New Zealand moves to embrace PSI Re-use and Open data
London: 15 August 2010
The ePSIplatform has published the 15th in a series of Topic Reports on PSI Re-use and Open Data topics.
- Title: New Zealand moves to embrace PSI Re-use and Open data
- Author: Keitha Booth, New Zealand State Services Commission
- Publication Date: 15 August 2010
Keitha Booth’s briefing on New Zealand PSI re-use developments is comprehensive and current. There is a lot to learn from the New Zealand experience. It is a story of open data innovation, successes and a Government that is still forward looking and thinking about open data policies for the 21st century.
The story told by Keitha reflects the New Zealand Government’s policy developments and implementation starting during the 1990s – all prefaced with working to understand the value of public sector information and animate its re-use potential. The end result is described with reference to emerging innovative examples of re-using New Zealand Government datasets.
Keitha describes the New Zealand Government’s information policy environment which covers the governance level, policy and operational level. In discussing the recently released NZGOAL (New Zealand Government Open Access and Licensing framework), Keitha makes the following comments.
“NZ GOAL provides a series of open licensing and open access principles for copyright works and non-copyright material. It standardises the licensing of New Zealand State Services agencies’ copyright works for re-use using Creative Commons licences and recommends the use of ‘no-known rights’ statements for non-copyright material. It promotes the release of copyright works for re-use using the most open Creative Commons (BY) licence, unless a reason for a restriction applies. The framework also guides agencies through the questions they need to consider before releasing material for re-use. … As the standardised Creative Commons (CC) licences become the norm, users will also be able to combine material that is licensed with the same or another compatible licence. The 'no-known rights' statement on non-copyright material will also become familiar. Should a restricted licence be necessary, NZGOAL sets out guidance on how to select this licence.”
New Zealand collaborates internationally and takes home grown advice on open data matters as reflected in this excerpt from the briefing.
“We have benefitted from the experience of early adopters of Creative Commons licences in the New Zealand public sector, passionate officials on the Open Government Information and Data Re-use Working Group, the wisdom of the folk at Creative Commons Aotearoa New Zealand, their counterparts in Queensland, Victoria and San Francisco, the UK Office of Public Sector Information and, last but not least, the group of “open data ninjas” in New Zealand who have helped us, challenged us and expanded our appreciation of both the importance and potential of open data.”
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About the Author
Keitha Booth is a Senior Advisor at the New Zealand State Services Commission with particular responsibility for leading the development of cross-government information policy. She leads the Secretariat for the New Zealand Open Government Data and Information Re-use Work Programme. The goals of this programme are to make non-personal government-held data and information more widely available and discoverable, easily usable and compliant with open government data principles within the NZ legal context; and to facilitate agencies’ release of the non-personal government-held data and information that people, communities, and businesses want to use and re-use. The most recent output of this work programme has been the development of the New Zealand Government Open Access and Licensing framework (NZGOAL). Earlier work includes leading the development of the Guidelines for the Treatment of Intellectual Property Rights in ICT contracts, and project manager of the development of New Zealand’s 2006 e-Government Strategy. Keitha wishes to acknowledge the work of her colleagues, particularly Richard Best, Department of Internal Affairs, and the members of the Open Government Information and Data Re-use Working Group.
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About ePSIplatform Topic Reports
Topic Reports will continue to be published on the ePSIplatform. The authors will come from a wide range of disciplines and include policy makers, business leaders, analysts, researchers and academics. The Reports aim to:
- Provide analytical briefings on PSI re-use issues across key sectors such as geographic, meteorological, business, legal, registries and others
- Support and promote dialogue about and information sharing on developments and good practices from within Europe and internationally
- Monitor business practices and political strategies promoting PSI Re-use
Suggestions for Topic Reports are welcome and can be submitted to the European PSI Platform Team
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