More UK Open Data Moves - and Why That Makes Sense

In striking contrast with its disappointing performance in terms of supporting open source, the UK government continues to take huge strides in the world of open data. Details about its latest moves are contained in this document [.pdf] that came out of the recent 2011 Autumn Statement:

Here's the Overview:

"The internet has evolved to change the way we live, work and manage business processes within increasingly global marketplaces. Open Data is the next phase of this ICT revolution, enabling new systems, processes, products and markets to emerge, and supporting a whole raft of complementary innovations across the economy. The potential prize is considerable. A recent report estimated the current total direct and indirect economic value of public sector information at €140 billion per year for the EU27 (Vickery/ EU Commission, 2011)1. This suggests that similar information in the UK is already worth in the region of £16 billion a year."

The document then lists the various data sets that will be released. It's an impressive rollcall of key databases, including some from healthcare, prescription, transport, Land Registry, Companies House, and a welcome release of core data from the Met Office. If you find the details in the government document a bit hard to digest, Leigh Dodds has put together an excellent online spreadsheet listing what datasets are due to be released when. That's all great news, as is the creation of a new Open Data Institute, also announced in the Autumn Statement...