Leading the way to open data clarity

Inaugural Public Sector benchmark survey on Open Data - February 2013Media slides

About the survey and respondents

• In December 2012 Dods conducted a study with Listpoint into Open Data across the public sector

• 1,017 responses was collected. This is a significant sample and enables valid conclusions to be drawn and comparisons to be made

• Respondents are broken down by sector (central government, local government, health, defence and police), by seniority and the respondent’s level of data expertise

• Differences of +/-5% or more will be statistically significant at the 95% confidence level

• Statistical significance will vary when the sample is broken down into individual sector segments. On some tables in this presentation, not all sub‐groups that add to the base figure are shown. As standard, this is either due to a very small number of respondents not fully completing a particular question, and/or to rounding of percentages

Total study sample

Total used in analysis

Central Govt

Local Govt

Health Defence / central govt defence*

Police

Base 1017 676(66.5%)

294(28.9%)

45(>1%)

[40][>1% of total]*

2 (>1%

)

Senior group Junior Group No grade information supplied

Base 403(39.6%)

605(59.5%)

9(>1%)

*Please note that Ministry of Defence (MoD) and Agencies of the MoD are also included in the Central Government sampleSector comparisons have been made in the following charts and tables between Central Government, Local Government and Health. Please note that caution should be exercised when directly comparing the Health sub dataset as the sample is smaller than Local or Central Government

42% of public servants do not work on the policy directly, but are users of data

45 % do not know what their role is, or do not think they play any part in delivering the open data agenda

21% within Local Government say they work on the policy directly, double that of central government (10%)

Health Local Government Central Gov Total0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

50%

4%

9%

3%5%

0%

12%

7% 8%

40%

46%

41% 42%

31%

15%

26%23%24%

19%

23% 22%

What is your role in delivering on the open data agenda?

I work on the policy directly, in a role that requires technical knowledge of data

I work on the policy directly, but not in a role that requires technical knowledge of data

I do not work directly on the policy, but using data is a significant part of my role

I do not feel that my role plays any part in delivering on the open data agenda

I don’t know

To what extent do you feel you understand the government’s agenda on open data and benefits that would follow?

• Distinct lack of knowledge across the public sector of open data. 78% do not understand the benefits that should follow from the Open Data agenda

• Nearly 20% of Central Govt respondents never heard of the term open data, a higher proportion than across Local Govt and Health

• Knowledge of Open Data within Health considerably lower than Central or Local Govt

I am an expert in this area

I consider my-self to be

knowledgeable

I understand the government’s

agenda, but am not clear of the benefits that would follow

I’ve heard of the term open data, but do not know much about it

I’ve never heard of open data

Don't know0%

20%

40%

60%

1%

21% 21%

38%

18%

2%2%

21% 22%

37%

17%

1%0%

11% 13%

56%

20%

0%

Central Gov Local Government Health

TOTALOD

Expert User

Don't know/no OD role

To make sure that data on one system can be mapped to data on another system 75% 82% 80% 67%

To make data readable by computers so better analysis can be done 50% 60% 55% 43%

To reduce the cost of new IT programmes 35% 26% 32% 41%

To make sure that every database has information collected in the same way 35% 34% 35% 36%

To make every database contain the same type of information 16% 10% 15% 17%

Which of the following best describes the role of data standards in the delivery of the open data agenda?

