Open Data Principles
The Government of PEI has adopted the Government of Canada’s Open Data principles based on the Sunlight Foundation's "Ten Principles for Opening up Government Information."
1. Completeness
Datasets should be as complete as possible, reflecting the entirety of what is recorded about a particular subject. All raw information from a dataset should be released to the public, unless there are Access to Information or Privacy issues. Metadata that defines and explains the raw data should be included, along with explanations for how the data was calculated.
2. Primacy
Datasets should come from a primary source. This includes the original information collected by the Government of PEI and available details on how the data was collected. Public dissemination will allow users to verify that information was collected properly and recorded accurately.
3. Timeliness
Datasets released by the Government of PEI should be made available to the public in a timely fashion. Priority should be given to data whose utility is time sensitive.
4. Ease of Physical and Electronic Access
Datasets released by the Government of PEI should be as accessible as possible, with accessibility defined as the ease with which information can be obtained. Barriers to electronic access include making data accessible only via submitted forms or systems that require browser-oriented technologies (e.g., Flash, Javascript, cookies or Java applets).
5. Machine Readability
Machines can handle certain kinds of inputs much better than others. Datasets released by the Government of PEI should be stored in widely-used file formats that easily lend themselves to machine processing (e.g. CSV, XML). These files should be accompanied by documentation related to the format and how to use it in relation to the data.
6. Non-Discrimination
Non-discrimination refers to who can access data and how they must do so. Barriers to use of data can include registration or membership requirements. Datasets released by the Government of PEI should have as few barriers to use as possible. Non-discriminatory access to data should enable any person to access the data at any time without having to identify themselves or provide any justification for doing so.
7. Use of Commonly Owned Standards
Commonly owned standards refer to who owns the format in which data is stored. For example, if only one company manufactures the program that can read a file where data is stored, access to that information is dependent upon use of that company's program. Sometimes that program is unavailable to the public at any cost, or is available, but for a fee. Removing this cost makes the data available to a wider pool of potential users. Datasets released by the Government of PEI should be in freely available file formats as often as possible.
8. Licensing
The Government of PEI releases datasets under the Open Government Licence – PEI Agreement. The licence is designed to increase openness and minimize restrictions on the use of the data.
9. Permanence
The capability of finding information over time is referred to as permanence. For best use by the public, information made available online should remain online, with appropriate version-tracking and archiving over time.
10. Usage Costs
The Government of PEI releases the data through the Open Government site free of charge.
Published date:
May 30, 2018
General Inquiries
Department of Finance
2nd Floor South, Shaw Building
95 Rochford Street
P.O. Box 2000
Charlottetown, PE, C1A 7N8
Phone: (902) 368-4040
Fax: (902) 368-6575