Defra published an Open Data Strategy in June 2012. It focused on coordinating Open Data activities across Defra, setting up a transparency panel, identifying some key initial commitments and putting in place initial mechanisms to embed open data principles within Defra and its Network. Using the strategy, Defra recognised that a refresh was required to be able to achieve the wider benefits and to fully support the government priorities around building a National Information Infrastructure (NII).
The new document lays out a refreshed Open Data Strategy for Defra. It follows the principles of the Open Data White Paper (1) and builds upon the UK government response to the Shakespeare Review of Public Sector Information, the G8 Open Data Charter and building our National Information Infrastructure. It provides a set of principles that will be applied
by Defra and its Arms Length Bodies (the Defra Network) to embed transparency principles and the publishing of open data as part of its day-to-day business. Specific commitments for open data release will be made available through data.gov.uk using the inventory of data held by government. The new strategy aims to cover the openness of Defra data in a broad sense. Data and datasets are defined in the Open Data White Paper and the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (2).
At a minimum it defines datasets to mean information comprising a collection of information held in electronic form where all or most of the information in the collection:
(a) has been obtained or recorded for the purpose of providing a public authority with information in connection with the provision of a service by the authority or the carrying out of any other function of the authority
(b) is factual information which –
(i) is not the product of analysis or interpretation other than calculation, and
(ii) is not an official statistic (within the meaning given by section 6(1) of the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007), and
(c) remains presented in a way that (except for the purpose of forming part of the collection) has not been organised, adapted or otherwise materially altered since it was obtained or recorded.”
However, the principles of the strategy will be applied more widely and will extend where practical and sensible to published statistics and the raw data behind those statistics. This would be achieved in a way that is compatible with the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 (3). For example the discoverability of those statistics alongside data will be an area of focus. Defra is building an approach that meets the G8 Open Data Charter principles (4):
o Principle 1: Open Data by Default
o Principle 2: Quality and Quantity
o Principle 3: Usable by All
o Principle 4: Releasing Data for Improved Governance
o Principle 5: Releasing Data for Innovation
This document builds upon and supersedes the previous Defra Open Data Strategy.
Defra and the Defra Network
Defra is the UK government department responsible for policy and regulations on environmental, food and rural issues. Its priorities are to grow the rural economy, improve the environment and safeguard animal and plant health.
Defra is a ministerial department, supported by 38 agencies and public bodies, collectively termed the Defra Network.
The full list of organisations in the Defra Network is listed in Annex IV of the document.
This strategy covers the Department and the Defra Network.
(1) Open Data White Paper ? June 2012 definitions: http://data.gov.uk/sites/default/files/Open_data_White_Paper.pdf#page=9
(2) Freedom of Information Act 2000 ? section 11(5): http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/36/contents
(3) The Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2007/18/contents
(4) The G8 Open Data charter and Technical Annex: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/open?data?