Advisory Panel on Public Sector Information

requests the pleasure of your company at its

on Wednesday 16 June 2010, 11:00am-4:00pm

at The Residence Palace, Brussels

The PSI Alliance was established in order to encourage the public sector to maintain a trading environment that is fair and equitable, in particular in relation to the licensing and re-use of public sector information (PSI).

Members are private sector companies and associations who are committed to working with PSI holders towards the maintenance and development of a vibrant, information-driven EU economy that ultimately works to the benefit of the public sector, private sector and the end consumer.

Speakers at the Annual Conference include Javier Hernández-Ros, Head of Unit, Access to Information, European Commission; Professor Nigel Shadbolt, UK Government Information Adviser; Gustaf Johnssén, Senior Advisor, Swedish Ministry of Finance; Ignacio Durán Boo, Deputy General Director Cadastre , Spanish Ministry Economy and Finance; Michael Fanning, CEO Online Consultants International GmbH; Rolf Nordqvist, Chairman of the PSI Alliance.

The conference is free to PSI Alliance members and for non members is 95 Euros (plus VAT) before 28th May or 150 Euros (plus VAT) before 16th June.  Any non-member who attends the conference and then joins the PSI Alliance will have their conference fee deducted from the cost of membership.

For futher information and to RSVP please contact Danient Bacall: danielbacall@luther.co.uk, Tel: + 44 (0) 207 618 9100

PSI-Alliance-June-Annual-Conference-Agenda.pdf (55.1 KB)

See also the PSI Alliance website.

The highlights of this meeting include:

• presentation from The National Archives on plans for the Statute Law Database as part of the legislation service
• presentation from The National Archives on the government's progress on a new licensing pilot
• presentation from APPSI's economist on the pricing of PSI

Meeting papers:

17.02.10-APPSI-Agenda.pdf (82.63 KB)

Paper1-17-09-09-APPSI-minutes.pdf (152 KB)

Paper-2-10.12.09-APPSI-Seminar-minutes.pdf (244.17 KB)

Paper3_StatuteLawDatabase-presentation.pdf (1.25 MB)

Paper4_presentation-on-creative-commons.pdf (494.64 KB)

Paper5_Economics_of_PSI.pdf (101.21 KB)

Paper-6-EuropeanPSIPlatform_Report.pdf (131.19 KB)

The Spatialist project and the Interdisciplinary Centre for Law and ICT would like to invite you to their workshop on legal aspects of geographic data and spatial data infrastructures, taking place in Leuven, Belgium on 19 March.

Further details can be obtained from workshop the Flyer.pdf (202.21 KB)

Today, Professor David Rhind, Chair of APPSI, gave a presentation at the The Cities Revealed Event which is intended for all users of geographic information. This two day event,  offers an opportunity for delegates to explore geospatial innovation with some of the UK’s leading exponents of GI. Professor Rhind presented his thoughts on how past geospatial data developments impact on future applications.

See:  David-Rhind-Cities-Revealed-presentation.pdf (1.18 MB)

See: Cities-Revealed-Event-Flyer.pdf (1.02 MB)

Members of the Advisory Panel on Public Sector Information (APPSI) are drawn from many different fields and all have very considereable experience. Nevertheless APPSI is seeking the views of private sector organisations, public sector organisations, and academia on the strategic options set out in Policy options for geographic information from Ordnance Survey - Consultation, which are summarised in the Executive Summary on pages 10-12 and set out in detail in Sections 6-9. We are doing this to ensure that we obtain the widest possible range of insights on this very important matter.
 
 
Why do we want to hear from you?
 
In particular, APPSI would like to shape its response to the Ordnance Survey consultation by drawing on evidence from organisations that use Ordnance Survey’s products and / or have a interest in the business models that are being proposed in the consultation. This will help APPSI to better understand how the proposed models could impact on Ordnance Survey customers and partners.
 
Please send your comments to…
 
The APPSI Secretariat at the following email address: secretariat@appsi.gsi.gov.uk by Monday 8 February 2010.
 
