Press release: Switzerland mid-table on open government data

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Cambridge & Zürich, 14 June 2013

G8Open data and transparency are among the three main topics of the forthcoming G8 summit in Northern Ireland. A preview version of the global Open Data Census published today shows that the G8 countries still have a lot to do before the information essential to modern democracies is publicly available as open datasets.

Switzerland ranks mid-table and currently stands in 13th place in the open data country comparison: compared with the G8, at least ahead of Russia, and only just ahead of Italy. Switzerland has made progress on open government data; both the engagement of civil society and the efforts of the federal government are showing first results. Problem areas remain, for example, company registers and efficient electronic access to public budgets and spending. With the launch of the data portal of the federal administration at the Open Knowledge Conference in Geneva next September, Switzerland will reach another milestone – but there is still plenty of homework to do before our far-reaching opportunities for participation are matched by adequate data transparency.

OpenDataCensusThe Open Data Census is compiled by the Open Knowledge Foundation with the help of a network of local data experts from around the world, including Opendata.ch in Switzerland. It records the openness of data from ten core areas that lead to greater transparency and accountability – such as government spending and election results, but also data needed to give citizens access to important data services. These include, for example, map and timetable data. The details of the Open Data Census 2013 will be published in the course of the year.

The current results show that both Switzerland and the USA (which top the list of G8 countries) have made significant progress and important datasets have been opened, but that much remains to be done in both countries. Postcodes, which are of central importance for most location-based applications, remain a major issue in all G8 countries except Germany. Not a single G8 country received the top score for company registers. Russia is the only G8 country in which none of the information covered by the census is published as fully open datasets. The complete results for the G8 countries can be found at http://census.okfn.org/g8/

More information after the jump:

QUOTES

Rufus Pollock, founder of the Open Knowledge Foundation, says: “We are very pleased that many of the G8 countries have announced their support for open data, but today’s results show that progress is lagging behind the promises. We therefore call on them to live up to their commitments and take a leading role in opening up the world’s data so that real transparency and accountability become possible.”

André Golliez, President of Opendata.ch, adds: “Open data and transparency is a long-term international megatrend that Switzerland cannot ignore. The international comparison shows that open data is making headway in this country too. What is now needed are clear mandates from politicians to the administration to continue the processes that have been started and to anchor the principle of “open data” in all areas of the public sector.”

Hannes Gassert, co-founder of Opendata.ch, adds: “With its tradition of outstanding data quality and its participatory political culture, Switzerland is in an excellent position to take a leading place in open government data – provided the political will is there.”

CONTACT

For questions about the Open Data Census, please contact: press@okfn.org / +44 7795 176976
The Open Knowledge Foundation, St John’s Innovation Centre, Cowley Road, Cambridge, CB4 0WS UK.
For questions about the situation in Switzerland, please contact: info@opendata.ch / +41 78 663 11 09
Opendata.ch, Postfach 2322, 8033 Zürich

NOTES

  • The G8 countries meet in Northern Ireland on 17–18 June 2013. The G8 countries are Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. Open data and transparency are among the three main topics of the summit, see https://www.gov.uk/government/topical-events/g8-2013
  • The Open Knowledge Foundation is a worldwide movement that aims to open up data, promote its use and thereby give citizens of all countries new knowledge, new possibilities and greater equality of opportunity. The foundation does so by opening up reusable open data and content sources itself or by encouraging administrations and companies to do so. These sources include non-personal public-sector information, publicly funded research and public domain cultural heritage. More information about the Open Knowledge Foundation can be found at http://okfn.org.
  • Opendata.ch is the Swiss chapter of the Open Knowledge Foundation and has pursued its goals in Switzerland since 2011. Together with the Open Knowledge Foundation, it is hosting the international Open Knowledge Conference 2013, OKCon – see http://okcon.org.
  • The Open Data Census is coordinated by the Open Knowledge Foundation. Together with local data experts around the world, it measures the degree of openness of public-sector data in a large number of countries. It covers election results, company registers, map data, budget data, government spending, legislative data, economic and demographic statistics, postcodes, public transport timetables and pollution data. More detailed information can be found on the Open Knowledge Foundation blog. The preview version of the Open Data Census 2013 can be found at http://census.okfn.org/g8/.
  • The Open Definition of the Open Knowledge Foundation sets out the principles underlying the concept of openness used: data and content should be free to use, reuse and combine – by anyone, anywhere and for any purpose. To ensure this, open data should be published in an accessible, machine-readable format under an open licence. The full definition and an annotated German translation can be found at http://opendefinition.org.

    • Google Docs (the document can be downloaded in various formats)