“Usage by stakeholders” as the objective of “transparency-by-design” in open government data. Case study of Sri Lanka’s open data initiative
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/ILS-05-2017-0034 |
| Published date | 10 July 2017 |
| Pages | 420-432 |
| Date | 10 July 2017 |
| Author | Stuti Saxena |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science,Librarianship/library management,Library & information services |
“Usage by stakeholders”as the
objective of “transparency-by-
design”in open government data
Case study of Sri Lanka’s open data initiative
Stuti Saxena
Central University of Haryana, Mahendragarh, India
Abstract
Purpose –While “transparency-by-design”serves as the antecedent of any Open Government Data (OGD)
initiative ( Janssen et al., 2017), its logical objective would be the extent to which data “usage”isfacilitated.
This paper aims to underscorethe significance, drivers and barriers to ensure “usage”ofdata sets conceding
that re-useof data sets is one of the key objectives of any OGD initiative.
Design/methodology/approach –With a documentary analysis approach, the OGD initiative of Sri
Lanka is investigated for the present purpose. Furthermore, the theoretical model of citizen engagement in
OGD suggested by Sieber and Johnson (2015)is being referred to appreciate the extentto which the usage of
data setsis facilitated via the OGD platform.
Findings –There are drivers as well as barriers as far as facilitating the usage of the data sets in the Sri
Lankan OGD initiative is concerned. For instance, some of the drivers are the provision of suggesting data
sets or the possibility of referring to data sets which are historical in nature. However, there are countless
barriers to usage thanthe drivers. For instance, there is absence of metadata in the data sets; the datasets are
not updated regularly; there arehistorical data; the formats of the data sets are limited in nature and are not
user-friendly; there is no facility of conducting data visualization or analytics, and there is no collaborative
approachtowards building further the OGD initiative.
Research limitations/implications –As only one case study is probedin the paper, further research is
warrantedto undertake a comparative approach by taking two or morecase studies into consideration.
Practical implications –This study holds relevance for Sri Lankan Governmentand other stakeholders
(policy makers, citizens,developers and the like) so far as furthering of user engagementin OGD initiative is
concerned.
Social implications –Facilitating more usage by citizens would increase their engagement, and they
might derive value out of the data sets. At the same time, the government’sobjective of ensuring increased
usage of the datasets would be better realized.
Originality/value –“Transparency-by-design”approach had its focus on the publishing phase of OGD,
and this paper seeks to provide its logicalconclusion by emphasizing upon “usage by stakeholders”because
by opening data sets, the governmenthas the target to ensure that these open data sets are being used and re-
used. Therefore, it is the outcome which is being discussed with the support of a case study set in the
background of Sri Lanka’s Open Data initiative. Besides, this is the first study which probes the OGD
initiativesof Sri Lanka –therein lies the major contribution of the study.
Keywords Sri Lanka, Engagement, Transparency, Open government data, Citizen engagement,
Usage by stakeholders
Paper type Research paper
1. Introduction
“Transparency-by-design”is regarded as the foundation of any Open Government Data
(OGD) platform which emphasizesupon furthering transparency in data publishingprocess
ILS
118,7/8
420
Received3 May 2017
Revised11 June 2017
20July 2017
Accepted20 July 2017
Informationand Learning Science
Vol.118 No. 7/8, 2017
pp. 420-432
© Emerald Publishing Limited
2398-5348
DOI 10.1108/ILS-05-2017-0034
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