• 82% of experts and 80% of users rightly understand that data standards enable data on different systems to be mapped to one another

• However, significantly fewer understand that data standards help make data be readable by computers, and so are fundamental for making use of open data, and are also effective at reducing the cost of new IT programmes

Despite data often being used to aid decision making…

40%

49%

11%

I regularly use data from government data-sets to help inform and drive decisions in my

department

Agree

Disagree

Don't know/Not sure

43%

47%

10%

I regularly use data from sources outside my department to help inform and drive decisions

in my department

Agree

Disagree

Don't know/Not sure

43% of public servants regularly use data from outside of their department to drive decisions in their department. This rises to 58% across Local Government and 62% across Health compared to 36% in central government

40% of public servants regularly use government datasets to help inform and drive decisions within their departments. Again, Central Government uses government datasets slightly less (37%) than local government (46%) and health (38%)

….useful data is not accessible enough

57%27%

16%

I know what data sets are available in my de-partment/public body that might help me to develop new solutions for service delivery

Agree

Disagree

Don't know

26%

54%

21%

I know what data sets are available in other departments/public bodies that might help me to develop new solutions for service de-

livery

Agree

Disagree

Don't know

Overall, 57% know what helpful data sets are available within their own organisation

75% do not know what helpful datasets are available elsewhere

Do civil servants see data as part of their role?

51%

36%

14%

It is part of my role to be able to understand and make use of

datasets: by total

Agree

Disagree

Don't know/Not sure

More in Local Government and Health (60%) feel that being able to understand and make use of datasets is part of their role, than within central government (46%).

Health Junior group

Health Senior group

Health Total

Local Gov Junior group

Local Gov Senior group

Local Gov Total

Central Gov Junior group

Central Gov Senior group

Central Gov Total

No role in Open Data

Open Data Users

Open Data Policy expert

Total

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

43%

72%

63%

52%

65%

60%

41%

58%

46%

32%

65%

71%

51%

57%

24%

35%

30%

28%

28%

40%

36%

39%

42%

31%

27%

36%

0%

3%

2%

17%

7%

12%

19%

6%

15%

26%

4%

2%

13%

It is part of my role to be able to understand and make use of datasets

Agree

Disagree

Don't know/not sure

Health

Local Government

Central Gov

Total

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%100%

16%

12%

16%

15%

9%

21%

20%

20%

33%

25%

17%

20%

20%

18%

8%

12%

22%

24%

39%

34%

It is an essential part of our overall plans

It is a large part of our overall plans

It is included in our plans, but it is not a priority

It does not feature in our departmental plans

Don’t know

How important is big data in your plans?

The overall perception of the role of big data is slightly more important across central government than local government.

However, significantly more civil servants in central government (39%) do not know, compared to under a quarter of public servants across local government/health.

When we look at the senior groups for central government and local government/health, we see that there is more importance than among junior grades placed on big data in departmental plans by senior public servants.

Whereas there is less importance placed on big data in departmental plans by senior graded civil servants in central government.

Health Senior Group

Local Gov Senior group

Central Gov Senior group

Total

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

19%

13%

13%

15%

6%

26%

19%

20%

32%

30%

18%

20%

19%

16%

13%

12%

23%

15%

37%

34%

It is an essential part of our overall plans

It is a large part of our overall plans

It is included in our plans, but it is not a priority

It does not feature in our departmental plans

Don’t know

Open data experts prioritise improving accountability of localised services and central government transparency; and enabling the private sector to create new and better services with open data. All others said shared services implementation was the priority.

Health Junior group

Health Senior group

Health Total

Local Gov Junior Group

Local Gov Senior Group

Local Gov Total

Central Gov Junior Group

Central Gov Senior Group

Central Gov Total

Don't know/No role in OD

Users

OD Policy expert

Total

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

14%

23%

20%

26%

22%

24%

26%

18%

24%

27%

21%

22%

24%

57%

29%

38%

20%

20%

20%

36%

24%

32%

33%

26%

20%

29%

50%

55%

53%

48%

40%

44%

22%

27%

23%

25%

32%

43%

30%

50%

65%

60%

49%

48%

49%

50%

44%

48%

49%

53%

33%

49%

29%

52%

44%

43%

42%

43%

41%

41%

41%

41%

43%

43%

42%

43%

29%

33%

37%

33%

35%

45%

42%

44%

42%

42%

36%

41%

7%

6%

7%

21%

36%

30%

21%

43%

28%

18%

32%

49%

28%

Where should government prioritise big data ?

