Realising the value: Understanding open and value-added spatial data

Suite B (Ground Floor) 7-11 Barry Drive Turner ACT 2612 Australia

T 61 2 6281 9400 E info@aiia.com.au W www.aiia.com.au

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The good news is… 3

The great news is… 4

A roadmap for ‘…a strategic national resource’ 5

What do you get when location data is made available as open data? 6

What are the challenges of using raw foundation spatial data? 8

The value derived from greater use of location data 9

The value of business-ready datasets 10

Next steps 11

Internet of Things Summit Communiqué 12

@ Australian Information Industry Association

This discussion paper has been produced by the AIIA Geospatial Special Interest Group. This group advocates the analysis of government and business data in a geospatial context.

For more information, contact: Daniel Austin-Appleton, Policy Analyst & Advocacy Co-ordinator T 02 6281 9403 | M 0423 702 977 | E d.appleton@aiia.com.au

Contents

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The Internet of Things (IoT) is gathering pace with an ever-increasing array of interconnected sensors and devices in operation. Globally, the number of ‘things’ today that are connected to the internet has been put at some 25 billion and is set to double by 2020.1 A recent estimate of 2.3 trillion gigabytes of data a day.2 The volume of digital data is expected to multiply by 40 times or more by 2020.3

Tapping into this data opens up the prospect of incredible new business opportunities and better service delivery as well as driving efficiency, productivity, innovation and growth.

There is much discussion of the challenges associated with big data. The term itself is an attempt to describe how the sheer size of the data (the 3 Vs of Velocity, Variety and Volume) becomes part of the issue of using the data. More recently, analysts have applied a fourth V to describe another issue that arises with big data; Veracity. Is the data reliable enough to base decisions on? Can you trust and put confidence in the data? Can you make investments or prioritise resources based on the information?4

This is where spatial data comes to the fore. Within the world of big data, spatial information is a relatively small subset by volume. But it can play an incredibly important role.

The good news is…Place and location data has been likened to connective tissue: data that is essential to a well-functioning digital world.5 A key way to achieve veracity is to anchor information using location points that you have a high degree of confidence in to provide the means for finding these correlations.

Incorporating location data with other forms of data opens the door to a vast array of opportunities, enhanced products and services and options that don’t even exist yet. Once data has a location − usually a longitude/latitude value − it can be mapped and linked to realise the value of an endless array of data: socio-economic, health, environmental, customer, sales and more.

“… the explosion in the sheer volume of information coupled with the similarly explosive growth in processing power has meant that the need to find a scrupulously accurate sample (the world of small data) has been overtaken by the availability of all of the data—much of it messy but in such volumes that new correlations can be found.”Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull opening the 2014 AIIA Navigating Analytics Summit in his former role as the Minister for Communications.6

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The great news is…As the governments of Australia make substantial inroads in opening access to their data holdings, more and more location data is being publicly released.

By enabling the public to access this raw data, governments are seeking to drive economic growth, facilitate more inclusive citizen engagement in improving public services, increase transparency and accountability and improve the efficiency and operations of public services themselves.7

Governments have long recognised the valuable role of spatial data as an enabler. As the World Bank says: “…it is also apparent that the value is not in the data by itself. It is the combination of the data with one or more other factors such as an innovative idea, the inadequacy of existing services, the availability of new techniques to process data (such as “big data analytics” methods) or new technologies for the delivery of services, including the use of smartphones or even the “internet of things” (for instance in-car navigation systems).”8

States and territories have been steadily making their raw foundation spatial datasets available. In December 2015, the Australian Government announced the National Innovation and Science Agenda. This comprised an extensive range of initiatives to support new ideas in innovation and science, and harness new sources of growth to deliver the next age of economic prosperity in Australia.

“Spatial data, in particular, is becoming increasingly important to the economy given the rapid take-up and use of mobile devices in Australia.”Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on the National Innovation and Science Agenda.9

In 2015, the Australian Government launched Open Data 500, a collaboration with The GovLab at New York University.

