This document summarizes how data.gov.uk, the UK's open data portal, was created. It outlines that the key factors in its success were having top-level political leadership and support, releasing data about topics citizens care about, incrementally delivering more data over time, and continuously engaging with both data users and developers. The ultimate goal was to increase government transparency, drive economic and social value, and improve public services through opening up more of the UK's government data.

1. How data.gov.uk was made
Andrew Stott
UK Transparency Board
formerly Director, data.gov.uk
Tirana, Albania
10 September 2015 v0.4
@dirdigeng
andrew.stott@dirdigeng.com

2. Policy Objectives of Open Data
2
New Economic and Social Value
Improved public services
More Transparent Government
More Efficient Government

3. Policy Objectives of Open Data
3
New Economic and Social Value
Improved public services
More Transparent Government
More Efficient Government

4. 4

5. 5
Service
Providers
Service
Users

6. “National Information Infrastructure”
6

7. Public Transport Information
7

8. Pharmaceuticals
8

9. Innovation in Logistics
9

10. Innovation in Insurance
10

11. Innovation in Real Estate
11

12. Policy Objectives of Open Data
12
New Economic and Social Value
Improved public services
More Transparent Government
More Efficient Government

13. UK Government Transparency Data
13
For every central Ministry
and municipal council:-
 Expenditure
 Senior staff salaries
 Expenses
 Official credit cards
 Contracts
 Tenders
 Organisation charts
 Local service &
performance data
 Meetings

14. Is Money Being Spent Well?
14

15. Is Money Being Spent Well?
15

16. Is Money Being Spent Well?
16

17. What contracts are being granted to who?
17
Links to the
documents

18. Innovation from Transparency Data!
18

19. Policy Objectives of Open Data
19
New Economic and Social Value
Improved public services
More Transparent Government
More Efficient Government

20. Performance of individual schools
20

21. Performance of local police and courts
21

22. Performance of individual hospitals
22
12+ Weeks
MRSA-free
Good C-Diff
recordLow
Mortality
2 recent
MRSA
Blood
clots
Patient
ratings

23. Improving cleanliness in English hospitals
23
Weekly per-hospital open
data starts
Source: http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130107105354/http://mediacentre.dh.gov.uk/files/2012/01/Graph.jpg

24. OpenlyLocal: a dashboard for each City
24

25. Policy Objectives of Open Data
25
New Economic and Social Value
Improved public services
More Transparent Government
More Efficient Government

26. Government is a data user too
26

27. Lessons learned

28. Top-level political leadership essential
28

29. Important to have strong “demand-side”
29

30. Release data about things people care about
30

31. Release data people request
31

32. Clear, common, licensing approach
32

33. Incremental Delivery
33

34. Identify datasets not yet released
34

35. It’s not just about new data
Scope for “Open Data” also includes data
previously “published” but …
 in non-reusable format
 with restricted licence
 only aimed at specialist groups
 only for payment
 only in response to requests
 difficult to find
35
data.gov.uk contains some data which
nobody knew was already published

36. Help solve problems & manage risks
 It’s held separately by n different organisations, and we can’t join it up
 It will make people angry and scared without helping them
 It is technically impossible
 We do not own the data
 The data is just too large to be published and used
 Our website cannot hold files this large
 We know the data is wrong
 We know the data is wrong, and people will tell us where it is wrong
 We know the data is wrong, and we will waste valuable resources
inputting the corrections people send us
 People will draw superficial conclusions from the data without
understanding the wider picture
 People will construct league tables from it
 It will generate more Freedom of Information requests
 It will cost too much to put it into a standard format
 It will distort the market
 Our IT suppliers will charge us a fortune to do an ad hoc extract
36

37. Continuously engage with data users
37

38. Photos: @memespring,
@MadLabUK, @paul_clarke
Continuously engage with developers
38

39. Task agencies to help people use their data
39

40. Focus on applications not just data
40

41. Encourage data-driven journalism
41

42. Standards
42

43. Measure delivery and conformance
43

44. Measure achievement
44

45. Conclusion
45

46. Government as Supplier
46

47. Government as Leader
47

48. Government as Catalyst
48

49. Government as User
49

50. … and the biggest lesson of all
50
Overcome obstacles
practically
by doing,
not debating

51. Discussion
51

52. End
52

53. 53