Scottish Linked Data Interest Group Meeting: Edinburgh University Informatics Forum

The EC recognises that data is a key asset for the economy and for societies Generating value at the different stages of the data value chain will be at the centre of the

future knowledge economy. Good use of data can bring opportunities also to more traditional sectors such as transport,

health or manufacturing. Interoperability of administrations can return efficiencies With this in mind the EC have developed a strategy on the data-driven economy and issued a

number of key Directives and frameworks to deliver this strategy These include architectural frameworks (the European Interoperability Framework – a high

level enterprise architecture covering legal, semantic and processing interoperability), improvements in the interoperability of administrations (IDABC programme, ISA programme and Joinup), unification of the approach to spatial data within the EU (INSPIRE), and the opening up of data gathered or generated by public bodies for other uses including economic use (Public Sector Information Directive, 2003 and the 2013 update).

To facilitate exploitation and reduce transaction costs, the fewer restrictions and the more harmonised the rules on data re-use, the better. Echoing the Commission's earlier open data policy, PSI 2013 (Directive 2013/37/EU), the G8's 2013 Open Data Charter incorporates the principle of 'open by default' and stresses the need to make data freely and openly re-usable both for humans and machines.

Simultaneously there has been the development of the Open Government Data movement on a global scale

The EC Communication “Towards a thriving data-driven economy” (COM(2014) 442 final) recognises that the following characteristics are required for the establishment and maintenance of a thriving data-driven economy:

o Availability of good quality, reliable and interoperable datasets and enabling infrastructure

The datasets themselves The flexibility required to use the datasets (interoperability, formats etc) Solid infrastructures, resources and services, e.g. open data portals,

registries etco Improved framework conditions that facilitate value generation from datasets

An adequate skills base Close cooperation between players, e.g. universities, SME etc

o A range of application areas where improved big data handling can make a difference

Systems, e.g. networked sensors Early adopters & catalysts e.g. public bodies ‘pump priming’

The Share-PSI 2 Thematic Network brings together a critical mass of government agencies and organisations responsible for implementing the new PSI Directive, which is in place to further this view of the thriving data-driven economy

Lead by the W3C, the consortium includes the Open Group and Open Geospatial Consortium as fellow standards bodies plus the PSI Alliance, Open Knowledge Foundation, Open Data Institute and PwC as the primary contractor in the ISA Programme's work on interoperability.

Each of these represents a community with an interest in standards for commerce, government and citizen-lead activity, however, Share-PSI goes much further. 16 government agencies with direct responsibility for defining and implementing an open data strategy are included in the network, covering 14 countries. Another 21 academic bodies and SMEs with a direct role in advising and implementing the PSI Directive take the tally of countries covered to 25 plus Russia.

The network is proceeding via a series of 5 workshops on different themes related to the implementation of the 2013 updated PSI Directive (but these flow across the other themes relating to the “thriving data-driven economy”).

Partners are contributing case studies of relevant work done, successful or otherwise; each workshop is including external participants selected on the basis of submitted position papers, and each workshop leads to the production of generate a standalone report.

The output of the workshops will be offered as input to the W3C “Data on the Web Best Practices Working Group”. As the name suggests, that group is compiling a W3C standard that will help guide people and organisations around the world as they build the Web of data.

The Share PSI 2.0 “best practices” document will be localised in each of the countries covered by the network. Localisation will cover language(s) but, more importantly, it will refer to the specific implementation methods that apply in those countries. For example, how to contact a specific national or city-wide data portal, which controlled vocabularies should be used, which licence(s) is/are appropriate and so on. The result will be country-specific guidance on implementing a harmonised approach to implementation of the PSI Directive on open data across at least a majority of European countries.

Types of questions are being addressed by Share-PSI 2.0 include:o What data is covered by the Directive? o How should it be published? o What can be done to maximise the return on investment, whether in terms of

internal efficiencies or external commercial development. o What are the existing best standards to use, what new standards need to be

developed? You can find out all about the activities of the Share PSI 2.0 thematic network on the website

[ http://www.w3.org/2013/share-psi/ ] and contact me or relevant contacts for the various workshops as advertised on the site

Peter Winstanley

2014-09-10