The study aims to help guide the government in its efforts to add further datasets to its data.gov.au open data portal. The initial results of the study were released in August 2015 based on 64 organisations responding to the Open Data 500 study.10

The study found that geospatial data was the most popular kind of government data employed by participants. Sixty per cent of participants indicated they were using government geospatial datasets. Forty-two per cent also used positioning/GPS data.

The results showed that many of the Australian businesses and not-for-profit organisations are employing open data to create new or improved products and services.

Sixty five per cent indicated they were using open data to create new or improved products and services, 55 per cent to generate cost efficiencies, and 51 per cent to identify new opportunities.

To participate in the study: www.opendata500.com/au

Demand for spatial data confirmedThe Agenda strongly links innovation with the publishing and sharing of public data. Its measures include making two high-value and nationally significant spatial datasets openly available. The Geocoded National Address File (G-NAF) and Administrative Boundaries datasets will be published under an open data licence at no cost to end users on data.gov.au in February 2016.

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A roadmap for ‘…a strategic national resource’

Recommendations: Public sector data roadmap

“The data held by the Australian Government is a strategic national resource that holds considerable value for growing the economy, improving service delivery and transforming policy outcomes for the Nation.”Australian Government Public Data Policy Statement11

The Public Sector Data Management Project was initiated by the Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&C) in April 2015 to examine the Australian Public Service’s use and management of data. The project’s report presents this roadmap from mid-2015 for transforming the use of public data, both in the short and longer-term.12

1-6 Months: Build confidence and momentum

1. Secretary of PM&C signals data is a priority by promoting the agenda across the APS

2. Commission several high value projects focused on key policy questions, proving the value of public sector data and removing barriers

3. Build external partnerships to foster demand and encourage the use of public sector data

4. Agencies publish readily available datasets on or through data.gov.au, and schedule future releases

5. Build data and analytics capability by bolstering existing efforts, partnering externally and investing in pockets of excellence

6. PM&C coordinates progress on demonstration projects, develops APS data policies and takes steps to rationalise governance arrangements through a cross-agency team (see recommendations 7-8)

1-18 Months: Systematise the use and release of public sector data7. Implement a data policy and governance

framework that includes:• a public policy statement that could be

delivered by the PM outlining the narrative and high-level principles

• a simple governance model for data policy that incentivises and drives consistent transformation through clear ownership, links to exteral groups, a high level steering group, partnerships with the private sector and data champions within agencies

• a requirement for evidence-based policy development to motivate data use in policy

8. Build and maintain trust, engage with the public to understand the benefits to citizens and address privacy concerns on public sector data

9. Establish a trusted-access model for sharing integrated data across agencies

10. Create and publish a searchable whole-of-government data catalogue to make government data holdings discoverable

11. Develop a Commonwealth Government high-value dataset framework to inform prioritisation and release

12. Publish data management standards to simplify the processes of integrating data and publishing on data.gov.au

13. Establish a consistent and transparent approach to user charging to provide clarity on how to manage costs

14. Create a legislative environment that supports the use of data while maintaining privacy by initially providing guidance and ultimately revisiting legislation through a possible Productivity Commission inquiry

15. Promote innovation in public administration through targeted awards and resources

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What do you get when location data is made available as open data?Opening up access to data by publishing the information on government websites removes a significant barrier to the use of location data. But is this the only barrier that exists to use?

Before answering this question, let’s look at some of the unique characteristics of location data available as open data.

Foundation dataFoundation data is the data collected and collated by numerous jurisdictions within Australia from which nationwide datasets can be created with multiple and distinct themes. Sources of foundation data are the various Australian jurisdictions; Commonwealth, state and local governments.