 

Today, the Chair of APPSI, Professor David Rhind CBE, has written to Michael Wills, Minister of State for Justice, updating him on the presentations and discussions at the APPSI Seminar on 10 December 2010. Highlights of this Seminar include presentations from:

• Jon Kingsbury, NESTA on New IPR Framework for public organisations
• Mark Houghton, Environment Agency on Making money from PSI a practitioner view
• Glen Watson and Alistair Calder, ONS on 2011 Census for England and Wales
• Carol Tullo, Director of OPSI at The National Archives and Michael Jennings, APPSI's Local Government Representative on Local authorities and NHS PSI re-use
• David Lammey, APPSI's Northern Ireland Representative and Hector MacQueen, APPSI's Scotland Representative on PSI in Scotland and Northern Ireland
• Bill Oates on PSI in Wales
• Carol Tullo, Director of OPSI at The National Archives, Summary of-EU and UK PSI-Policy

See: 14.01.10-APPSI-Letter-to-Michael-Wills.pdf (110.29 KB)

Why attend this event?

Government departments are now recognising the need to improve their collection and handling of management information but many have been found to lack accurate data and the capability to link data across networks. At a time when resources are being reduced, the need for better information management has never been greater for increased operating efficiency, agility and, ultimately, cost savings.

The conference will bring together delegates from across the public sector who are involved in improving the collection, use and re-use of information to improve performance and service delivery.  By attending this event you will:

• Engage directly with senior experts in the field of information management, use and re-use
• Learn from innovative keynotes and take part in interactive panel discussions
• Attend in-depth industry-led workshops demonstrating solutions for the challenges facing you
• Network with peers and share experiences about likely challenges and how to address them

The speaker line up includes:

• Professor David Rhind CBE, Chair, Advisory Panel on Public Sector Information
• John Kirkpatrick, Director of Studies, Audit Commission
• Carol Tullo, Director, Office of Public Sector Information, part of The National Archives
• Neil Ackroyd, Director of Data Collection and Management, Ordnance Survey

Registration

For more information and to register visit www.kable.co.uk/managing-information

Today, the Advisory Panel on Public Sector Information is holding its annual seminar at the Ministry of Justice.  APPSI has invited speakers who are key to the re-use of public sector information agenda.

Agenda

10.12.09-Agenda.pdf (58.2 KB)

Presentations

• Jon Kingsbury, NESTA on New-IPR-Framework-for-public-organisations.pdf (211.64 KB)
• Mark Houghton, Environment Agency on Making-money-from-PSI-a-practioner-view.pdf (137.43 KB)
• Glen Watson and Alistair Calder, ONS on 2011-Census-for-England-and-Wales.pdf (2.57 MB)
• Carol Tullo, Director of OPSI at The National Archives and Michael Jennings, APPSI's Local Government Representative on Local-authorities-and-NHS-PSI-re-use.pdf (913.67 KB)
• David Lammey, APPSI's Northern Ireland Representative and Hector MacQueen, APPSI's Scotland Representative on PSI-in-Scotland-and-Northern-Ireland.pdf (86.52 KB)
• Bill Oates on PSI-in-Wales.pdf (57.83 KB)
• Carol Tullo, Director of OPSI at The National Archives, Summary-of-EU-and-UK-PSI-Policy.pdf (2.48 MB)

Minutes

10.12.09-APPSI-Seminar-minutes.pdf (244.17 KB)

The Prime Minister has today outlined plans for improving frontline services while getting better value for money for the taxpayer, during a speech to the Smarter Government conference.

The announcement coincides with the publication of a paper Putting The Frontline First: Smarter Government which includes plans to cut inefficiencies and to use technology to help hospitals, schools and police forces get better value for money.  This paper will form the basis our discussion on ‘New Information Policy Developments’ at the APPSI seminar on Thursday 10 December.

Speaking directly about the information policy agenda, the PM said:

“as a result of the work of Sir Tim Berners-Lee, every citizen will from next year have access to all information on the performance of our public services showing how, and in great detail, hospitals schools and all our public services perform in your own neighbourhood - data put online during 2010 completing the process by 2011, but data there to encourage feedback and dialogue between professional and citizen…

Information is the key. An informed citizen is a powerful citizen.

We will ensure that people can get access to the information they need to engage in dialogue with public service professionals; and in doing so reduce bureaucratic burdens. This will drive improvements in public services, making them more personal and cost-effective, whilst at the same time strengthening democratic deliberation and giving frontline workers and voluntary organisations the freedom to innovate and respond to new demands in new ways.

We are determined to be among the first governments in the world to open up public information in a way that is far more accessible to the general public.

So I am grateful to Sir Tim Berners-Lee and Professor Nigel Shadbolt for leading a project to ‘make public data public’.

This has enormous potential. Already more than 1,000 active users of the internet have registered their interest in working with government on this, and we have so far made around 1,100 datasets accessible to them.

