Unlock data for everyone

The Finnish public administration has a huge amount of data, which the authorities both produce and use in their service production and decision-making. Much of this data is public data, which can be published as open data for use by other actors in society under certain conditions. Opening up data improves the possibilities for using the data in different use cases. The use of open data can lead to unexpected innovations that the producer of the data could not have imagined.

The open data phenomenon took off in the metropolitan area in the early 2000s. A good example of this is the opening up of public transport data when, in 2010, API was opened up for anyone to use the data regarding the Helsinki Region’s public transport route guide. The opening up that data inspired developers to code dozens of mobile apps which make life easier for public transport passengers, for the benefit of all mobile phone users.

Opening up public data benefits individuals, communities, businesses and society as a whole in many ways.

• Transparency and democracy. Opening up data supports opportunities for active citizenship, social debate, research and journalism, and increases transparency in government. Access to data opens up new opportunities, for example in online discussions.
• Markets and innovation. Opening up data benefits businesses, entrepreneurs or potential entrepreneurs by enabling innovation, development of existing or new businesses.
• Efficiency within government. Opening up data also facilitates its use within and between government organisations. Open data also enables experimentation within government or in cooperation with external actors.