Like many aspects of everyday life in Australia, our federal system also has an influence on spatial outcomes. In Australia’s federation, state and territory governments have a major responsibility for land administration. In each jurisdiction, the legislation and policy associated with this role drives how data is captured and managed. Consequently, each government has its own fit-for-purpose standards and formats for raw data designed to support its own operations and programs.

The way in which location data is compiled, labelled and shared differs between jurisdictions. Foundation data varies widely in its currency, accuracy and completeness which may make its application in raw form, unsuitable for business applications.

Dynamic dataLocation data may seem constant but the world is constantly changing around us. New suburbs develop, land-use changes, property boundaries are altered by subdivision, electoral boundaries are re-defined, new roads constructed, and pedestrian or traffic routes redesigned.

The value of location data depends on its accuracy in reflecting the real world in real time. It is dynamic data and is at the other end of the scale from static data. For example, a financial report where the value in the information is as a snapshot of specific point of time.

The dynamic nature of location data means it must be maintained; continually and comprehensively updated to be of greatest value.

Collaborative dataThe sources of location data are also changing. Spatial data was once the sole domain of surveyors and a niche market of spatial specialists. Today satellite data, aerial surveying and compact devices such as smartphones mean almost anyone can contribute spatial data.

Open data ranges in sophistication and includes Google Maps mashups, location traces on social media, or OpenStreetMap.13 A great example is DigitalGlobe’s crowdsourced search platform, Tomnod which lets anyone with online access become involved in solving real world problems. Through this platform, more than 8 million

people signed up to participate in the search for the missing aircraft, Malaysian Airlines MH370. Participation occurs by looking at satellite images of the focus area and tagging objects of interest that appear.14

Is access the only barrier to greater use of location data?There’s no doubt that open data holds many exciting possibilities. But these unique characteristics of location data may impact on its uptake. Open data is essentially raw foundation data with varying levels of complexity.At the same time, the level of sophistication in technology and its application of location data is increasing exponentially. To support growth and innovation will require value-added location data that matches this sophistication, both in the supply to the market of data and expertise.

In February 2016, the Australian Government will make a high-value and nationally significant geocoded address file, G-NAF openly available. Geocoded addressing data has been identified as a distinct theme of foundation data which is critical for the delivery of goods and services to a particular location.15 Countries that have released geocoded address data openly include Denmark and New Zealand. For example, NZ Street Address (Electoral) is made available by Land Information New Zealand and contains more 1.8 million geocoded records.16

Addresses present a fascinating and specific challenge within location data. This is because an address is essentially an idea: an artefact of human communication; a shared syntax for referring to location; an agreement between our institutions regarding names, numbers, and invisible administrative boundaries.

Given its human origins, we must understand that an address is transient and subjective – and may or may not be accepted by all in the community all of the time. Social and cultural preferences come into play and people may ‘interpret’ their address if they don’t know or like the official reference. The consistent use of an unofficial address will see it appear in multiple government and business databases. This address then becomes a data type that lacks the mathematical consistency required for rigorous matching and analysis.

Every week in Australia, thousands of new addresses are captured by multiple organisations and stored in a variety of formats; generating a multitude of raw address datasets that vary widely in content, quality and accuracy.

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What are the challenges of using raw foundation spatial data?Complexity may represent a further barrier to the uptake of spatial data that needs to be considered by government.

Some of the most valuable data being opened up is very complex in its raw state. These complexities include:

• Raw data may contain anomalies and errors.

• Raw data may contain complex information that is difficult to retrieve in useful ways.

• Security, privacy and warranty implications are unclear.

• Machine readable datasets may still not be accessible or useable.

• If the data is released under Creative Commons, there may not be a warranty on the provenance of the data and other complexities with respect to sublicensing derived works.

• If data is gathered from collaborative or crowdsourced sources, the risks of relying on the data needs to clear.

Are there greater benefits to be achieved by presenting accurate, quality data in a business-ready state? Acquiring foundation data is just the beginning of the process that ultimately results in location data being used or embedded in products and services. To capitalise on the potential of location data requires considerable investment in technical infrastructure and expertise. Only with such investment is data valuable and meaningful.

