The Emergence of a Third Wave of Open Data: How To Accelerate the Re-Use of Data for Public Interest Purposes While Ensuring Data Rights and Community Flourishing

34 Pages Posted: 11 Oct 2021

See all articles by Stefaan Verhulst

Stefaan Verhulst

New York University (NYU) ; Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB); The Data Tank; The GovLab

Andrew Young

New York University (NYU)

Andrew J. Zahuranec

New York University (NYU)

Ania Calderon

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Matt Gee

BrightHive, Inc.

Susan Ariel Aaronson

George Washington University - Elliott School of International Affairs

Date Written: October 28, 2020

Abstract

We live, as we are so often told, in an era of data abundance. Yet we also live during a period marked by tremendous inequities and asymmetries when it comes to data access. These contradictory phenomena represent one of the great paradoxes of our times, reflective of more general socio-economic and political trends. Even as ever greater amounts of data are generated and stored, the capability to actually access and re-use this data to spur positive social change remains stunted. This discrepancy occurs despite the success of the open data movement, which built on earlier Freedom of Information (FOI) legislation in pushing at the boundaries of transparency and accessibility.

In this piece, we argue these (and many other) limitations necessitate additional improvements to accelerate the re-use of data to unleash the public good potential of the digital era. We reflect on the potential of what we call the “Third Wave of Open Data.” We discuss both what we see as the emerging elements of this wave and the actions several players have taken that may contribute to its realization. In doing so, we propose actions for how policy makers and data practitioners might address the limitations of previous waves and outline a set of actions that could accelerate data re-use and collaboration.

Keywords: open data, data collaboration, data, data openness, data sharing

Suggested Citation

Verhulst, Stefaan and Young, Andrew and Zahuranec, Andrew and Calderon, Ania and Gee, Matt and Aaronson, Susan, The Emergence of a Third Wave of Open Data: How To Accelerate the Re-Use of Data for Public Interest Purposes While Ensuring Data Rights and Community Flourishing (October 28, 2020). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3937638 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3937638

Stefaan Verhulst (Contact Author)

New York University (NYU) ( email )

Bobst Library, E-resource Acquisitions
20 Cooper Square 3rd Floor
New York, NY 10003-711
United States

Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) ( email )

Pleinlaan 2
http://www.vub.ac.be/
Brussels, 1050
Belgium

The Data Tank ( email )

Brussels
Belgium

HOME PAGE: http://datatank.org

The GovLab ( email )

New York, New York
United States
16465731361 (Phone)
16465731361 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://Thegovlab.org

Andrew Young

New York University (NYU) ( email )

Bobst Library, E-resource Acquisitions
20 Cooper Square 3rd Floor
New York, NY 10003-711
United States

Andrew Zahuranec

New York University (NYU) ( email )

Bobst Library, E-resource Acquisitions
20 Cooper Square 3rd Floor
New York, NY 10003-711
United States

Ania Calderon

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Matt Gee

BrightHive, Inc. ( email )

233 North Michigan Avenue
Suite 1800
Chicago, IL 60601
United States

Susan Aaronson

George Washington University - Elliott School of International Affairs ( email )

1957 E Street
Washington, DC 20052
United States

HOME PAGE: http://www.gwu.edu/~elliott/faculty/aaronson.cfm

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