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United Kingdom

Open data service (UK0082)

Overview

At-a-Glance

Action Plan: United Kingdom – Third National Action Plan 2016-18

Action Plan Cycle: 2016

Status: Inactive

Institutions

Lead Institution: Welsh Government

Support Institution(s): Welsh Government other government departments, StatsWales site team

Policy Areas

Capacity Building, E-Government, Open Data, Subnational

IRM Review

IRM Report: United Kingdom End-of-Term Report 2016-2018, United Kingdom Mid-Term Report 2016-2018

Starred: No

Early Results: Marginal Marginal

Design i

Verifiable: Yes

Relevant to OGP Values: Access to Information Technology

Potential Impact:

Implementation i

Completion:

Description

Commitment Text: develop an Open Data Service for Wales with a focus on helping improve
public services.
Objective: to increase the openness and amount of data about Wales that is published by
Welsh Government and other public sector bodies.
Status quo: only a subset of data about Wales held by Welsh Government and other public
sector partners is currently published.
Ambition: developing an Open Data Service for Wales will increase the accessibility and the
amount of data published by Welsh Government and other public sector bodies in Wales.
Furthermore making more data openly available will hopefully help improve public services in Wales.
Milestones:
1. StatsWales data published in machine readable format
2. StatsWales training material on improvements prepared and delivered
3. Lle developed to allow users to build their own maps
4. Open data catalogue produced

IRM End of Term Status Summary

2. Open data service (Wales)

Commitment Text:develop an Open Data Service for Wales with a focus on helping improve public services.

Objective:to increase the openness and amount of data about Wales that is published by Welsh Government and other public sector bodies.

Status quo:only a subset of data about Wales held by Welsh Government and other public sector partners is currently published.

Ambition:developing an Open Data Service for Wales will increase the accessibility and the amount of data published by Welsh Government and other public sector bodies in Wales. Furthermore making more data openly available will hopefully help improve public services in Wales.

Milestones:

1. StatsWales data published in machine readable format

2. StatsWales training material on improvements prepared and delivered

3. Lle developed to allow users to build their own maps

4. Open data catalogue produced

Responsible institution: Welsh Government

Supporting institutions: Welsh Government other government departments, StatsWales site team

Start date: March 2016

End date: March 2017

Commitment Aim:

As mentioned in Commitment 1, the Welsh government currently publishes some data via its two portals, Lle and StatsWales.[Note 185: Lle, Welsh Government, ‘Lle: A Geo-Portal for Wales', http://lle.gov.wales/home, and Statistics Wales ‘Statistics Wales Portal', https://statswales.gov.wales/Help/Index] This commitment aimed to develop an Open Data Service for Wales to improve on the current amount and quality of data available.

As the commitment text points out, only a subset of data about Wales is currently published. The commitment will ensure not only that more data is published but also that the government's openness rating improves, training materials are made available and there is interactive content is published.[Note 186: The starred openness rating system, 5stardata.info ‘5 Star Data', http://5stardata.info/en/ ]

The commitment would further increase the openness of the Welsh government, while also making data publication more systematic and interactive. If fully implemented, the commitment would improve the quality of existing data, but would address neither the issue of multiple data portals, nor the issue of determining which data subsets should be required for publication in order to bridge the current gap where only a few subsets are published.

Status

Midterm: Substantial

Three of the four milestones were in progress after the first year. An examination of the catalogue showed StatsWales data being published in machine-readable format across a wide range of areas. Statistics Wales also had a series of training materials on how to use and analyse the data on the site (both the data itself and the meta-data) with more planned.[Note 187: Interview with Rhiannon Caunt, Welsh Government, 6 September 2017. Stats Wales ‘Help', https://statswales.gov.wales/Help/Index, and https://statswales.gov.wales/Help/Index]

For milestone 3, on the geo-spatial Lle website, a new beta development now allows users of the data to build their own maps.[Note 188: Lle, ‘Lidar Composite Dataset', http://lle.gov.wales/Catalogue/Item/LidarCompositeDataset/?lang=en ] Only milestone 4 is behind schedule, as the open catalogue has been delayed over the development of a prototype from StatsWales, due to lack of resources.[Note 189: Interview with Rhiannon Caunt, Welsh Government, 6 September 2017.]

