Comments on: The story of Data.gov.uk http://blog.localdemocracy.org.uk/2010/01/22/the-story-of-data-gov-uk/#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed Promoting innovation and a conversational local politics Wed, 28 Dec 2011 13:58:24 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Mick Phythian http://blog.localdemocracy.org.uk/2010/01/22/the-story-of-data-gov-uk/comment-page-1/#comment-1329 Mick Phythian Sat, 23 Jan 2010 10:43:17 +0000 http://blog.localdemocracy.org.uk/?p=2082#comment-1329 There's still too much spin around this topic, perhaps unsurprisingly! Nobody has broken down the doors at the OS yet, it's out for consultation and any thing might happen and some of the solutions might actually make life worse in some way. The fact that the OS is a national institution means that the data collection is national and up-to-date, if privatized sparse rural areas, the type people like to go on holiday and go walking in would end up with out-of-date mapping, for a start! As to the datasets, although Tim Berners-Lee and Nigel Shadbolt appeared at a joint Chief Information Officer (local and National) in June 2009, there has been no attempt to consider ways of releasing local datasets until now. If the 353 councils in the UK are to release datasets, that needs to be done in an organized manner so that we get it UK wide and to the same standard. It took years (and shed-loads of money and effort) to bring about the National Land & Property Gazetteer and this is without bottoming out issues with the Postcode File. OK, starts been made, but lets not get overexcited - the data is only useful if its useful and maintained... Mick http://greatemacipator.com There’s still too much spin around this topic, perhaps unsurprisingly! Nobody has broken down the doors at the OS yet, it’s out for consultation and any thing might happen and some of the solutions might actually make life worse in some way. The fact that the OS is a national institution means that the data collection is national and up-to-date, if privatized sparse rural areas, the type people like to go on holiday and go walking in would end up with out-of-date mapping, for a start!

As to the datasets, although Tim Berners-Lee and Nigel Shadbolt appeared at a joint Chief Information Officer (local and National) in June 2009, there has been no attempt to consider ways of releasing local datasets until now. If the 353 councils in the UK are to release datasets, that needs to be done in an organized manner so that we get it UK wide and to the same standard.

It took years (and shed-loads of money and effort) to bring about the National Land & Property
Gazetteer and this is without bottoming out issues with the Postcode File.

OK, starts been made, but lets not get overexcited – the data is only useful if its useful and maintained…

Mick http://greatemacipator.com

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