Big data should be 'part of UK's core national infrastructure' – Civil Service chief exec The chief executive of the Civil Service, John Manzoni, says the UK needs to begin to consider the "collection and storage of data as part of [our] core national infrastructure". In a speech delivered this morning, Manzoni articulated the Civil Service's dreams about "public service modernisation", which focused on how …
More or less have some old programs on big data that are worth a listen. They would point out an app which lists public toilets is not an example of big data though it is the use of public data.
Change means having to take responsiblity. That is the biggest hurdle to change in a totally risk adverse company. No difference here.
I wish they'd stop defining implementations and define the goals, data formats, and interfaces, so that *multiple* vendors could implement the same solution and we could go *back* to systems with safely replaceable components again.
We need government standardised definitions of the problems, not the solutions!
"We need government standardised definitions of the problems, not the solutions!"
Looked at some procurement RFQs for government over last few weeks (i needed the sleep), and the problems are defined quite clearly - and in such a way to ensure only two things are possible. Either the definition is so vague that only a consultancy would bid for the work, or the problem definition itself basically describes the solution they want (carefully ensuring it leaves no room for anything new or original.)
I think you'll find OS is a self funding gov agency which means they fund making the maps etc from charging people to use the maps - so no tax money gets spent on it from general taxation ergo it isn't your data as a taxpayer.
The PAF or postcode address file that was worth several hundred million was flogged off when they sold the Post Office at a knock down price - they were warned not to get rid of the PAF with the post office for various reasons but decided to ignore the advice - so I would ask one Mr V. Cable why they ignored that - good luck getting an answer for that that one as he's dodged the question many times
Alt C - I understand your point about it's a self-funding agency and now it makes maps for those who pay it for doing so - but for a very long time it was taxpayer funded, so surely everything it did until it became "self funding" should be available to those who paid for it?
As for the PAF, only a complete idiot would have included that in the sale. Oh .. sorry, you covered that. However, surely the same applies - if it was created using public funds, the work done and funded by the taxpayer should be available to the taxpayer, free of charge?
Then again, I do have the naive hope that one day the BBC will accept that Licence Fee funded content should be available free of charge and on demand to licence fee payers, no strings attached (apart from no redistribution) ....
AC - what it did before self funding yes - I can see your point there and yes it would be nice but maps become outdated, it became a trading fund in 1999 (so we would only have maps from prior to that) and since 2015 it is a govco - so I'd guess it would be very reluctant to let its main revenue stream geographic data out into the world as open data - that of course wouldn't be such a problem if it had been retained as part of the core civil service.
As for the PAF well you hit the nail on the head there, when the post office was sold off I guess you must sell off all state investment put into it - I think there was an article on el reg somewhere indicating the gov was spending 2m? or 10% of what it got for flogging the post office to try and build its own PAF.
I've been hoping for the BBC to do the same thing too - sure flog the stuff overseas but do something like sky do - allow access from a few devices each tied to your license number to view their back catalogue
"Data is a public asset, Manzoni argued, and with the publication of the Government Transformation Strategy earlier this month as well as the Digital Economy Bill continuing its passage into law, that asset can be used to make government more efficient and appropriate sold to whomever we like without consulting the peasantry."
There, fixed that for him.
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