Many government organizations are currently seeking effective methods for publishing OD and are implementing strategic objectives for creating transparency and openness while attempting to support innovation and economic growth. However, governments will need to review their internal practices and procedures related to information management. The ability to effectively re-use information is dependent on how well an organization is able to manage information effectively. The cycle of collecting and organizing information will prove beneficial if changes are made that align with the principles of OD.
Internal changes will build trust with communities, and governments will need to be as open as possible by publishing all their data. The change will also need to be driven from the top down in order to maintain a sense of urgency. Legislation alone will not remove public scrutiny, a new organizational context that imposes new roles and responsibilities will be needed to mitigate the issue of complacency.
A closer look at the stakeholders will provide insight into what data is needed. External stakeholders are lobbying for the release of more data to every level of government. The data that provides the most benefit consists of national or international level data which includes statistical, population and geographical data. These are the types of data that have the most benefit and impact for research and innovation. Economic benefits are expected to increase with the use of OD, but the growth is predicted to increase slowly on a long-term basis. Making OD available to external stakeholders will help direct the publication of OD and will lead to the development of applications servicing citizens in new and innovative ways. The value created by the market for the development of applications is only just beginning, but has a strong potential for growth. Research communities with the skills and tools to create value with OD will profit from innovation and will in turn improve the Canadian economy.
Standards will also emerge and provide better tools for sharing. The worldwide movement of OD will create sharing practices across nations with new standards, best practices and guidelines that will make sharing of information easier than ever. Knowledge and wisdom is derived from information and be effective it needs to reach the right audience at the right time.
OD can achieve many benefits, and several governments have already demonstrated the ways in which transparency and openness can help multiple stakeholders. These governments have realized that a change-friendly culture of openness is required. Governments need to learn to share the data they use to inform themselves and the people they serve. In addition, governments need to understand that data is more valuable when it is aggregated with other data sources. It is information from aggregated data that provides the benefits for supporting research, innovation and economic growth. OD is not about return on investment as much as it is about creating value.