End of Term: Substantial

Most parts of the commitment were completed according to the December 2017 update. The commitment was, in some senses, a subset of the Open Data plan in commitment 1 and so shared a number of the outcomes. By the final update of 2018 the data was made machine readable, guidance material had been produced and a beta version of the map creator for the Lle site was up and running.[Note 190: Welsh Government (2018), Third UK Open Government, national action plan 2016-2018, Welsh Government End of Term Self-Assessment Report, October 2018, https://www.opengovernment.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Office-of-the-Chief-Digital-Officer-NAP-3-Open Government-National-Action-Plan-2016-2018-Final-Assessment.pdf; Map creator in beta, http://lle.gov.wales/map] Another 60 datasets were added by the end of the commitment, making a total of 260 by 2018. Only the production of an open data catalogue was categorised as ‘behind schedule' because of contractual delays. These problems were due to accreditation, but resources had been obtained by the final update.[Note 191: Welsh Government (2017), National Action Plan Welsh Government Mid-Term Self-Assessment Report.]

Did It Open Government?

Access to Information: Marginal

The commitment aimed to increase both the amount and accessibility of information. The change so far has increased access to information in a minor way, with Lle increasing the number of datasets from around 200 in 2016 to 260 in 2018 and making all data machine readable. The data included regular release of social indicators, health and a range of socio-cultural data, all in machine-readable form. Innovations such as the map creator also made the data accessible in new ways.

Carried Forward?

This commitment was not carried forward.

United Kingdom's Commitments

  1. Grants Data

    UK0090, 2019, E-Government

  2. Public Participation

    UK0091, 2019, E-Government

  3. Open Policy Making

    UK0092, 2019, Public Participation

  4. Open Contracting Data

    UK0093, 2019, E-Government

  5. Natural Resource Transparency

    UK0094, 2019, E-Government

  6. Innovation in Democracy Programme

    UK0095, 2019, Public Participation

  7. Sustainable Open Government

    UK0096, 2019, Capacity Building

  8. Local Transparency

    UK0097, 2019, E-Government

  9. Beneficial ownership – UK

    UK0063, 2016, Beneficial Ownership

  10. Natural resource transparency

    UK0064, 2016, Extractive Industries

  11. Anti-Corruption Strategy

    UK0065, 2016, Anti-Corruption Institutions

  12. Anti-Corruption Innovation Hub

    UK0066, 2016, Anti-Corruption Institutions

  13. Open contracting

    UK0067, 2016, E-Government

  14. Grants data

    UK0068, 2016, E-Government

  15. Elections data

    UK0069, 2016, Capacity Building

  16. Revising Freedom of Information Act Code of Practice

    UK0070, 2016, Open Contracting and Procurement

  17. Identifying and publishing core data assets

    UK0071, 2016, Legislation & Regulation

  18. Involving data users in shaping the future of open data

    UK0072, 2016, Capacity Building

  19. Better use of data assets

    UK0073, 2016, Capacity Building

  20. "http://gov.uk/","GOV.UK"

