Berners-Lee opens Data.gov.uk

The founder of the world wide web, Sir Berners-Lee was made incharge of the project in June last year by Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

Following the launch of its beta version in September 2009, for testing and for feedback, the site is now open for easy access of official data including crime figures, transport statistics, NHS figures, environmental data, schools and their Ofsted ratings among others.

The government hopes that availability of public sector information under a single site will help kick off development of useful public data mashups.

However, the website does not feature the crucial Ordnance Survey data yet, which, according to experts, is the kind of information that needs to be freed up to bring a real difference. But last year, the government committed to opening the Ordnance Survey map data online for free in 2010.

According to an article on the BBC today [Thursday], Sir Berners-Lee told BBC News that government data is an untapped resource and something the public has already spent on. “When it is sitting on a disk in somebody’s office it is wasted,” he said.

Data.gov.uk, is in line with the latest trend by authorities to open up official data online for public use. In January, the Conservative draft manifesto promised to “unleash an information revolution” by opening up NHS data if they come into power in this year’s election.

Also this month, London Mayor Boris Johnson announced to launch a data warehouse online on January 29, which will be similar to data available in the US.