A basic introduction to open data

What is open data and why do we care about it?

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.

For more detail about making data accessible, usable and shareable, check out Section 4: Publishing guidance for new data publishers

Making data openly available can bring a range of benefits to governments, businesses and civil society.

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.

For more information about the core definitions and principles of open data, check out the following resources:

• ‘About open data’ resources list