Public Sector Information: Public Sector Information Christopher Roper Director, Tangram Associates 2nd March 2005 A Private Sector Perspective


So, What’s the Problem?: So, What’s the Problem? A lack of understanding of the issues in the higher reaches of Government; The absence of an information culture in Government, unlike other industries; The existence of “trading funds”, lobbying against the trend towards liberalisation; Turf wars among public sector bodies, fighting to control Intellectual Property; and The issues are not on the radar screen of any of the three major political parties.


The Missing Information Culture: The Missing Information Culture HM Treasury finally stopped using tally sticks in 1724 some 200 years after they became obsolete everywhere else; The tally-stick world view is alive and well in many corners of the public sector. It’s time for another bonfire.


Two Paradigms: Two Paradigms Emphasis on Retention Discrete, stand alone Driven by statute & regulation Require expert gatekeepers Fixed specification Eyes on the past Accountability Often Ephemeral Multiple uses & linkages Driven by process Unspecialised users Evolving specification Looking to the future Decision support Records Information


The Core Issues: The Core Issues Re-purposing data for new applications requires investment and knowledge; The editorial function of publishing is ignored in government PSI licensing models; High-volume, low-price products cost most to take to market, but are also the most valuable. Monopolies are good for the monopolist; bad for everyone else; ALWAYS; It is easier to use information to reduce costs than to create new sources of revenue;


Cost ≠ Value: Cost ≠ Value


The Missing Information Culture: The Missing Information Culture Consider the life cycle of a supermarket till roll, the data it contains & how it is used; Consider the use of real-time information in the oil industry, airlines & stock market; Consider neglected sources of real-time information that could help Government; The good reasons & the real reasons for our lack of progress


The Role of Trading Funds: The Role of Trading Funds “If we were starting with a blank sheet of paper, we wouldn’t have ‘Trading Funds’” OS and the Met Office are special cases, and should not determine PSI policy; UK support for European Directives on PSI is constrained and compromised; New models are needed, probably based on Canadian or Australian precedents; Only the Treasury can break the impasse and shows little interest in doing so.


Why not a £1,000 Passport?: Why not a £1,000 Passport? It would raise the money required to maintain British Consular services overseas, only used by Passport holders; It would allow the FCO to improve facilities and provide better services to travellers, funding all kinds of new posts; and It could also be used to fund projects that reduce the net CO2 emissions arising from millions of Brits flying here and there around the globe; and It would encourage people to take their holidays in the UK.


This may be a silly idea: This may be a silly idea It’s no sillier than justifications currently trotted out for OS digital data prices; However, a £1000 passport might cost a few million votes at the next election; Trading funds deliver services that go beyond the scope of government's own needs. Mapping and meteorology are specifically cited in this connection.


IP Turf Wars or Ncetera : IP Turf Wars or Ncetera The National Land and Property Gazetteer; The National Land Use Database; The National Land Information Service; Project Acacia; Groundwater Vulnerability Maps; The Postcode Address File; and The Fuzzy boundaries of OS Mastermap; £s Millions wasted on legal advice.


Is There a Solution?: Is There a Solution? The American model, favoured by the private sector probably isn’t a starter; We have an excellent precedent in The Registry Trust Limited (RTL); RTL has worked so well for almost 20 years that no one has heard of it; The RTL model builds in quality; cost reduction; and a level playing field; A genuine partnership among public, private & voluntary sectors.


Registry Trust Limited: Registry Trust Limited Founded in 1986 as a Company Limited by Guarantee to maintain a register of County Court judgements against debtors; Collects judgment records; maintains the records once received; and distributes records to customers and members of the public; The main commercial role of the Register is as a tool for responsible lending by providers of credit; >1mn records are added annually; The Board is chaired by an independent chairman who also represents the public interest. All Board members are non-executives, who represent stakeholders; RTL is completely self-financing and operates under a contract with the Lord Chancellor’s Department (aka Department for Constitutional Affairs).


Why RTL is a “Good Thing”: Why RTL is a “Good Thing” It reduces cost systemically and builds in quality controls at source; It guarantees a level playing field and pushes competition into appropriate areas; It reduces the potential for conflict among data suppliers and data users; and It mediates the interests of private, public and voluntary sectors. The fact that most people in this room will never have heard of RTL is testimony to its efficient operation over the past 19 years.