Open data is a concept that’s new to many people in the UK. The idea is fairly straightforward. By opening up records used by the public sector, the British public can see how their data is being used. The idea was introduced by the coalition government in May 2010, but has yet to gain traction, and the British public have not yet had the opportunity to scrutinize government spending.
In theory, open data should make the public sector more efficient and effective, and it should give British citizens more confidence in the way their tax money is being spent. Local governments are supposed to publish records for all spending over £500, and we should all be able to see figures on crime, civil servant salaries and government contracts.
But in order to inspire confidence, people need to see two things. They must know that data is being published in the manner it should be published, and they need to know that data is accurate.
According to the press, data quality is becoming a serious risk that could derail the open data project.
Via John Lasschuit ®™