Open government data: critical information management perspectives
| Pages | 152-167 |
| Date | 11 March 2019 |
| Published date | 11 March 2019 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/RMJ-08-2018-0023 |
| Author | Elizabeth Shepherd,Jenny Bunn,Andrew Flinn,Elizabeth Lomas,Anna Sexton,Sara Brimble,Katherine Chorley,Emma Harrison,James Lowry,Jessica Page |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Information management & governance |
Open government data:
critical information
management perspectives
Elizabeth Shepherd,Jenny Bunn,Andrew Flinn and Elizabeth Lomas
Department of Information Studies, University College London, London, UK
Anna Sexton
The National Archives, London, UK, and
Sara Brimble,Katherine Chorley,Emma Harrison,James Lowry and
Jessica Page
Department of Information Studies, University College London, London, UK
Abstract
Purpose –Open government data and access to public sector information is commonplace, yet little
attention has focussed on the essentialroles and responsibilities in practice of the information and records
management professionals,who enable public authorities to deliver open datato citizens. This paper aims to
consider theperspectives of open government and informationpractitioners in England on the procedural and
policy implicationsof open data across local public authorities.
Design/methodology/approach –Using four case studies from different parts of the public sector in
England (local government, higher education, National Health Service and hospital trust), the research
involved master’s levelstudents in the data collection and analysis, alongside academics, thus enhancingthe
learningexperience of students.
Findings –There was little consistencyin the location of responsibility for open government data policy,
the range of job roles involved or the organisational structures, policy and guidance in place to deliver this
function. While this may reflectthe organisational differences and professionalconcerns, it makes it difficult
to share best practice.Central government policy encouragespublic bodies to make their data available for re-
use. However, local practice is very variable and perhaps understandably responds more to local
organisationalstrategic and resource priorities. The researchfound a lack of common metadata standards for
open data, different choicesabout which data to open, problems of data redundancy, inconsistency and data
integrityand a wide variety of views on the corporate and public benefits of open data.
Research limitations/implications –The research is limited to England andto non-national public
bodies andonly draws data from a small number of case studies.
Originality/value –The research contributesto the debate about emerging issues around the complexities
of open government data and its public benefits, contributingto the discussions around technology-enabled
approaches to citizen engagement and governance. It offers new insights into the interaction between open
data and publicpolicy objectives, drawing on the experience of local public sectorsin England.
Keywords Information management, England, Open government, Open government data,
Public records management
Paper type Research paper
Funding: This work was supported by the Canadian Social Sciences and Humanities Research
Council (SSHRC), Trust in Digital Records in an Increasingly Networked Society (InterPARES Trust),
grant number 895-2013-1004. UCL is one of the European partners in the InterPARES Trust (IPT), a
multi-national, interdisciplinary research project (www.interparestrust.org/).
RMJ
29,1/2
152
Received17 August 2018
Revised9 November 2018
Accepted13 December 2018
RecordsManagement Journal
Vol.29 No. 1/2, 2019
pp. 152-167
© Emerald Publishing Limited
0956-5698
DOI 10.1108/RMJ-08-2018-0023
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/0956-5698.htm
Introduction
Open government data and access to public sector information in the UK and across the
world is in transformation, and yet little attention has focussed on the essential roles and
responsibilities in practice of the information and records management professionals
who enable public authorities to deliver open government data to citizens. This article
presents the research findings from UCL, one of the European partners in the
InterPARES Trust (IPT), a multi-national interdisciplinary research project exploring
digital records (www.interparestrust.org/). The article considers the perspectives of
open government and information practitioners working in localities in England, set into
an international academic research frame. It draws on practice experience across
different types of local public authorities of the procedural and policy implications of
open government data. It seeks to surface the significant but often-overlooked links
between the effective management of informationandthedeliveryofopengovernment
data.
Since 2013, UCL has run several linked projects that studied the role of the information
and records management disciplinein the context of new obligations on public sector bodies
towards open government data (i.e. the proactive release of data by public sector
organisations for re-use by thirdparties in the public benefit) and greater access to data for
citizens. The research aims to develop a picture of implementation and compliance in the
field outside central (national)government by using four case studies from differentparts of
the public sector in England. The lens through which it studied open governmentdata was
the professional discipline of information and records management as these professionals
have a critical but under-recognised and, hence, often under-resourced role in the practical
operation of open government data. It frames the findings from practice with a literature
review drawing on academic research into the intersection between open government data
and information management internationally. It concludes with implications for policy and
practice.
In the policy context, public authorities are responding to the European General Data
Protection Regulation(GDPR), which further constrains the requirements for managing and
sharing personal data. Regulatory agencies including the UK Information Commissioner’s
Office (ICO, 2017b) propose additional administrative data duties such as, the “duty to
document”. In addition, citizens demand greater accountability and transparency in public
processes. In this shifting climate, it is critical that open government data policy is better
understood and framed holistically. Although related to freedom of information, access to
public information and records management, as suggested by Janssen et al. (2012) and
Zuiderwijk and Janssen (2014), opengovernment data has distinct characteristics that merit
investigation. Forexample, the relationships between open government data, public records,
freedom of information,linked data and the role of information managers anddata scientists
are complex, overlapping and not fully understood, as set out by Luna-Reyes et al. (2014)
and Shepherd (2015,2017). As government functions are increasingly delivered by
commercial and third sector bodies in partnership with the public sector, issues of data
provenance, guarantees of data standards and ownership need exploration. The secondary
use of open government data is a significant resource to policymakers and for academic
researchers, especially if data sets can be linked, as Safarov et al. (2017), and Sexton et al.
(2017), explore.
Research methods
The foundation of the research was a literature review in two phases, on open government
data broadly and then focussing more closely on the related privacy issues. The primary
Open
government
data
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