VAT free

Note: this is a post by Tim Channon, co-moderator. Please read the footnote.

The Register reported yesterday the subhead “Vast vats of info goodness”, all public funded research will be open access to all and enforced. (yeah right and I get to do awful headlines)

100 page report by BIS Department of Business and Skills, for presentation to parliament.

I think these two are Cable and Willetts but as a non television user I’ve never seen them before.

Suppose they’ll do as a header picture. Hotties, err people vary. (beware humour)

How real is this? I suspect there are strings and wrinkles, always are.

Anyone who penetrates to gookspeak of the document please illuminate us.

“The Government will open up access to core public datasets on transport, weather and health,”

The MSN reported recently about access to personal health records, the sentence above completes “including giving individuals access to their online GP records by the end of this Parliament; ” (we already have access so this is little change, records are poor anyway, a long story)

This probably means little in the context of openness

• The Government will provide up to £10 million over 5 years to establish an Open Data Institute to help industry exploit the opportunities created through the release of this data. The ODI will be developed by the Technology Strategy Board and will involve business and academic institutions;

I do not like this dire statement, suggests yet more bleeding of money for data we already paid for the collection.

• The public sector both generates and holds vast quantities of data, through the research it funds and the services it delivers. Recent European Commission analysis suggested that the commercial value of public sector data in the UK could be around
  £16 billion per annum45 whilst citizen access to online personal information is expected to be worth up to £20 billion by 202046.

Then

• Driving up standards and transparency in public services: giving individuals access to the information they need to help them make informed decisions and to ensure public services are accountable to service users and taxpayers.

And

• We are already making progress on releasing the value of open data for both companies and consumers:
• We recently published an Open Data consultation and in Spring 2012 will publish an Open Data White Paper;
• We have established a Public Sector Transparency Board to support and challenge public sector bodies in the implementation of Open Data standards;
• A new Open Government licence has made it easier for public service providers to publish data;

I hope this is good news.

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Tallbloke wanted this place renamed as the Talkshop, there are contributors. Over Christmas Tallbloke needs personal space so I am taking the Rozzer problem off the top, it can return next year. WUWT have dropped the pin-at-top. Please do not forget Tallbloke.

Quite possibly I will post some science based articles, back to discussion. Everyone is of course welcome and for this place the tone is collaborative, not combat.

My position is awkward. As co-administrator of the blog when the Russian link was posted (is completely spoofed, no clues) and obviously somehow connected I am in the frame, nothing can be done about that.