Marc Ambasna-Jones's new article on the Guardian website (What does Brexit mean for open data in the UK?) offers a range of perspectives from people with an interest in open data and the digital economy, including Ian Hetherington of eeGeo, Chi Onwurah MP, and Marta Nagy-Rothengass of DG Connect at the European Commission.
There are also some quotes from me on the risks of disengagement from EU data programmes and the potential for Brexit to exacerbate existing threats to UK open data from the austerity agenda, Cabinet Office ennui, etc.
Below are the full comments I gave Mark in response to the question of what Brexit might mean for open data and UK transparency. (Mark also mentioned the Land Registry debate in our emails, so my initial points cover that.)
I don't see a strong link between the Land Registry debate and the outcome of the EU referendum. BIS's attempt to privatise Land Registry was well underway before the vote. The push-back was foreseeable and I think the plan will fail on its own lack of merit. But the Brexit turmoil does make this a bad time to introduce additional uncertainty into the housing market. Government may take this opportunity to sweep the Land Registry consultation, and other marginal projects, under the rug.
However there's also a scenario under which privatisation of Land Registry could be a positive for open data. The CMA has raised competition concerns about the BIS plan. One way over that hurdle would be for BIS to sell the registry service but release the register information itself for open re-use.
As to the effects of Brexit on open data more generally, I can only speculate. But there's no reason why withdrawal from the EU should necessarily lead to closing off of public assets or a reduction in transparency in the UK. That depends on the political hue and priorities of the government of the day. Cabinet Office policy on open data was in the doldrums well before the referendum. Open data is already under threat from austerity, deregulation and cuts to public services, because those drivers reduce the resources available to collect and maintain public data.
Brexit may make those problems worse. Government could use Brexit as an excuse to stop maintaining datasets that are produced to support EU programmes like INSPIRE and Eurostat, or to meet EU targets on air pollution and water quality. The UK would also no longer be bound by the PSI Directive, which underpins our regulatory framework for re-use of public sector information.
On the other hand, Brexit could be a wake-up call for the UK. If government finally takes the advice of economists and abandons austerity in favour of public investment, open data is one place to start. Open public data is vital infrastructure for the digital economy. In the post-Brexit environment we will need to be more competitive, particularly in areas like open data that transcend national boundaries. At the moment the UK is still perceived as a world leader in open data. Some government departments, most recently Defra, are working hard to sustain that reputation. But many core reference datasets such as addresses and land ownership records remain under lock and key.
There are also more immediate, human-level concerns. The UK open data community is diverse and many of its leading members, particularly in London, are citizens of other EU states. It's important that government acts quickly to confirm their right to remain in the UK after Brexit.
This post was originally published on my old mapgubbins blog.