    UK0074, 2016, Open Data

  21. Ongoing collaborative approach to open government reform

    UK0075, 2016, E-Government

  22. Open Government at all Levels

    UK0076, 2016, OGP

  23. Open Policy-making and Public Engagement

    UK0077, 2016, Capacity Building

  24. Public Sector Innovation

    UK0078, 2016, Capacity Building

  25. OCDS Implementation

    UK0079, 2016, E-Government

  26. Open-up Government

    UK0080, 2016, Capacity Building

  27. Open data plan

    UK0081, 2016, E-Government

  28. Open data service

    UK0082, 2016, Capacity Building

  29. StatsWales

    UK0083, 2016, E-Government

  30. Data Research Centre Wales

    UK0084, 2016, E-Government

  31. Government Social Research Publication Protocol

    UK0085, 2016, E-Government

  32. Gov.Wales

    UK0086, 2016, E-Government

  33. Code of Practice in Supply Chains

    UK0087, 2016, Labor

  34. Starred commitment National Indicators for Wales

    UK0088, 2016, Fiscal Transparency

  35. Starred commitment Well-being duty

    UK0089, 2016, E-Government

  36. National Information Infrastructure

    UK0042, 2013, Records Management

  37. NHS England Website and Network

    UK0043, 2013, Health

  38. Revised Local Authories Data Transparency Code

    UK0044, 2013, Capacity Building

  39. Transparent Social Investment Market

    UK0045, 2013, Open Data

  40. Manage and Capture Digital Records

    UK0046, 2013, Capacity Building

  41. Starred commitment Cross-Government Anti-Corruption Plan

    UK0047, 2013, Anti-Corruption Institutions

  42. Starred commitment Company Beneficial Ownership Information

    UK0048, 2013, Beneficial Ownership

  43. Access to Police Records

    UK0049, 2013, Justice

  44. Transparency in Construction

    UK0050, 2013, Infrastructure & Transport

  45. Legislative Openness

    UK0051, 2013, Beneficial Ownership

  46. Whistleblowing

    UK0052, 2013, Legislation & Regulation

  47. Open Contracting

    UK0053, 2013, Open Contracting and Procurement

  48. Open Contracting Scotland

    UK0054, 2013, E-Government

  49. Starred commitment International Aid Transparency

    UK0055, 2013, Aid

  50. Health Care Data

    UK0056, 2013, Health

  51. Open Policy Making

    UK0057, 2013, E-Government

  52. Sciencewise

    UK0058, 2013, E-Government

  53. Publication of Draft Legislation

    UK0059, 2013, Legislature

  54. OpenDataCommunities Programme

    UK0060, 2013, E-Government

  55. PSI Re-Use Directive

    UK0061, 2013, Legislation & Regulation

  56. Starred commitment Extractive Transparency

    UK0062, 2013, E-Government

  57. Ensuring a clear process to support reduction in collection of ‘unnecessary data’

    UK0024, 2011, E-Government

  58. Developing data.gov.uk and identifying other digital channels to support users

    UK0025, 2011,

  59. Evidence and databases behind policy statements

    UK0026, 2011, E-Government

  60. Data underlying surveys

    UK0027, 2011, E-Government

  61. Examining ways for improving the use of existing published data

    UK0028, 2011, E-Government

  62. Stimulate the market for innovative use of open data

    UK0029, 2011, Open Data

  63. Spend up to 5% of budget support on accountability

    UK0030, 2011, E-Government

  64. Include the OGP eligibility criteria to determine readiness for UK budget support

    UK0031, 2011, Aid

  65. Publish aid information from all ODA government departments

    UK0032, 2011, Aid

  66. Use a single domain for government services

    UK0033, 2011, E-Government

  67. Mandate ‘channel shift’

    UK0034, 2011, E-Government

  68. Go online for all consultations

    UK0035, 2011, E-Government

  69. Develop practical guidelines on departmental access to internet and social media

    UK0036, 2011, Civic Space

  70. Open data and application interfaces in ways that encourage businesses

    UK0037, 2011, E-Government

  71. Create cross-government standards on APIs

    UK0038, 2011,

  72. Establish standardised formats for user-satisfaction data

    UK0039, 2011, Records Management

  73. Provide government documents in open standard format

    UK0040, 2011, E-Government

  74. Implement crowd-sourcing and engagement processes

    UK0041, 2011,

  75. New power to secure release of valuable datasets

    UK0001, 2011,

  76. New, higher cost cap for FOI

    UK0002, 2011, Right to Information

  77. Meaningful disincentives

    UK0003, 2011,

  78. Maximum time limits

    UK0004, 2011, Right to Information

  79. Altered procurement rules

    UK0005, 2011,

  80. Mandating phased introduction of ‘Public by Default’

    UK0006, 2011, E-Government

  81. Formalising Public Data Principles

    UK0007, 2011, Records Management

  82. Having in place an Open Data compliance monitoring process

    UK0008, 2011, Records Management

  83. Making clear the minimum citizens can expect on publication and quality of data

    UK0009, 2011,

  84. Ensuring a line of continuous improvement for public service providers

    UK0010, 2011, Open Data

  85. Encourage continuous improvement

    UK0011, 2011, Records Management

  86. Setting out how citizens can challenge where there is failure in the process

    UK0012, 2011, Public Participation

  87. Establishing an obligation to consider and act on user feedback

    UK0013, 2011, Public Participation

  88. Making clear that licenses must cover free, commercial re-use

    UK0014, 2011,

  89. Merge information asset registers…into a single data inventory

    UK0015, 2011,

  90. Set consistent expectations of the appropriate quality of meta-data

    UK0016, 2011, Records Management

  91. For data co-ordinated across government, set definitions

    UK0017, 2011, E-Government

  92. Introducing corporate responsibility at Transparency Board level

    UK0018, 2011, Records Management

  93. Strengthening and broadening the Public Sector Transparency Board

    UK0019, 2011, Anti-Corruption Institutions

  94. Bringing the Sector Transparency Board model to other parts of public sector

    UK0020, 2011, Anti-Corruption Institutions

  95. Reviewing the existing governance and regulatory model

    UK0021, 2011, Records Management

  96. Establishing a framework for public service providers data inventories

    UK0022, 2011, Records Management

  97. Developing a clear methodology to support intelligent inventories

    UK0023, 2011, Records Management