Measuring the Impact of Open Data

I was happy to find widespread agreement about our ideas for the need to measure impact of open data policies, at the International Open Data Conference last week.

It is my opinion that we can better guide organisations into a proper data stewardship plan, if we have some way of valuing the various parts of the plan. I know, some of you are thinking that this will rain on the parade, but measuring the impact of open data policies will not be uneventful. Wandering into this new field of impact and benefit analysis will be full of excitement and surprises.

Our first evaluations will begin to answer questions about what is already valuable and what indicators are helpful for determining the value of an open data set. We won’t be alone in the conversation, and the field won’t stop growing and developing. Studying the value, though, will help organisations make better decisions and invest more meaningfully in sharing data and learning.

Any thoughts on this? Use the comments section below for further discussion.