Users have responsibilities when accessing and using NSW Government open data.
Understanding, using and interpreting data
You should read the information about the dataset to familiarise and understand:
- How the data was collected or the origins of the data
- How it could be used
- Whether it can be compared with other, similar datasets
- Whether it can be linked to other datasets
- Its scope and any caveats or known or analytical limitations, etc.
The information is usually published on Data.NSW, and will often include:
- Data dictionaries
- Data quality statements
- Data notes and more.
Consider all of the supporting information to ensure that you’re using the data appropriately and responsibly.
It should be noted that NSW Government shall not be held liable for improper or incorrect use of the data.
If the data is lacking or not fit for purpose or have further questions, email the authors or contacts listed for the dataset.
Using data in ways that are consistent with its licence conditions
Much of the data in Data.NSW will be open and accessible for everyone to use, modify or reuse for whatever purpose.
However, there are some cases where you may be restricted on what you can do with the open data.
Make sure you understand the licence conditions for any data that you’re using.
To help you understand the restrictions, we’ve provided the licence and the conditions below:
Licence | Licence conditions |
Creative commons attribution (CC BY) |
|
Creative commons attribution Share-a-like (CC BY-SA) |
|
CC-by-4.0 |
|
CC-BY-3.0 |
|
3rd party licence |
|
If data has yet to have a licence specified, please contact the contact point listed to to explain how you wish to use the data and ask them to clarify the licensing for you.
Providing feedback to data providers or Data.NSW
As a data user you are encouraged to contact us:
- to help identify which data to prioritise for release or improvement
- if you become aware of a breach of licence conditions or safeguards for personal, health or other sensitive information
- if any of the datasets are inaccurate, our-of-date or have become unavailable or inaccessible
- to share the insights discovered from open data or how open data was used.
Last updated 18 Mar 2025