Data from different sources is being used more and more to provide services for city planning, travelling, city logistics, energy optimisation and other needs in cities. Open Data with reference to the PSI (Public Sector Information) directive where public data should be made more or less freely available, is a catalyst for this change. To understand and pave the path to unleashing the real potential it is important to widen the concept of openness to include available data “at a price” also from commercial sources.
This does not need to be negative as open data always comes at a cost. If this cost could be balanced with a price for the access we could expect better availability, higher quality and more frequent updates of the data. New data sources will most likely also be made available.
With an attitude to allow and make use of data from several sources or even generate new data as a part of an application, NetPort Science Park is involved in projects to tackle the challenge to make the city a Smarter City. The key is not massive amount of data or big data, but more of intelligent combinations and analysis of the data into useful information presented in a way easy to understand and absorb.
More information on the PSI directive here
Original source: FOT-Net Data Newsletter
Author: Mats Jonsson, NetPort Science Park in Karlshamn, Sweden