And there are many hundreds more that can be opened up - not only from central government but also from local councils, the NHS, police and education authorities.

And these must all have the opportunity for feedback and interaction, for that is where power lies for the citizen.

This increased transparency and accountability will enable citizens to compare local services, lobby for improvements, choose providers and demand changes in service delivery - with the web as a powerful new tool for sharing customer experience - in the same way that social networking sites provoke debate and discussion and mobilise opinion. Judgment on public services will no longer be the preserve of anonymous government inspectors.

Already the NHS choices website enables patients to make decisions based on reviews and other ratings.

In education, we are committed to giving all parents of secondary school pupils guaranteed online access to what their child is learning and enabling them to monitor their progress whenever is convenient for them. We will encourage schools to use text messaging to provide up-to-date information on truancy, out of school clubs and unplanned school closures.

Through the new online crime maps which went live last month - allowing for the first time everyone in the country to search by postcode for facts about crime in their area and what is being done about it - we are exploring how people can use police data on late-night incidents to help them choose the safest routes home and to post travel tips and security tip-offs for others.

And through our “tell us once” pilot, citizens no longer have to contact many different central and local government organisations with the same information. We will be rolling out that service nationally for births and deaths in 2010 and we are working with local authorities to pilot a similar tell us once service for change of addresses.

In this way people will no longer be passive recipients of services but, through dialogue and engagement, active participants - shaping, controlling and determining what is best for them.

And I can announce today that we will actively publish all public services performance data online during 2010 completing the process by 2011. Crime data, hospital costs and parts of the national pupil database will go on line in 2010. We will use this data to benchmark the best and the worst and drive better value for money.

It will have a direct effect on how we allocate resources. We will introduce next year NHS tariffs based on best practice on the ground not average price. And we will be benchmarking the whole of the prison and probation system by 2011.

And we will give our frontline services greater freedoms and flexibilities to respond innovatively to this data, reducing the number of ring fenced budgets, rationalising different central funding projects and joining-up capital funding within a local area.

Releasing data can and must unleash the innovation and entrepreneurship at which Britain excels - one of the most powerful forces of change we can harness.

When, for example, figures on London’s most dangerous roads for cyclists were published, an online map detailing where accidents happened was produced almost immediately to help cyclists avoid blackspots and reduce the numbers injured.

And after data on dentists went live, an iphone application was created to show people where the nearest surgery was to their current location.

And from April next year ordnance survey will open up information about administrative boundaries, postcode areas and mid-scale mapping.

All of this will be available for free commercial re-use, enabling people for the first time to take the material and easily turn it into applications, like fix my street or the postcode paper.

And I can further announce today that, again from next April, we will also release public transport data hitherto inaccessible or expensive and release significant underlying data for weather forecasts for free download and re-use.

See the full PM’s speech on Smarter Government and the Smarter Government Paper.  Alongside the Smarter Government paper there are also two adddtional papers which you will need to note:

• Benchmarking the Back Office: Central Government Annex A: Benchmarking data
• Operational Efficiency Programme: Asset Portfolio

This article considers the announcements at the end of last month, when the Prime Minister, Treasury Minister Liam Byrne and world-wide web inventor Sir Tim Berners-Lee announced that Ordnance Survey would start giving away some of its data for free.

The appointment of high-profile advisers does not signify a change of policy, says Carol Tullo, head of the Office of Public Sector Information – the regulator in this area, and the policy lead.  The difference now “is that this open data policy is at the heart of the government’s strategy – for society’s benefit and for economic benefit, to drive innovation.”

The article sets out the arguments for, and against the release of free public data. Sir Tim Berners-Lee sees it clearly as a social and economic benefit to society. He puts forward his argument on a very practical level, pointing out that “When you publish how government and public services are working you enable the public to help put them back on track, you enable the public to point out where things could be better.”  He claims that free data will change people’s lives in the same way that the internet has done.

The argument against free data is put forward  by some quasi-commercial public sector bodies that pay their way by charging for use of the data sets they collect and maintain; and the Government’s Trading Funds are also sensitive about this issue because they must make at least 50% of their income through selling the services or goods they produce.

As well as pointing to the twists and turns of the OS debate, the article asserts that the specifics  -  questions  such as what constitutes a ‘mid-scale’ map and how much central government funding will be provided to support its free distribution  -  are to be thrashed out between now and April next year.

