Unlocking PSI Potential
The UK Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI) has published the annual report on the progress of the implementation of the European Union Directive 2003/98/EC in the United Kingdom. The report titled: United Kingdom report on the Re-use of Public Sector Information 2009 was presented to the UK Parliament on the 20 July 2009.
The UK Minister responsible for the re-use of Public Sector Information Michael Wills Minster for Information in the Forward to the report (page 7) states:
“Until recently, public sector information was an arcane subject that interested only a hardy few. That has now changed. Over the past year, I have been struck by the volume of reports, initiatives and pronouncements on the subject. The world is waking up to the vast potential of PSI to enrich our lives and our economy.
As this report demonstrates, progress is being made across a broad front. Convincing cases have been made for the economic benefits that will flow from making information available for re-use. Reports such as the Power of Information and Digital Britain show how public sector information underpins a wide range of innovative and exciting web based services that help people find out more about the communities in which they live and work.
Active partnership with the public will deliver the improvement of existing public services and the creation of new services. Through this partnership we can achieve high standards in the information world and tailor services to meet specific needs. We want to give the public the information they need to shape the design and delivery of public services. This is the transformation of public service delivery. We are not only improving how government interacts with the citizen, but are transforming how it engages with the public.
This report charts the progress that has been made so far. Engaging the wider public sector on this issue remains a challenge. It is also vital that government keeps up the pace and continues to use online tools that make the process of re-using PSI as simple and streamlined as possible. Finally, we need to raise the bar in terms of establishing new standards of best practice that helps the UK maximise the potential that the PSI agenda offers.
This is a tremendously exciting and challenging agenda and one to which this government is firmly committed. It is vital that we maintain our momentum as the potential rewards for the UK are immense.”
The report is the third report that OPSI has published that reports on progress within the UK from maximizing the return from public sector information. To date no other European Member State has published an equivalent set of reports as such OPSI continues to lead the way.
- First report: 2005 to 2007 (1st July 2005 to 30 June 2007)
- Second report: 2007 to 2008 (1st July 2007 to 30 June 2008)
- Third report: 2008 to 2009 (1st July 2008 to 30 June 2009)
The report on page 12 presents the total net costs incurred during the financial year April 2008 through to March 2009 approximately €1.25 million.
The report contains the PSI timeline 2008-2009 (pages 35 to 37) which shows the growing intensity of actions and initiatives. The then 2008-2009 PSI timeline is integrated to the PSI timeline previously published it is clear that level of PSI related activities and initiatives within the UK is growing rapidly.
The report contains references to other Countries within Europe and Internationally that clearly shows the level of international interest in PSI but as importantly how each country can learn from other countries experiences, which contributes to the pace of development in opening up public sector information and maximizing the return on investment from PSI.
UK Report on the Re-use of PSI 2008
OPSI Report on UK Implementation of the European Directive on PSI Re-use
Understanding PSI re-use policies
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