Welcome to the User-centric Open Data Publishing Toolkit
How do you publish open data that people can use easily and effectively?
Open data is most often published in a form based on the preferences and decisions of the organisation that holds the data. However, these do not always support the needs of potential users, leading to under-utilisation of much open data. Based on 100s of implementations and 1000s of hours of research by practitioners and researchers at the Open Data Institute and King’s College London, this toolkit:
Leads you through the open data publishing process informed at all times by consideration of what users want and need from open data;
Enables research-informed decision making;
Highlights case studies of engagements between the ODI and clients addressing specific areas of open data publication;
Offers specific guidance for low-resource publishing groups such as citizen science and community groups
How to use this toolkit
Throughout the toolkit you’ll find
· Hands on, practical guidance
· Tools and checklists for every stage of the publishing process
· Signposts to more indepth information
You can either work through the toolkit from beginning to end, or jump in to the part that is relevant to your particular stage in the open data publication journey.
How can we help you publish your open data?
I just need to publish data quickly and legally!
Take a look at our guide to 'Publishing in a Crisis' for a short term fix
I am already publishing open data
This toolkit will help at any stage of the process, but you may find it useful to start with our Open Data Maturity Model to assess your process and identify areas of improvement
We assume that users of this toolkit will be familiar with the basic foundations of open data. But if you’re not, don’t worry – start here
One way of looking at data is on a spectrum from closed to open.
The ODI's definition of open data is:
Data that anyone can access, use and share
In order to be openly available, data must be made available online, on the web.
Open data becomes usable when made available in a common, machine-readable format.
Importantly, open data must be licensed. Its licence must permit people to use the data in any way they want, including transforming, combining and sharing it with others, even commercially. There should be no limitations that prevent it from being used in any particular way.
Open data can help make governments more transparent. It can provide the evidence that public money is being well spent and policies are being implemented. In 2015, the Government of Burkina Faso held its first truly free, open and transparent democratic presidential election. The election marked the end of a political transitional period, restoring democratic order and providing the country with legitimate authorities.
Open data opens up new opportunities for businesses to create value for new and existing customers. In 2013, McKinsey valued the open data market at $3tn per year, centring on the value of combining open government data with shared data held by businesses. An ODI study of 270 UK companies in 2015 showed that about half used data from non-government sources, including other companies.
A great example of open data creating value for businesses is Transport for London's open data policy. In 2017, Transport for London (TfL) began to publish open data about public transport journeys, to enable third-parties to develop new products and services for commuters. It is estimated that services built using TfL open data creates between £90m and £130m a year for the UK economy.
Open data also helps us to create better social and environmental outcomes. In 2016, Sport England – the non-departmental public body responsible for physical activity in the England – worked in collaboration with the ODI to create OpenActive – a community-led initiative using open data to get more people active, by making it easier to identify opportunities for sport and physical activity. The initiative came about as a response to new evidence that physical inactivity in the UK was contributing to an estimated 37,000 premature deaths annually and costing the UK economy around £20bn per year. As of right now, OpenActive is responsible for making data about 1.5 million opportunities for sport and activity more accessible, from abseiling to Zumba classes, at over 1,300 locations around the UK, including over 140,000 activities available for free.
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We provide a free, self-paced course to introduce you to open data.
For more information about the core definitions and principles of open data, check out the following resources:
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