The article can be accessed in full at: http://www.civilservicenetwork.com/features/features-article/newsarticle/mapping-the-future-2/

On 17 November 2009, the Prime Minister announced that the public will have greater access to a range of Ordnance Survey data from April 2010, as part of a Government drive to improve efficiency and transparency. The Prime Minister announced this change at a joint event with the government’s information tsar, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, who is responsible for advising on freeing-up up public data, along with Nigel Shadbolt, professor of artificial intelligence at Southampton University.  

The Guardian Free Our Data Campaign reported in an article entitled Ordnance Survey Maps To Go Free Online on 17 November 2009 that the move signals a u-turn after Ordnance Survey said, earlier this year, that moving to a free model would cost between £500m and £1bn over the next five years. However, the Guardian argued that a separate study by a team at Cambridge University and commissioned by HM Treasury, found that making all OS data free would cost the government £12m and bring a net gain of £156m. 

In another article entitled OS mapping data: a new landscape unfolds on 18 November 2009, the Guardian wrote that the OS landmark decision to free up its mapping data signals that the Guardian’s Free Our Data Campaign has scored a “major victory”.  The campaign, which started in Guardian Technology in March 2006, has over the years reported various examples of companies being unable to re-use OS maps citing costs and derived data as the reason. 

The OS announcement is subject to a consultation period which begins in December 2009 so that OS customers can comment on the proposals. Sir Tim Berners-Lee said that the revised terms for use of OS maps would also remove the "derived data" problem, under which OS claims copyright on any intellectual property that is created with reference to an OS map.

On 18 November 2009, The Times published an article by Sir Tim Berners-Lee and Professor Nigel Shadbolt entitled Put in your postcode, out comes the data where they talk about the benefits of free data. They wrote: “Yesterday the Prime Minister announced at a meeting with us that data from Ordnance Survey maps would be made available online free of charge. The Cabinet Office has also launched a developer’s version of a website — known as data.gov.uk — which will be publicly launched at the start of next year. It is home to more than 1,100 datasets ranging from traffic counts on the road network, through reference data on schools to the Farm Survey. More than 1,000 people are helping us to put the site through its paces. We have demonstrated that we can integrate a whole range of data about your postcode — ranging from crime statistics to recycling, from travel times and timetables to adult education and healthcare provision. We have shown that freeing data is practical and economic to do.”

APPSI’s Deputy Chairman, Peter Wienand, set out his views in an email to his fellow members following the announcement on 17 November. He wrote:

“This afternoon's announcement by the Prime Minister that Ordnance Survey (OS) will open up certain categories of map data to the public from 1 April is a potentially radical step in opening up public sector information (PSI) – see: Opening up mapping data. It is the latest twist in a debate whose outcome has, until very recently, remained clouded in uncertainty. In part, it is a tribute to the contribution that Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the creator of the World Wide Web, has been able to make to that debate (he has been advising the UK Government since June on how to make data public sector information more accessible to the public).

It is a step that will have significant repercussions, not only in the use of mapping data and the market for geographical information systems (GIS), but potentially in the whole area of public data and its re-use.

The announcement represents a major recognition, at a time of public sector funding constraint, that OS mapping data is a critical public asset which should be made freely available, rather than licensed in return for royalty income to fund its activities. OS is one of a number of "trading funds", UK Government Departments or executive agencies which are financed in whole or in part through their own commercial activities. However, the imperative to raise money from commercial activity has created tensions between trading funds and re-users of public sector information. These tensions were highlighted in the OFT's 2006 market study, "The Commercial Use of Public Information" (see: the CUPI Study), which concluded that improvements could be made to the supply of public sector information and that, if they were, the contribution of PSI to the UK economy could be increased to a figure of at least £1 billion annually.

Another key step in the debate was the publication in 2008 of a report jointly commissioned by the UK Treasury and the then department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR), "Models of Public Sector Information Provision via Trading Funds" (see: the Cambridge Study). This compared four different charging policies in terms of the cost and benefits for society, and the effects on the government revenue. Subject to various qualifications, the study concluded that the benefit to society of moving to a marginal cost regime outweighed the costs.

This was followed in turn by a review by the Shareholder Executive of the supply of public sector information by the Trading Funds. In April of this year an announcement was made in relation to the business model for OS which indicated that it would be continue to be self-funded and earn revenue by licensing its data, while making it easier for customers and other businesses to access its data and services (see: OS Business Strategy).

But today's announcement appears to envisage a more radical future than was being canvassed only six months ago. It has profound implications for OS, other trading funds, the Government and re-users (both commercial and non-commercial) of trading fund data.

