help the public sector do this more efficiently. Publishing non personal data for reuse can increase collaboration across organisational boundaries, reduce duplication and unlock benefits for us all. <\/span>Despite the potential of open data, it can be challenging to get to a position where that\u2019s possible.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>The challenge<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Tracking down open data can use up a lot of time. Users often don\u2019t know what data exists, where to find it or how to access it. Data maturity across the public sector also varies. That means not all organisations have the foundations in place to know how to organise and structure their data so it can be published.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A <\/span>recent paper<\/span><\/a> from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) recognises technical, cultural and regulatory barriers preventing public sector organisations realising the potential of data. If we want to benefit from data as a strategic resource, we need to work on the foundations to enable its use to support decisions and contribute to better outcomes.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How are we improving?\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Scotland\u2019s Open Government Action Plan 2021-25<\/span><\/a> includes a digital and data commitment to \u2018support government openness, transparency and empowerment through open data\u2019. In previous blogs, Martin Macfie, Head of Open Data, explained <\/span>how we co-created the plan<\/span><\/a> and the <\/span>activities that are part of the commitment.<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At its core are six activities that aim to improve the quality and accessibility of data to maximise its value for use and reuse. These cover the broad themes of data availability, capability, user needs and trustworthiness. By working with the public sector to improve these areas, we want to make more data openly available and make it easier to access.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Our progress with the commitment so far includes:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n