NSW Government Open Data Policy
Open data is a tremendous resource. It provides the intelligence for insight, invention and exploration that translate into better products and services that improve everyday life and encourage business growth.
What is open data?
The NSW Government Open Data Policy focuses on datasets as an aspect of information defined in the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 (NSW) (GIPA Act).
A dataset is an identifiable collection of government-held information or data. Most commonly a dataset refers to a single database table, a single statistical data matrix, a collection of closely related tables or a subset of data within a larger dataset.
Data is open to the extent that its management, release and characteristics meet the principles of openness outlined in this policy. Open data should be both technically available and usable, and have licensing frameworks in place to facilitate its release and use.
The objectives of this policy
The objectives of this policy are to assist NSW Government agencies to:
- release data for use by the community, research, business and industry
- embed open data into business-as-usual
- use data to inform the design of policy, programs and procurement
- advance citizen engagement with government
- support the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 (NSW) (GIPA Act) and promote compliance with its requirements.
Open data principles
Open data principles lead to a more responsive government, and better service delivery. To meet the obligations of this policy, agencies must manage data as a strategic asset to be:
- open by default, protected where required
- prioritised, discoverable and usable
- primary and timely
- well managed, trusted and authoritative
- free where appropriate
- subject to public input.