Experts raise alarm over rise in “open data inequality”
While the UK can cheer for being nominated for the second year in a row the most open country in the world for data transparency, a warning has been sounded over the widening gap between data haves and have-nots.
Advanced economies top the list of most transparent
A report by Open Data Barometer, an initiative of the World Wide Web Foundation, has shed light on the emerging divide in data transparency between developed and developing countries.
The top 15 positions are held by high-income countries like the US, which ranks in second position, and countries such France, Denmark and Canada.
The most open emerging economy in the world is then Mexico, ranking 16th, according to the third edition the report which was released on Thursday.
Out of the ten bottom positions of the ranking seven are held by Sub-Saharan countries, including Zimbabwe which moved down 14 positions despite a relatively strong economic performance.
The stark polarisation alarmed those concerned about the widening gap in what has come to be known as data inequality. It’s a risk which was also raised in a recent UN study on the “data revolution”:
“Without action, a whole new inequality frontier will open up, splitting the world between those who know, and those who do not.”
Signs of progress?
Open Barometer has identified some improvement among emerging countries.
The Philippines, for example, moved up 17 spots in the rankings to the 37th place, while Colombia improved by 12 spots to the 28th.
José Alonso, Director of the Web Foundation Open Data Programme, told the FT that although both countries introduced open data policies in place for the last few years, compared to 2014 we have seen a large increase in the amount of data available, particularly in the transport and environment sectors.
“In Colombia you could not find trade or election data online just a few years ago; now it’s there” Mr. Alonso said.
No Sub-Saharan country among the fastest improvers
Of the 92 countries surveyed, Kenya is the most data accessible and the one showing the fastest progress in Sub-Saharan Africa, with 7 positions gained in the last year as it reached the 43rd spot.
“The improvements have however been volatile and initiatives are embraced and abandoned with little continuity” Mr Alonso says.
Openness of data is seen largely as a technical and infrastructural issue, rather than a policy tool, as in the case of the ‘Ghana Open Data Initiative’ launched in 2012 by the Web Foundation. The project ended in 2013 and Ghana slipped 24 positions to 72nd this year.
Many sub-Saharan African countries face a crucial hurdle: the data just isn’t there, not even in paper format. According to Alonso in many of these countries NGOs and local communities have much better data than the government.
A uphill trek for open data
Of the 1,380 datasets scrutinised by the Open Barometer only 10 per cent were fully open. However, even when existent, data is often not easily accessible. It was not always machine readable, could not be downloaded in bulk, and sometimes was not free or up to date.
“Data are the lifeblood of decision-making and the raw material for accountability”,according to the UN. As such, they are decisive in designing, monitoring and evaluating policies.
But changes in the way data is made available are not cheap, quick or easy to implement, explains Mr. Alonso, and many sub-Saharan countries don’t have sustainable resources for long-term open data policies.
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