Big Data for the Public Good: Regulating Access to Public Sector Big Data for Research and Innovation

Can researchers and innovators use UK public sector data to produce knowledge that improves policy making, scrutinises government work and promotes the public interest?

This book looks at interactions between UK public sector officials and researchers/innovators to shed light on barriers to data access and use. It asks: what are the frameworks that govern access to public sector big datasets for researchers and innovators? How are these frameworks applied in practice? What are the governance solutions for policy makers interested in harnessing the untapped potential of public sector big data to improve their policies and create public benefit?

Public sector data is a valuable resource that can help researchers and innovators create knowledge and solutions that benefit society. As public bodies collect increasingly more data about us, UK policy makers try to maximise the use of public sector big data for the benefit of the public. But accessing this data is not easy. There are many legal, technical, and ethical barriers that prevent the use of public sector data for research and innovation.

This book is for researchers and innovators who want to understand and overcome the barriers to accessing UK public sector data. It is also for policy makers who are interested in how public sector data can be used to improve decision-making, scrutinise government work, and promote the public interest.