The social impact of open data

There are numerous studies and news articles that talk about the impact that the use of open data may have, and is already having, on the economy of countries or on business opportunities for both traditional companies and new entrepreneurs.

However, there is another social aspect of open data which is less well known and which, although not much discussed, has an even greater importance because of its potential to improve accountability and basic public services such as education, health, public safety and the environment and make our lives simply better.

In fact, according to data from the third edition of the Open Data Barometer, the economic impact of open data is considerably greater than the social impact so  far. Even so, fortunately, we can still count on more and more case studies and examples of how we can apply the benefits of open data in the services we use in our day to day:

• Accountability - the Transparency Portal (Brazil), initially conceived as a tool to improve transparency, has been growing in content and relevance over time and has become a key element in the fight against corruption in the country and for citizen control over inefficiency in the use of public resources. The success of this initiative has led to the emergence of several similar projects throughout Latin America.

• Health - At Your Service (Uruguay) is a multiple award-winning online platform considered as an example and reference, through which citizens can obtain detailed information about the different health care providers in the country in an open, user-friendly manner. This platform allows them to compare the performance of the different alternatives available, allowing them to make more informed and conscious decisions that will eventually have a positive effect on their health in the near future.

• Education - Dashboard (Tanzania): Poor school performance in recent years were the source of widespread discontent and a growing demand for increased transparency in school performance data in the country. Thus, Dashboard emerged via the national open data initiative, which shows the country's detailed indicators in a very graphic way to facilitate their understanding and avoid aversion to "raw" data. These indicators will not only inform the public, but will also serve to guide necessary educational reform.

• Public Safety - Crime Map (UK): thanks to the full availability of crime statistics, UK police can provide various value-added services in informing the public about safety in their neighbourhoods and cities. In addition, all this data is also used to make projections that contribute to better planning of public safety measures and policies, leading finally to greater effectiveness in the fight against crime.

• Environment - Earthquake Prevention (Japan): The Japan Meteorological Agency has historically provided real-time information on seismic activity in the country, sending alerts that allow the population to take anticipatory measures in case of a possible earthquake. In addition, as a result of the great earthquake of 2011, a collective awareness has been created in the country about the need to be more energy efficient, leading to the open publication of data on energy supply and demand in the country.

In short, open data initiatives should reflect on the need to establish clear strategies in order always to put people at the centre of the process  and work together with them to identify and solve the problems that affect them most in their daily lives.