Offering data in a business-ready state removes the need to replicate specialist spatial expertise and knowledge effort (or resolve issues caused by ineffectively applying spatial information). It would suggest that these savings can be directed to investment in other innovations.

In a recent review of international open data initiatives, it was noted that only 15 per cent of firms responding to Forrester’s business intelligence survey considered unstructured external data to be useful. The resulting recommendation for government open data initiatives is to ensure that the data released is well-structured and accurate in addition to being made freely available.17

Confidence is a high priority for business investment and is undermined by the degree of uncertainty or doubt that resides with potential customers, partners or investors. The greater the confidence a business has, the more likely the business is to make an investment and generate a positive economic activity.

If a key outcome is to inspire confidence and trust with the location data used, there is a strong argument to build policies that link investment to demand and ensure that open data is a ‘business-ready’ information infrastructure.

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The value derived from greater use of location dataLocation data is already integral to many businesses and services. It is utilised for a wide range of infrastructure, properties, addresses, facilities, demography, natural resources, social services and public amenities such as public transport infrastructure and the road network. It is also increasingly a part of ‘smart city’ designs and the IoT. The level of sophistication in technology and its application of location data is increasing exponentially.

At the 2015 AIIA Internet of Things Summit, speakers from Singapore and Germany highlighted how IoT technology is being applied to addressing issues such as urban density, managing the impact of an ageing population and reducing energy consumption.

Common across these approaches is the concept of a ‘digital skin’− overlaying smart technology on existing infrastructure − to drive smart cities, transport, utility services, traffic management, civil safety, parking and asset management applications, to name a few. The effectiveness of such a digital skin is based on the accuracy of the digital representation of the existing infrastructure.

Foundation spatial data is essentially information infrastructure for the digital economy. As more data becomes available, the level of effort that will be required to collect, standardise, enrich and deliver data for maximum value to the all Australians will only increase.

“Having national, consistent datasets would allow governments, business and the community to use the data more readily and to better understand the risks.”IAG Ltd response to the Open Data 500 Australia study.18

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The value of business-ready datasetsThe value of location data depends on how easy it is to extract exactly the data that is needed for a process or product as well as the level of sophistication and complexity of that information.

In an environment of open data, there continues to be a need for an authoritative source of sophisticated and accessible quality location datasets. It is about providing the type, quality and format of data that meets the needs of the market.

For example, warranties are one such aspect that need to be considered within the context of quality and how this relates to supporting value generation. It’s one thing to invest to improve the quality of data, but there are also certain legal assurances that businesses rely on that may not be that easy to create.

Greater awareness and more information is needed to assist organisations to determine the most appropriate data (raw or sophisticated) for specific purposes. This ensures that users have access to reliable, efficient and powerful information.

Supporting the Australian market in this way will ensure a broad range of organisations are able to get the most out of open and value-added data.

Accessibledata withlimited

potential

Simple andundeveloped

raw data

Lowcomplexity

Highcomplexity

Easy to extract

The difference between open data and refined datasets

Difficult to extract

Complex rawdata withunrealisedpotential

Businessready

datasets

Open data valueLocation datasets vary widely in their complexity. At the most simple end of the spectrum, data has limited potential but is easy to access and use. At the complex end of the spectrum, data has a great deal of potential, but without the technical expertise and resources to develop it, this potential is unrealised.

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Next stepsTo achieve the objectives of open data whilst maintaining the value of sophisticated data, the following options may inform discussion:

1. Engage with policy makers to assist with communicating to the economy about the complexity and value of location data.

2. Support the development and recognition of individuals or organisations with expertise and experience in spatial information through a reliable system of market signals.

3. Support the development of plans for open data release, including the priorities for the datasets to be released to achieve the stated benefits – such a process is being adopted in the United Kingdom.

