open data

ata, especially Big Data, is one of the most important aspects of life in the twenty-first century. This includes government and technology firms, individuals, companies, private sector, civil society and professionals. When government data is made available publicly, it forms an integral component of Big Data. Karnataka’s Open Data initiative aims to release government data for statistical purposes and other public uses into the public domain. Also, it increases government transparency and accountability to its citizens. Accordingly, the Karnataka Open Data Portal (Karnataka.data.gov.in) was launched in 2020. Through the use of this information, the public benefits, as it enables industry, start-ups, academia, and research entities to develop products and solutions for the benefit of citizens. The government can utilise analytics platforms to make better decisions and take innovative actions. Open Data builds capacities within government departments to handle and manage a range of complex datasets. Public data is democratised for better

innovation, co-creation, and research. Currently, 75 departments have uploaded 260 catalogs and made more than 1,500 resources available on the portal. This data includes a range of high-value catalogs and resources from the Agriculture department, nine catalogs and 33 resources from the Karnataka State Beverages Corporation, 11 catalogs and more than 195 resources from the Economics and Statistics Department, 6 catalogs and 22 resources from the Home Department, 6 catalogs and 26 resources from the Housing Department, and 16 catalogs and 78 resources from Infrastructure and Inland Waters Department. Among the key features of Open Data is the ease of access to public and other institutions without the need for a username and password. The data from the various resources are available at a single location. A standardised format is used to present the information. It makes inter-department exchanges easy. An inherent feature of Open Data is determining which information can be shared publicly and which can’t. The Karnataka State Data Policy, which was formulated in 2021, outlines the dos and don’ts. Any data collected should not contain personal information or allow people to be able to identify individuals. The policy must be consulted by anyone who has questions or doubts about the issue. A defined procedure is available to those departments who desire to sell or monetise high-value information. There are clear guidelines regarding which data cannot be shared or sold. Each department that decides to upload its data appoints a Chief Data Officer (CDO), who is responsible for the identification of the right set of data that can be publicly shared. In some of the departments with large data, there are Data Contributors to assist and help the CDOs. These contributors ensure that there are no personal, controversial, and sensitive issues attached to the information. At this stage, the Project Monitoring Unit of the Open Data portal re-checks the dataset and then publishes them. At present, there are 100 CDOs, and 1,500 datasets are available on the portal for public and academic use. The state government plans to organise Hackathons with the various universities to spot the problems that the departments may have in sharing their data.

he feedback from the beneficiaries is excellent. Aruna Kulkarni, a researcher at the Indian Institute of Sciences (Bangalore), feels that since it is tough to access public data for academic purposes, Open Data has resulted in an information revolution of sorts. Anurag Singh adds that the information helps him to understand and analyse the market landscape in the state. T.N. Vidhya contends that students are a key set of beneficiaries as the data enhances their knowledge. Dr. Shiva Lingaiah M says that data helps to know about the developmental progress of the state and country. Through Open Data, Karnataka ensures that the various departments adhere to a common data management and governance process to bring the stakeholders on a common page to understand their needs and criticality. It eliminates data duplication as it defines the roles and responsibilities of the departments. Government officials become aware and sensitised in handling public data. Consistent and frequent use of information improves data quality. There is clarity among the various stakeholders about how to handle the different data sets which leads to a better information ecosystem. Well-managed and accessible data results in better decision-making process. Open Data equals Open Society, which implies better citizens and better society. Karnataka aims to leverage the changing dynamics in the external environment and tap the power of data. Growing digitisation in the state has created a huge number of data sets, and its true benefits and value need to be unleashed. Hence, the state decided to set up protocols for easy public access of shareable data, effective sharing, and efficient utilisation. This can be done in a system of an enterprise open data policy which outlines the guidelines for data management and defines standards and processes to provide proactive and open access to large sets of information.