It is worth noting that the data which has been identified for release is data relating to electoral and local authority boundaries, postcode areas and mid-scale digital mapping data. The highest-specification OS products and services – such as those used by property developers or the utility companies – would be charged for on a cost-reflective basis. So the move is not quite as radical as may appear at first sight.

However, it is still a significant step. Not all the practical implications of the announcement have yet been worked through. This may take some time, hence the delay of the implementation of the changes to 1 April, and OS have announced a consultation from December (see: OS consultation). In particular:

• a review of how OS is funded will be needed, possibly drawing on some of the options that were being looked at by the Shareholder Executive;
• OS licence terms will need to be redrafted and its licensing strategy re-structured; the data that is going to be released freely might be licensed under the 'Click-use' licence, for example;
• businesses that have, to date, relied on receiving the data under licence, which they have then bundled into other value-added products and services will need to consider the impact on the market and on their businesses, although since the OS data that is going to be released appears to consist of 'upstream' data the competition law implications are likely to be containable;
• other trading funds will need to review their position, as pressure for their data sets to be made freely accessible in the same way is likely to build very fast in very short order;
• the Government's governance arrangements for public sector information – at the heart of which lies the Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI) – will need review.

Nevertheless, while there are undoubtedly many practical implications that will need to be carefully thought through, today's announcement is a huge leap forward in terms of the release of public data for re-use by everyone from business to ordinary members of the public.”

Shane O’Neill, APPSI’s Digital Content Expert commented:

• The announcement looks to be highly significant and even (potentially) exciting!
• It is perceived as such by the private sector – three of our (private sector) clients emailed me in the past 24 hours to express what I would characterise as a carefully guarded welcome 
• That excitement is tempered by a degree of caution, formed out of:
  (a) previous experience
  (b) the OS’s website’s own cautionary response: 
   * “...The detail of this is still being worked through and a formal consultation period will begin in December to look at how these changes will be implemented. Ordnance Survey is committed to working with colleagues across government on developing these proposals...”
  *(It is interesting that the PM referred to the formal consultation – presumably the present process - being concluded in April; OS to a new one beginning in December. Which is which?)
  (c) lack of clarity re the recommendations on practical matters -  such as how OS is to manage the separation of public duty and commercial functions transparently; how it is to be sustainably funded etc. On which there is still no clarity, just the announcement of more consultation.

In summary: private sector clients and peers are saying to us:

• this statement is potentially very significant and to be welcomed, albeit with a weary sigh at the lack of detail;
• do we need another consultation (such as announced by OS above) in addition to all the ones that have taken place and are taking place at the moment?
• are OS and the Shareholder Executive on board with the Downing Street announcement?
• What are the policy decisions on the core OS related issues (core reference geographies, State Aid/PSI compliance, sustainable funding) which though difficult are well delineated, much debated and well consulted upon....?

See also Shane O’Neill Associates website for further views on the OS announcement.

John Ponting, APPSI’s Public Sector Information Expert’s initial reaction was:

“I am very pleased to see this announcement & think it is a good step in the right direction.  Clearly, a lot of detail is still to be clarified (e.g. exactly which data, the terms & conditions (including derived data issues), how Ordnance Survey will be funded), and much will depend on the details in the consultation which will begin next month, and the subsequent implementation.  Clearly APPSI needs to be ready to respond to the consultation.
 
There is a concern that legislation could be overtaken by events!  And we need the actual details - rather than the overall headline.
 
It will also be very interesting to see how far this is extended (e.g. to other Trading Funds, Environment Agency, Local Authorities, Health Sector etc).  It will also be very interesting to see what is actually included on data.gov.uk when that is released.”

Today, Professor David Rhind spoke on the re-use of public sector information for the benefit of services to the public at the Intellect Identity & Information conference. The conference was well attended by approximately 100 delegates from the private organisations such as Cable&Wireless, Consult Hyperion, Siemans IT Solutions and Getronics, as well as government departments and agencies.  The opening keynote presentation was given by Christopher Graham, Information Commissioner who talked about the challenge of the Information Commissioner's Office in delivering a balance between information security and information rights.

