Cambridgeshire Insight Open Data

What is Open Data?

Open data is data that is published in an open accessible format, is machine readable and is published under a license that allows for free reuse. It is publicly released raw data that is often from the government or public services.

Click here for the datasets relevant to Cambridgeshire that are currently available.

The ODI (Open Data Institute) have a useful FAQ on open data that may be of interest.

In June 2012, the government published a white paper on open data. This outlined how they intend to put make it easier to access public data, with a “presumption to publish”, and with data released in standard open formats. The paper also highlights the benefits that open data can bring such as greater transparency, improved public services, and the unlocking of economic potential.

Cambridgeshire Insight Open Data

Cambridgeshire Insight Open Data is the place to get local open data. Organisations are sharing data in order to change the way we all live and work in the County as well as meet requirements for Open Government.

This site is managed by Cambridgeshire County Council and the development has been funded by the Local Government Association

The site allows users to search for datasets that are available within the website directly from the homepage or by navigating to the Datasets search page where you can search for Cambridgeshire data by tags, groups and format.  So whether you are looking for data on the economy, housing or population and demographics we have data that may suit your needs.

Why is Open Data important for Cambridgeshire?

Data is one of the key assets that the public sector holds. It is important to recognise the vital enabling role and transformational aspects of data collection, data release and powerful analytics in planning and delivering public services.  Data can for example help better manage the county, create better transport networks and deliver smarter services to Children’s, Families and Adults.

The importance of Open Data is recognised both internationally through the ‘Open G8 Open Data Charter’ and nationally through Government initiatives such as Data.gov.uk and the Government’s white paper on Open Data.

The Cambridgeshire Insight partnership and local district councils are currently working to:

    • Introduce attendees the concept of open data to a wide group of data owners and users;
    • To inspire the audience with the value of open data and the possibilities that open data creates
    • Get people thinking about the data they have and the resources/skills they will need to be able to release data.
    • Work out the next steps locally and identify how best to deploy the Release of Data funding to support partners and the County Council

 

How do I upload data to the Open data portal?

Once you have registered and created your own account on the Cambridgeshire Insight Open data portal you will be able to upload data. To do this please take a look at the user guide.