Business-to-Government Data Sharing
Introduction to B2G data sharing Data sharing is a key enabler of growth, employment, and competitiveness for Europe and the Digital Single Market envisaged by the European Union. The non-rivalrous nature of data, combined with technological innovations such as the availability of big data analysis and artificial intelligence applications, enable maximising the value of data. Re-using data can save costs, time and lives. The benefits of data re-use are not reserved to the private sector. In fact, to become more cost-efficient and provide effective services for citizens, public sector bodies can benefit greatly from data sharing and need to exploit the potential of new data sources. This data can be sourced from the private sector, academia, NGOs or the public sector itself. Much of the data generated in the public sector is already made open for re-use, encouraged by the Directive on Public Sector Information (PSI). However, there is also data that cannot be made open because of sensitivity or confidentiality. This data can only be shared under special conditions and to a restricted and controlled set of users in order to leverage their value. An example of a value is insight into the behavioural patterns of citizens and businesses across social, political, historical or environmental factors. This insight can help public sector organisations understand, evaluate, predict and prepare for certain situations and scenarios, for example: Understanding commuting patterns to support urban planning, road safety, and traffic management, as well as environmental protection. Additional insight into a population's health conditions, diagnosis, and medical treatments can improve public health care and lead to a more effective response to epidemics. Market monitoring and payment patterns can help detect fraud and increase consumer protection. In addition, there are legal, technical and organisational factors that must be considered when setting up a framework for data sharing between businesses and public organisations. In ...