Unpacking open data: power, politics and the influence of

infrastructures

Harvard Berkman Centre for Internet and Society November 25th 2014

Tim Davies | tim.davies@soton.ac.uk | @timdavies

Overview1) Framing and method

2) A brief history

3) Unpacking the standard model

4) Questioning the standard model

5) Shaping information infrastructures

6) Re-imagining an open data agenda

Framing & method

• H1: Open data is not delivering widespread inclusive civic engagement;

• H2: Open data is not delivering scaleable innovation;

• H3: Open data is not substantially shifting the balance of power between citizen and state;

Null hypothesis" (examples)

www.opendatabarometer.org

www.opendataresearch.org/reports/

standard.open-contracting.org

http://ssrn.com/abstract=2492520[ ]

Carl Malamud (2007), https://public.resource.org/8_principles.html

“The group is offering a set of fundamental principles for open government data. By embracing the eight principles, governments of

the world can become more effective, transparent, and relevant to our lives.”

Civic technology

Public Sector Information Industry

Political crisis

Unpacking the standard model

Open Data Barometer - 2013 Overall Ranking

Proactively published | Machine Readable | Legally re-usable

Machine Readable | Proactively published | Legally re-usable

JSON

Ope

n da

tase

ts

Inte

rmed

iarie

s &

App

s

Impa

ct

Theory of change

Politics Co-production Markets

http://www.opendataimpacts.net/report

Photo credit: Transparent Chennai

Picture credit: Some rights reserved by Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery

Questioning the standard model

Aggregate openness score for each data category

Number of datasets in sample meeting standard model definition

Openness score based on weighted response to 10 variables per dataset, covering existence, accessibility, machine-readability, bulk downloads, free of charge, license, sustainability, timeliness, discoverability, and linked-data versions of datasets.

1050$

1660$

1790$

1865$

2390$

2530$

2655$

2660$

2685$

2860$

2985$

3330$

3650$

3740$

3$

3$

8$

4$

5$

10$

6$

6$

4$

3$

7$

4$

5$

3$

0$ 10$ 20$ 30$ 40$ 50$ 60$ 70$

0$ 500$ 1000$ 1500$ 2000$ 2500$ 3000$ 3500$ 4000$

Land$

Company$

Transport$

Legisla=on$

Spend$

Map$

Crime$

Elec=ons$

Health$

Environment$

Budget$

Educa=on$

Trade$

Census$

Score$

IsOpen?$

n = 77"!2013 Open Data Barometer !Maximum possible dataset score = 7700

Countries

Dataset score

40

Table 4. Primariness of published spending

Entity of the federation committed settled paid budgetary unit function sub-function

nature of spending

source of funds

type of tender

no. of the process �"+"Ɯ &�/6 good/service

provided

City Hall of Rio de Janeiro ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛City Hall of Sao Luis ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛City Hall of Joao Pessoa ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛�ƛ& "�,#�1%"��,*-1/,))"/�"+"/�)�ȔFederal Executive ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛City Hall of Teresina ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛Federal Senate ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ City Hall of Palmas ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛City Hall of Maceio ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛City Hall of Curitiba ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ City Hall of Salvador ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛City Hall of Sao Paulo ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛City Hall of Boa Vista ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ City Hall of Recife ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛City Hall of Belem ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛City Hall of Florianopolis ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ City Hall of Macapa ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ City Hall of Fortaleza ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛City Hall of Porto Alegre ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛City Hall of Cuiaba ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛Government of the Federal District ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛City Hall of Vitoria ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ City Hall of Goiania ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ City Hall of Porto Velho ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ City Hall of Belo Horizonte ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ City Hall of Natal ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛City Hall of Aracaju ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ City Hall of Campo Grande ˛ ˛ City Hall of Rio Branco ˛ ˛ City Hall of Manaus ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛ ˛

Source and Prepared by: Gpopai/Usp, 2014.

USA (2009) | Denmark (2009) | UK (2010) | "Kenya (2011) | India (2012) | Philippines (2014)

Policy component CountriesLaunching a portal UK, USA, Kenya, India,

Philippines, DenmarkSpecifying license UK, USA, Denmark,

Philippines

Zero-charge for data UK, USA, Denmark

Departmental action plans (1) or officials responsible for open data in each agency (2)

1: UK, USA 2: USA, India

Specification of meta-data standards USA, Philippines, India, UK

Emphasis on visualisations and info-graphics Philippines, India

Specific datasets or categories of data to be released UK, USA

Adopting the ‘five stars of linked open data’ UK, Philippines, India

Emphasis on ‘high-value’ datasets USA, UK, Philippines, India, Denmark

Re-thinking government information infrastructures: rationalising databases and adopting data standards

Explicit in Danish and Indian policies, implied in USA, UK and Philippines

Common elements across country policies

Shaping information infrastructures

• H1: Open data is not delivering widespread inclusive civic engagement;

• H2: Open data is not delivering scaleable innovation;

• H3: Open data is not substantially shifting the balance of power between citizen and state;

Null hypothesis" (revisited)

Re-imagining open data

Decontextualised data Data in context

Epiphenomenal data Active Data

Decontextualised data Data in context

Inclusive information "infrastructureRaw data now

Epiphenomenal data Active Data

Decontextualised data Data in context

Inclusive information "infrastructureRaw data now

Epiphenomenal data Active Data

Decontextualised data Data in context

Unpacking open data: power, politics and the influence of

infrastructures

Tim Davies | tim.davies@soton.ac.uk | @timdavies

Tweet via: #berkman

Unpacking open data: power, politics and the influence of

infrastructures

Tim Davies | tim.davies@soton.ac.uk | @timdavies

Live-stream participants: "you can tweet questions or comments on the #berkman tag

Image CreditsHossen27: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Below_Auckland_Harbour_Bridge_Hossen27.jpg !Bidgee: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rural_landscape_of_Wantabadgery_near_Mundarlo_from_the_air.jpg !Martin Richards: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Houses_of_parliament_London.jpg !Lin Kristensen: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Timeless_Books.jpg !Epic Fireworks: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Maersk_container_with_Fireworks.jpg !David Orban: http://donneesouvertes.info/2012/04/30/comment-lopen-data-est-devenu-un-objet-politique/ !Strebe: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gall%E2%80%93Peters_projection_SW.jpg !Sergiu Bacioiu: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ripple_effect_on_water.jpg !National Museum of American History: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Cardboard_ballot_box_-_Smithsonian.jpg !Christian Frausto Bernal: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MercadodeSanJuandeDios.jpg !Brewdog: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:San_Francisco_Oakland_Bay_Bridge_New_east_span.jpg !Luke Johnson: http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/sep/12/mps-expenses-under-fire

Offcuts

Policy emphasis & shifts over time"

!India, USA, UK - from

democratic to economic

!Denmark - efficiency

& innovation !

Kenya - innovation, tech !

Philippines - accountability