When discussing the Creative Commons, "government" often comes up in relation to the law and how it affects media creators. However, it is also useful to see governments as consumers and creators of content. Sure, sometimes comparing the Government to an artist is a stretch, but if one sees it as a funder of cultural creations, as an archivist, and a massive data warehouse, it is easy to understand how important Creative Commons and openness are.

The Developing a 'How to' on opening public sector and cultural heritage information was a round table discussion focusing on case studies and observations of governments' attempts at being open. Specific discussions focused on Hungary, Australia, and Canada, and participants looked at how all governments can improve access to and openness of information.

There are many different ways one can define openness in the government and governance. A key area of focus is "access to public information", which focuses on all forms of information - from data on citizens to cultural works. "Access" can be seen as both legislation focusing on intellectual property, as well as tools that can facilitate access to information. A few key themes apply to the concept of open government.

Government Ownership

Depending on the country, governments copyright the media created through public funds and this copyright can even extend to cultural works funded by taxpayers. In some cases, even the actual laws of a country are not publicly available to an individual unless he or she purchases them in a textbook.

Governments are now being encouraged to adopt more open licenses for the works created through public funds. Advocating such an approach to government content requires lobbying bureaucrats and politicians, as well as developing sound economic arguments. Unfortunately this is very complex, as some institutions obtain funding by selling access to data (for example, ministries and bodies focusing on maps and other geographical data), and trying to convince such groups to provide unrestricted access to this data can become a deeply political argument.

New Technologies and Metadata

The use of mashups, tagging, and social networks are seen as a way to promote openness within government. While the use of these technologies does not automatically make something open, such technologies provide a viable means to an end: they improve user interfaces for citizens by making information easier to find.

By appending metadata to works in the public domain or documents, governments can even allow third parties to build their own interfaces for accessing public and government-focused information. Adopting open data and document standards is highly encouraged.

Data Sharing

Before any discussion on access can take place, having strong infrastructure is key. There need to be incentives for sharing information - as a way to lower costs, provide recognition, and improve research capabilities. The challenge here is that data is often stored in multitudinous formats, such as spreadsheets, meeting transcripts, or even videos and photographs. Projects like Open Context have already made progress in this regard, though mainly for academic researchers. The Hungarian government also provides a way for diverse institutions to share anonymized data with each other.

Another example, focused on the grassroots, is the Canadian government's decision to release geospatial data to anyone interested in analysing and visualising it. Globally, many government institutions still do not release their data, and if they do, force potential users to pay large fees before they can actually access the data. Indeed, provision of free data often increases the amount of people who obtain and analyse it, whether it is within schools, corporations, or for personal use.

Where To From Here?

Government openness is a broad topic, but some steps are quite clear: promoting more lenient government copyright systems, experimenting with new technologies and user interfaces, and releasing publicly-funded data and research back to the public. While the process to achieve these steps is not easy, institutions that have already adopted such strategies have done well by improving the quality of their work or lowering their costs. Promoting open government will not only help citizens understand and involve themselves in politics and research, it will also help save time and money for all.