Brussels, 27 September 2011,

(by Ton Zijlstra)

The Flemish government in Belgium has accepted last Friday a concept for an open data policy in Flanders. This open data policy should be implemented in the coming 12 months.

The policy contains 6 main points:

• Open data is the default option, public digital availability the norm
• Re-use is allowed for any purpose, including commercial purposes. Data is available for free or against a 'reasonable' price.
• Open standards and open APIs need to be used (the decision does not mention machine readability)
• Data made available at the first source where possible
• Integral approach to realizing open data, involving all levels of government
• A central data warehouse on Flemish government's own data is foreseen

In an annex to the decision a rough timeline is provided for the implementation, that is to be detailed in an implementation plan:

• Continuous awareness raising efforts
• Mapping current open data initiatives in Flanders, before January 2012
• Initiating cooperation with the Belgian federal government, before December 2011
• Making inventory of data sets, clearing technological, legal aspects attached to them, before May 2012
• Publishing Flemish data sets, before July 2012
• Creating structural approach to identifying, processing and publishing Flemish datasets, from October 2012

The full text of the decision (in Dutch) is embedded below.

Concept Nota Open Data Flemish Government