Letter to political parties

Sent to all six registered political parties in Saskatchewan on September 20, 2020.

Hi,

I write to you today to inquire about the PARTY NAME HERE position on a topic of importance to citizens of Saskatchewan. Information is foundational to both the full functioning of our democracy, as well as, increasingly, the successful integration of the information economy into that of our own.

Open data, that is, the idea that some data, particularly data that is collected by government, should be freely available to everyone to use and republish as they wish, without restrictions from copyright, patents or other mechanisms of control. Some of the benefits of open data are copied at the end of this letter for your reference.

I ask for your response on the PARTY NAME HERE position on open data as well as initiatives that the party is planning to take action on to deepen the culture of open data in Saskatchewan should your party form government in this year’s election.

Please note that I will be publishing this note, as well as your response on my website for others to view and potentially influence their voting decisions.

Best, Andrew Dyck

Principal, Open Data Saskatchewan

http://opendatask.ca

Benefits of open data: Support for innovation - Access to knowledge resources in the form of data supports innovation in the private sector by reducing duplication and promoting reuse of existing resources. The availability of data in machine-readable form allows for creative mash-ups that can be used to analyze markets, predict trends and requirements, and direct businesses in their strategic investment decisions.

Advancing the government’s accountability and democratic reform – increased access to government data and information provides the public with greater insight into government activities, service delivery, and use of tax dollars.

Leveraging public sector information to develop consumer and commercial products - Open and unrestricted access to scientific data for public interest purposes, particularly statistical, scientific, geographical, and environmental information, maximizes its use and value, and the reuse of existing data in commercial applications improves time-to-market for businesses.

Better use of existing investment in broadband and community information infrastructure - Canada has invested in information and communications networks in the form of technical infrastructure and community services, such as libraries and social service agencies. This investment will continue to add value-for-money for Canadians by extending Web technology from one-way communications medium to collaborative environment.

Support for research - Access to federal research data supports evidence-based primary research in Canadian and international academic, public sector, and industry-based research communities. Access to collections of data, reports, publications, and artifacts held in federal institutions allows for the use of these collections by researchers.

Support informed decisions for consumers - Providing access to public sector service information to support informed decision-making; for example, real-time air travel statistics can help travelers to choose an airline and understand the factors that can lead to flight delays. Giving Canadians their say in decisions that affect them and the resulting potential for innovation and value (builds trust and credibility)

Proactive Disclosure – proactively providing data that is relevant to Canadians reduces the amount of access to information requests, e-mail campaigns and media inquiries. This greatly reduces the administrative cost and burden associated with responding to such inquiries.

Responses