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I find business cases for data publishers much more compelling than examples of how open data can be used. For a start, I don’t think it’s possible to predict how open data will be used or what that will mean in terms of economic or societal impact: the wide world into which it’s released is just too complex to know.

One argument I’ve heard made about government open data is that releasing it can help organisations avoid the costs of Freedom of Information requests.

The reverse of cost avoidance is finding sponsors for open data publication.

From an official and public service point of view information providers want openness biased towards information access. One tends to encourage participation, but this is understood as mechanisms facilitating feedback, not as tools making the public producers of content. From a commercial point of view information providers also want to facilitate easy access, but these actors also have strong interests in encouraging openness with users acting as producers of content. These actors are more likely to develop an understanding of the “quality of information” with a bias towards information’s ability to appeal and engage an audience

Social computing will continue to grow in government, but won't hit critical mass in 2010.

Don't forget that there was some clamping down on social media in government during 2009 including the Marines restricting access to services such as Facebook, MySpace, Twitter. Progress in 2010 will be better in state and to a lesser extent local government. The federal government will also struggle with a consistent policy and approach for internal and external social computing, which probably won't emerge next year.

Open data goes back to the drawing board. I've been bullish on open data and APIs for years and the government got religion in 2009 with data.gov. But the usage is down as government workers and businesses realize that the data is often far out-of-date and not in forms that can be used operationally.

Essentially, officials want Congress to require all services that enable communications — including encrypted e-mail transmitters like BlackBerry, social networking Web sites like Facebook and software that allows direct “peer to peer” messaging like Skype — to be technically capable of complying if served with a wiretap order.

The bill, which the Obama administration plans to submit to lawmakers next year, raises fresh questions about how to balance security needs with protecting privacy and fostering innovation.

But law enforcement officials contend that imposing such a mandate is reasonable and necessary to prevent the erosion of their investigative powers.

A new Single Market to deliver the benefits of the digital era

Improve ICT standard-setting and interoperability

Enhance trust and security

Create a management framework that accepts and rewards internal entrepreneurs.

Government 2.0 is a citizen-centric philosophy and strategy that believes the best results are usually driven by partnerships between citizens and government, at all levels.  It is focused entirely on achieving goals through increased efficiency, better management, information transparency, and citizen engagement and most often leverages newer technologies to achieve the desired outcomes.

Government employees are traditionally risk-averse, a good thing when the pace of change is relatively slow.  However, in today's fast-paced world the pace of government change, the pace of government execution is often too slow.

Google Refine is a power tool for working with messy data sets, including cleaning up inconsistencies, transforming them from one format into another, and extending them with new data from external web services or other databases.

you can read how the Chicago Tribune, ProPublica and data.gov.uk have used it

How do you permanently delete profile information on social networking websites? Can you transfer your contacts and photos to another service?

Individuals

should have the "right to be forgotten" when their data is no longer needed or they want their data to be deleted

About a year ago I wrote a simple web application to present UK train times in a simple format for mobile phone users.

When I wrote the app none of the official train timetable sites could do this and I don’t believe any can now.

To reiterate – I built this because it was convenient and would be useful to others.  Not to make a profit. …and today National Rail killed it.

Der Ansatz dieses „Open Government“ überträgt die Ideen des auf Offenheit, Beteiligung und Rekombination ausgelegten Web 2.0 in die Umgebung regierungsgebundener Dienstleistungen. Und auch hier geht es um eine Verschiebung von Machtstrukturen,

„Aus einer Perspektive der Regierungsinstitutionen zielen Fragen zur gemeinsamen Entwicklung von Services und Regulierungsfragen auf (1) die Machtverschiebung in Richtung der Nutzer sowie (2) das Verhältnis zwischen Nutzern und externen Organisationen, die als Vermittler für andere auftreten.“

Triebfeder für Projekte mit offenen Daten ist die Idee der Co-Creation neuer Inhalte im Rahmen flexibler, datengestützter Kooperationen zwischen Bürgern und öffentlichen Akteuren

You can build it but they won’t come. All successful open source projects build communities of supportive engaged developers who identify with the project and keep it productive and useful.

Ongoing maintenance and distribution of the data hasn’t been budgeted for almost all the data sets we have today. This attitude has to change, and new projects give us the chance to get it right, but most existing datasets are unfunded for maintenance and release.

there are at least five different types of Open Data groupie: low-polling governments who want to see a PR win from opening their data, transparency advocates who want a more efficient and honest government, citizen advocates who want services and information to make their lives better, open advocates who believe that governments act for the people therefore government data should be available for free to the people, and wonks who are hoping that releasing datasets of public toilets will deliver the same economic benefits to the country as did opening the TIGER geo/census dataset.

personalised website through which they would be able to find out about local services and do business with the Government.

government version of Facebook.

unique identifier