Comments on: Free access to science speeds its use; would the same happen with government data? http://www.freeourdata.org.uk/blog/2006/05/free-access-to-science-speeds-its-use-would-the-same-happen-with-government-data/ A Guardian Technology campaign for free public access to non-personal data about the UK and its citizens Wed, 14 Jul 2010 17:15:46 +0100 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: terry hall http://www.freeourdata.org.uk/blog/2006/05/free-access-to-science-speeds-its-use-would-the-same-happen-with-government-data/comment-page-1/#comment-1062 terry hall Thu, 13 Jul 2006 09:52:18 +0000 http://www.freeourdata.org.uk/blog/?p=39#comment-1062 Read your article today who will address the postcode mess and it drew my thoughts to a flier i recieved yesterday from the royal mail redirection service inside was a flier from sky to this adress titled home mover. the only reason they could have assumed that i was moving on is the fact that my partner and i have very painfully split up with her leaving home and redirecting her mail to her new adress. this has upset me greatly i do not need this at this time is this legal it surely cant be ethical that royal mail can sell what is personal data from one of its agencies that must be dealing with some people going through one of the most difficult periods in their lives Read your article today who will address the postcode mess and it drew my thoughts to a flier i recieved yesterday from the royal mail redirection service inside was a flier from sky to this adress titled home mover.
the only reason they could have assumed that i was moving on is the fact that my partner and i have very painfully split up with her leaving home and redirecting her mail to her new adress.
this has upset me greatly i do not need this at this time is this legal it surely cant be ethical that royal mail can sell what is personal data from one of its agencies that must be dealing with some people going through one of the most difficult periods in their lives

]]> By: Dan Macdonald http://www.freeourdata.org.uk/blog/2006/05/free-access-to-science-speeds-its-use-would-the-same-happen-with-government-data/comment-page-1/#comment-724 Dan Macdonald Tue, 23 May 2006 13:23:53 +0000 http://www.freeourdata.org.uk/blog/?p=39#comment-724 I think there is something in the scientific mind that welcomes an open approach. Technology could be said to breed geeks, but at least they are open to new and better ways of doing things. An interesting example of this thesis can be seen on Ed Parson's blog currently. For those who haven't read other postings on this blog, Ed is Chief Technology Officer at Ordnance Survey. In one of his most recent postings on his personal blog ( http://www.edparsons.com/?p=234 ) he has been musing on an "open" approach to OS data. Firstly, this is reassuring - in that at least someone in OS does have his eyes on the rest of the world. However it leapfrogs the objectives of this campaign. Ed argues that users will find and exploit the data if given access. Supporters of this campaign would welcome that, I'm sure, but it cuts out a beneficial step. The more likely route forward is that other GI specialists should exploit OS data in ways that OS hasn't thought of, or doesn't want to tackle. It's in the interests of the wider set of potential users to let the GI geeks get their hands on OS data. That way the combination of technical specialist & commercial entrepreneur can come together. It's all a matter of hearts and minds though. Lets hope that Ed's open-mindedness can reach those darker parts of OS that see any intrusion into their data as tantamount to theft! I think there is something in the scientific mind that welcomes an open approach. Technology could be said to breed geeks, but at least they are open to new and better ways of doing things.

An interesting example of this thesis can be seen on Ed Parson’s blog currently. For those who haven’t read other postings on this blog, Ed is Chief Technology Officer at Ordnance Survey. In one of his most recent postings on his personal blog ( http://www.edparsons.com/?p=234 ) he has been musing on an “open” approach to OS data.

Firstly, this is reassuring – in that at least someone in OS does have his eyes on the rest of the world. However it leapfrogs the objectives of this campaign. Ed argues that users will find and exploit the data if given access. Supporters of this campaign would welcome that, I’m sure, but it cuts out a beneficial step. The more likely route forward is that other GI specialists should exploit OS data in ways that OS hasn’t thought of, or doesn’t want to tackle. It’s in the interests of the wider set of potential users to let the GI geeks get their hands on OS data. That way the combination of technical specialist & commercial entrepreneur can come together.

It’s all a matter of hearts and minds though. Lets hope that Ed’s open-mindedness can reach those darker parts of OS that see any intrusion into their data as tantamount to theft!

]]> By: keithwins2006 http://www.freeourdata.org.uk/blog/2006/05/free-access-to-science-speeds-its-use-would-the-same-happen-with-government-data/comment-page-1/#comment-679 keithwins2006 Thu, 18 May 2006 22:31:56 +0000 http://www.freeourdata.org.uk/blog/?p=39#comment-679 All such information should be made available to everyone, and not just a privileged elite. All such information should be made available to everyone, and not just a privileged elite.

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