General cost cutting

Tax evasion

Improving accountability of localised services

Implementation of successful shared services across gov-ernment

Central Government transparency

Central Government mea-surement and accountability

Enabling private sector organisa-tions access to public data and data standards so they can de-velop new services and improve existing services

Health Junior Group

Health Senior Group

Health Total

Local Gov Junior group

Local Gov Senior group

Local Gov Total

Central Gov Junior group

Central Gov Senior group

Central Gov Total

Don't know/No role in Open Data

Open Data Users

Open Data Policy expert

Total

0% 10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

43%

71%

62%

65%

62%

64%

64%

59%

62%

59%

65%

69%

63%

36%

45%

42%

36%

36%

36%

48%

35%

44%

46%

41%

29%

42%

43%

48%

47%

33%

41%

37%

34%

45%

37%

34%

42%

36%

38%

43%

32%

36%

36%

31%

33%

35%

27%

33%

31%

33%

41%

33%

0%

29%

20%

22%

40%

32%

26%

47%

32%

20%

39%

50%

32%

29%

19%

22%

22%

21%

21%

27%

25%

26%

24%

26%

22%

25%

14%

23%

20%

19%

22%

21%

22%

24%

22%

20%

22%

26%

22%

To use open data to create jobs and better services – what’s most important to achieve by 2015?

Making datasets and associated data standards readily available to government and public bodies

Implementing new IT systems to enable data to be shared and interoperable

Running an education programme across government and the private sector about the benefits of open data and data standards

Appointing individuals in departments/ pub-lic bodies responsible for making data and standards available

Making datasets and associated data stan-dards readily available to private sector organisations

Departments and public bodies to state their objectives and strategies to support the open data agenda

Reporting publicly on how departments and public bodies are performing regarding the open data agenda

1Make data and standards available to govt (69)

1Make data and standards available to govt (65)

2 Make data and standards available to pvt sector (50) 2 Education programme (42)

3 Appoint czars (41) 3 New IT (41)4

Education programme (36)  4

Make data and standards available to pvt sector (39)

5 New IT (29)   5 Appoint czars (33)6 Reporting progress (26) 6 Strategy (26)7 Strategy (22)   7 Reporting progress (22)

1 Make data and standards available to govt (63) 1 Make data and standards available to govt (63)

2 New IT (44) 2 Education programme (39)

3 Education programme (37)   3 New IT (37)

4 Make data and standards available to pvt sector (33) 4 Appoint czars (34)

4 Appoint czars (33)   5 Make data and standards available to pvt sector (30)

6 Reporting progress (22) 6 Strategy (22)

7 Strategy (26)   7 Reporting progress (21)

Rank

Rank Rank

RankExperts

Local GovtCentral Govt

Users

Preferred priority areas by Group

Overwhelming 72% agree that it is going to become increasingly important over the next three years for civil servants to know how to access, share and use data to develop new policies and improve service delivery

21%

51%

9%

3%

16%

1. Strongly Agree2. Agree3. Disagree4. Strongly Disagree5. Don't know/not sure

Overall Conclusions of first benchmark study

• Distinct lack of knowledge on open data and government’s agenda

• Key improvement opportunities:

• enabling both public and private sector access to data and data standards• raising awareness of what data standards do and interoperability• using data standards to reduce the cost of IT programmes

• Great differences exist between central and local government’s application, use and understanding of open data

• Public servants lack understand about how their individual roles deliver on the open data agenda

• Experts recognise that private sector access to data standards and government datasets is essential for new jobs and better services – however, a large proportion of public servants do not see making data and data standards available to the private sector as a priority

Leading the way to open data clarity

David MittonDirectorLiberatadavidmitton@liberata.com07770 442 931

Andy WatersData Quality ManagerPolice ICT Company DirectorateHome Officeandy.waters@homeoffice.pnn.police.uk 07771 564382