What is open data?

Open data is data that anyone can access, use and share without restrictions.  

In NSW government context, open data is the proactive or on demand release of data or insights for public use, in any form and through any channel, with approval from the data custodian/owner prior to its release. 

Release of open data by government means the community is well-informed and can make better decisions for themselves. However, there may be unintended consequences to releasing some data as open data, for example release of personal or otherwise sensitive information. Therefore, it is important to ensure appropriate safeguards are in place before data is released as open data.  

Open data publishing guidelines have been developed to help NSW Government agency Data Custodians publish open data. 

The purpose of the NSW Government open data publishing guidelines is to:  

• Describe the open data publishing process model
• Provide a clear approval process to follow for publishing open data  
• Include guidance for publishing data in a digitally connected environment  
• Describe roles and responsibilities for data custodians and other parties  
• Mitigate risks associated with the publication of open data.