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Digital Inclusion, Policy
World Bank opens up development data
The World Bank is the latest information-rich organisation to free up its data for public consumption. The portal data.worldbank.org will give policymakers access to more than 2000 financial, business, health, economic and human development statistics, information that was previously exclusive to paying subscribers.
The portal, plans for which were announced last month (April 20th 2010), will pool data from 209 countries, which users can download for a country or indicator, as well as comment on the data, and share their observations on social networks such as Facebook and Twitter.
The open data initiative, say experts, could aid evidence-based policymaking in developing countries, which, in Asia and elsewhere, usually have limited access to such information.
In an interview with FutureGov, Hyunjung Lee (pictured), ICT Economist at the Asian Development Bank (ADB), said that the initiative would enable governments “to be more data-based” in their policymaking and implementation.
Data.worldbank.org aims to provide a platform on which data visualisation tools will be created that will blaze a trail for others to follow. A country’s data sets could be mashed up with the World Bank’s World Development Indicators with micro-level data on aid flows to see how international aid responds to the needs of the disadvantaged.
“The real power of open data is the opportunity to turn data into knowledge and useful applications to enhance transparency and accountability of all actors in development,” said the World Bank Institute’s manager of new Innovation Practice, Aleem Walji. “Free and open access to data will empower citizens to get more directly involved in the development process.”
The initiative could also stimulate demand for data and increase a country’s capacity to produce it, say experts. But, says the statistician Tan Teck Kiang, Research Associate at Singapore’s Nanyang Technical University, the information must be used carefully. “I am cautious to conclude that the date will lead to the stimulation of more evidence-based policymaking in developing countries,” he told FutureGov.
Information is a source of power that enables decision makers to make informed decisions, he said. “How effective this data is goes on the assumption that the data is strong and consistent with no room for ambiguities.”
The World Bank has plans to launch an “Apps for Development” challenge (a nod to the US government’s Apps for Democracy, the first and most high profile open data initiative to date) later this year to give developers incentives to use datasets to create applications that could provide solutions to development issues.
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1 Comments
On 13 July 2010 Mike wrote:
Great move. As has been rightly observed, Information is power. This will enable a host of organizations and individuals to enhance their efforts in building a better tomorrow.
Great move World Bank ! Lead the way with such initiatives..
Best wishes
Youth Development Academy
www.YDcademy.com