4. Plan for open data quality and refresh cycles, to ensure that data released is valuable to the end users and remains timely.

5. Discuss the type of governance and metadata that should be applied to open data releases, so that:

• Users can better understand data

• Users potentially have defined methods for contributing and improving the data holding

• There is reduced risk of inappropriate data being released into the public domain.

6. Facilitate and encourage appropriate adoption of open data, or assist governments in shaping fit-for-purpose open data strategies and policies.

The AIIA Geospatial Information Systems Special Interest Group (SIG) invites any AIIA members interested in location-based issues to contribute to the discussion.

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Internet of Things Summit Communiqué• Promote partnerships between government,

industry and academia to drive innovation of IoT solution development and where required, the scaling of IoT applications;

• Build awareness of IoT capability across government (federal and state) and encourage incorporation of IoT architectures and solutions in business and customer centric service solution planning; and

• Advocate the social, economic and environmental benefits of IoT based solutions.

The AIIA Navigating the Internet of Things (IoT) Summit Communiqué captures a series of actions that will derive value from location data to the IoT.19 This includes:

• Work with industry and government to support the development of globally consistent standards and interoperability frameworks that enable the development and implementation of effective IoT solutions;

• Encourage the Federal Government to consider how smart IoT capability can be used to achieve the business, social and economic objectives of government supported industry growth centres;

• Include the privacy and security implications of IoT in our current consideration and forward work plan relating to cyber security and digital identity;

• Promote the development of multi-level and interoperable IoT solutions;

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ReferencesI GE and Accenture (2014), Industrial Internet Insights Report, http://www.ge.com/digital/sites/default/files/industrial-internet-insights-report.pdf

2 IBM (2105), The Four V’s of Big Data Infographic, http://www.ibmbigdatahub.com/infographic/four-vs-big-data

3 Deloitte in partnership with The Government Summit (2015), Service delivery trend outlook: the potential future of government customer service delivery, https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/ca/Documents/technology/service-delivery-trend.PDF

4 Zikopoulos, P (2013), Harness the Power of Big Data: The IBM Big Data Platform, McGraw Hill

5 Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (2013), Shakespeare Review: An Independent Review of Public Sector Information https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/198752/13-744-shakespeare-review-of-public-sector-information.pdf

6 http://www.minister.communications.gov.au/malcolm_turnbull/speeches/aiia_speech_navigating_analytics_summit#.VRzSPuES_hM

7 The World Bank (2014), Open Data for Economic Growth, http://www.worldbank.org/content/dam/Worldbank/document/ Open-Data-for-Economic-Growth.pdf

8 The World Bank (2014)

9 https://www.pm.gov.au/media/2015-12-07/driving-innovation-through-procurement-cyber-security-and-open-data

10 Australian Government & GovLab (2015), Private sector use of open government data: Results from the Open Data 500 Australia, https://www.communications.gov.au/publications/open-data-500-report

11 http://www.dpmc.gov.au/pmc/publication/australian-government-public-data-policy-statement

12 Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (2015), Public Sector Data Management Report, http://www.dpmc.gov.au/pmc/publication/public-sector- data-management-report

13 https://www.openstreetmap.org/

14 Digital Globe Blog (2014), Crowdsourcing Malaysia Flight #MH370 – Campaign Comes to a Close, http://www.digitalglobeblog.com/2014/05/05/crowdsourcingmalaysianflightthankyou/

15 ANZLIC – the Spatial Information Council (2014), One ANZ Foundation Spatial Data Framework Booklet Edition 2, http://www.anzlic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0017/47321/FSDF_Booklet_edition_2_web.pdf

16 https://data.linz.govt.nz/layer/779-nz-street-address-electoral/data/

17 Deloitte (2015)

18 Australian Government & GovLab (2015)

19 https://www.aiia.com.au/documents/event-presentations/2015/national/AIIA-Navigating-the-Internet-of-Thing-Summit-Communique.pdf