Publication, Open [geo-]data: from ideal to reality

There is a growing tendency within public government to distribute data as ‘open data’. No doubt, the growing attention in European and national policies for digitization and the value of digital data informs this development. This month witnessed the release of the publication 'Open [geo-]data: from ideal to reality' (in Dutch), based on a recent workshop.

This publication appeared as a result of the workshop organized by Geonovum and ICTU (ICTU helps Dutch public services increase their performance, with the help of ICT), on 9 November 2011. The workshop centred around sharing experiences in open data initiatives and policies. What are the benefits of open data and what are possible costs? How does one design and implement an open data project? What are legal and practical ramifications?

Marèse Peters interviewed various speakers of the workshop about their experiences. The interviews offer a timely and interesting impression of the growing availability of (public) open data and the ways in which they are deployed in new (dynamic) presentations. Bastiaan van Loenen and Yvonne Verdonk edited the publication, that was published as part 55 in the 'Groene series' of the Netherlands Geodetic Commission (NCG), part of the KNAW. A number of the interviewed persons will also attend the upcoming symposium: 'Digital Sustainability of Geospatial Data' organized by Geonovum and DANS on 16 February.

More information
Visit the website of Geonovum or ICTU for more information. The publication is available as a free download via the website of the NCG. The publication is only available in Dutch.