Christopher Graham was followed by Professor David Rhind’s talk about the importance of re-using information to stimulate innovation and drive the knowledge economy. He said that the benefits of PSI re-use

• Underpins democratic accountability (e.g. Government meeting PSA targets, local authority and CLA outcomes, NHS Trusts meeting 4 hour/18 week, MRSA targets, etc)
• Raises awareness of citizens’ rights and responsibilities
• Facilitates community activity
• Can be used to enhance efficiency e.g. tune services, allocate resources to meet real needs
• Can underpin innovation and hence create jobs and provide choice in services

Professor also asserted that an interest in making PSI more readily available has grown hugely in recent months, particularly as a result of the Making Public Data Public initiative led by Sir Tim Berners-Lee and Professor Nigel Shadbolt.  Despite the optimism and drive in this area, he said there are still factors that block the effective exploitation of PSI. Drawing on APPSI’s recent advice to the Shareholder Executive, Tim Berners-Lee and the Cabinet Office, he set out the recommendations for information ‘prospecting and harvesting’ in the short term and the long-term strategy to create/refine a national information infrastructure, as well as the policy changes and actions needed to facilitate successful re-use of PSI.  See David-Rhind-presentation.pdf (1.05 MB) and the Conference-Agenda.pdf (82.42 KB)

On 20 October 2009 Professor David Rhind chaired the PSI in Action Conference hosted by Civil Service World in conjunction with the Office of Public Sector Information, part of The National Archives. The conference was well attended (approximately 70 participants from public and private sector bodies as well as the PSI policy leads in New Zealand and the Victoria State).  Professor Rhind's introduction positively captured the wider interest and activity in PSI in the last 18 months driven by important reports and initiatives, most notably the Power of Information Report, the Shareholder Executive's review of Trading Funds, the launch of Ordnance Survey's new business strategy, the INSPIRE Directive, and the more recently the Making Public Data Public Policy. Below you will find the conference delegate pack and the presentations given by the speakers:

PSI-in-Action-delegate-pack.pdf (3.1 MB)

Nicholas-Gruen-Towards-a-more-Felicitous-Economy.pdf (748.13 KB)

William-Perrin-PSI-Lifeblood-of-Communities.pdf (3.66 MB)

Ian-Trenholm-Public-Service-Delivery-How-can-we-Raise-the-Bar.pdf (443.19 KB)

Andrew-Stott-Beyond-PSI-Extending-Digital-Engagement.pdf (1.98 MB)

Chris-Jenkins-Knowledge-Sharing-Session-Competition-and-Discrimination.pdf (144.55 KB)

Jim-Wretham-Knowledge-Sharing-Session-Opening-up-Access-to-Information.pdf (61.83 KB)

Martin-Ferguson-Public-Service-Delivery-How-can-we-Raise-the-Bar.pdf (1 MB)

Patricia-Seex-Knowledge-Sharing-Session-The-Price-of-Information.pdf (86.31 KB)

Nigel-Shadbolt-Public-Information-Delivery.pdf (4 MB)

The Prime Minister has tasked Sir Tim Berners-Lee and Professor Nigel Shadbolt with making much more Public Sector Information (PSI) easily accessible over the web. In parallel, the Shareholder Executive has been studying how best to make available information from Trading Funds in a sustainable way. Both organisations have asked the government's Advisory Panel on Public Sector Information (APPSI) for suggestions on how to facilitate their work. Since the two tasks interact and success will need both short and long term actions, APPSI has produced a paper entitled Exploiting government's information assets for the public good which sets out a consolidated view by the Panel of how best to proceed.

APPSI's key points are:

• The value of PSI to citizens and businesses alike is now widely recognised. The factors which block realisation of this value are no longer technological but rather cultural, policy, institutional and financial ones. We therefore warmly welcome the Making Public Data Public initiative;
• We identify areas where information 'prospecting and harvesting' would be beneficial in the short term. But we also urge that a longer term and prioritised information garnering strategy should be put in place;
• In particular, we identify some 'Core Reference Geographies' which would underpin many activities of the state, its organisations (e.g. emergency services) and businesses and urge that these are made freely available and maintained as a key part of a national information infrastructure;
• We identify some policy changes and other actions which would considerably facilitate successful re-use of PSI;
• We note that the growing use of the new technologies has major ramifications for current government policies and practice applied to Trading Funds, notably in the practicability of some forms of end user licenses.

See Exploiting-government-information-assets-for-public-good.pdf (247.54 KB)

Michael Wills, Minister of State for Justice has reappointed the following three members to the Advisory Panel on Public Sector Information:

• Mike Batty - Expert in geospatical information
• Hector MacQueen - Representative of Scotland and Scottish interests
• John Ponting - PSI expert.

Full biographical details of all APPSI members can be found at the 'Members' section of the APPSI website.