Will Open Government Data be Useful? Depends on who you ask

A recent major study conducted by Pew Research sampled the opinions of a wide spectrum of Americans on the use to which they put open data. It also asked their opinions on whether such data was useful or could be.

One of the major findings, not surprisingly, was that the usefulness of open data in the minds of the public depends on whether people trust the government or not. Those who trust the government place a higher value on open data and those who do not, don't. Generally speaking.

It is expected that open data will grow exponentially over coming years and that it will be used for everything from weather forecasting to renewal of fishing licences.

An excerpt: "Few Americans think governments are very effective in sharing data they collect with the public:

• Just 5% say the federal government does this very effectively, with another 39% saying the federal government does this somewhat effectively.
• 5% say state governments share data very effectively, with another 44% saying somewhat effectively.
• 7% say local governments share data very effectively, with another 45% responding somewhat effectively.
• Somewhat larger numbers could think of examples in which their local government either did or did not do a good job providing information to the public:

• 19% of all Americans could think of an example where the local government did a good job providing information to the public about data it collects.
• 19% could think of an example where local government did not provide enough useful information about data and information to the public.
• Relatively few Americans reported using government data sources for monitoring what is going on:

• 20% have used government sources to find information about student or teacher performance.
• 17% have used government sources to look for information on the performance of hospitals or health care providers.
• 7% have used government sources to find out about contracts between government agencies and outside firms.

The low percentages likely reflect the fact that open data is relatively new and not yet comprehensive. AS time goes on and applications develop, there seems little doubt that these percentages will grow. For a more detailed look at the findings of the study, click this link.