Transparency and Open

Data at ecdp
Rich Watts
December 2010
Transparency and Open Data at ecdp

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Introduction
Formally, Open Data is data and information produced or commissioned by government or
government-controlled entities that is made freely available for use, re-use and
redistribution1.

Put simply, it means publishing the information that organisations hold on topics like
management information, financial planning and performance-related decisions, and letting
whoever is interested take a look.

Over the last 12 months in particular, Open Data has become a vital driver in public sector
reform and making government at all levels more transparent. In turn, this:
• Helps ensure accountability
• Supports decision makers to make good decisions and explain them
• Supports democracy more generally through building trust and providing opportunities for
citizens to engage in ways they've never been able to before.

Recently, both central and local government have been leading the way on publishing Open
Data, for example on items of central government expenditure over £25,0002 and local
government expenditure over £5003.

At ecdp we've done a number of things over the last 12 months to share our work and
resources as widely as possible, as well as to make our organisation more transparent in
terms of the things we are doing. This includes things like our website (www.ecdp.org.uk) and
RSS feed, documents we've published on Scribd, videos we’ve shared on YouTube and
social media like Twitter, Facebook and Flickr.

This brief note provides a brief overview and introduction of the natural extension to this
work: us publishing our own Open Data.

1 Open Data doesn't include any personal data about individuals

2 http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2010/nov/19/government-spending-data
3Transparency and Open Data at ecdp
http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2010/sep/10/local-council-spending-over-500-list

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Why we’re doing it
In the public sector, the debate on Open Data has moved beyond whether or not government
should release data to questions of how to release government data4. However, in the
voluntary and community sector (VCS) there are very few examples of organisations sharing
their data openly.

ecdp is an ambitious organisation. As well as delivering high quality public services and
providing a representative voice for disabled and older people, we also want to be an
example of how VCS organisations can contribute to the wider drivers of public sector reform.
Drawing on links with colleagues across the public and voluntary sectors – both professional
and personal – we see Open Data as one key area where we can usefully contribute.

There are many reasons why an organisation like ecdp should make its data openly
available:
• It's a good thing in its own right
• We collect this data and use it internally anyway. There are no good reasons why we
shouldn't share this data externally
• We are a membership organisation run by and for disabled people. By sharing our data,
we can ensure that our members can hold us accountable for the work we do
• Sharing data openly can create commercial or social value, and so enable others to
contribute to ecdp's vision to enhance the everyday lives of disabled or further their own
vision
• Sharing data openly allows us to pass on learning to other organisations
• Similarly, publishing open data can provide the foundations for others to invent or develop
new business models
• In particular, sharing this data could help other user-led and smaller organisations
understand and bid for types of work/services like ours
• Sharing data can help identify errors or omissions - vital information we can use to make
our work better and quicker
• Publishing open data also hopefully shows us as an organisation that wants to be and is
transparent, and so demonstrate to our members, clients, funders and the public more
widely that we have nothing to hide and are willing to learn.

There is also a very practical point to this: we hold contracts with local government for some
of the services we provide. In time, third parties like ecdp will need to publish or share their
data as part of their contractual obligations. Given this, we're doing it now so we can learn
how best to do so before it is a requirement.

Transparency
4 and
The government’s OpenonData
website OpenatData
ecdpis here: Opening Up Government: http://data.gov.uk/

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What is the data?
The data we are releasing and when is as follows:

• Our monthly performance dashboard. This captures performance information on a wide

range of topics across all of the teams within ecdp. Topics include our social care support
services, finance information, HR data and volunteering data. We will publish this
information each month.

• The agenda and minutes for our Management Board Meetings. We are an organisation
run by and for disabled people and our Management Board – made up entirely of
disabled people – meets approximately every 2 months. The information that is
considered at each meeting and the decisions reached (excluding confidential
information, such as that relating to HR issues) will be published here once the minutes of
each meeting have been signed off.

• Our annual reports. A recent study of VCS organisations in America5, for example,
showed that only 43% of VCS organisations published their annual reports online and
only 13% post their audited financial statements. Although charities registered in England
have the equivalent information published on the Charity Commission website we are
collating our information here to make it easier to access. This information will be
published annually.

Transparency
5 and
Guidestar (2008): Open Data at ecdp
http://publications.guidestar.org/transparency-report/

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What can you do with it?
The easy answer to this question is: whatever you want!

A short list of ideas for things you may want to do includes:

• Identify trends and determine if these are good or bad
• Create visualisations of the data so it is more accessible for people to understand
• Identify gaps in services
• Compare it to data you have
• Ask us questions based on the data.

If you need the data format changed in some way to make it easier to use, please tell us what
you need and we'll do what we can.

We know that simply publishing this data won't necessarily create value by itself. In time, we
will look to create specific questions or issues that we face and see if people would be willing
to use their time and expertise to help answer the questions and solve the issues.

In return for the above, we would be grateful if you could let us know about what you've done
with the data. This will help us to understand the demand for the data as well as share with
our members and others what's been created.

For your information, we're publishing the data under the Open Government Licence, details
of which can be found here: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-
licence/

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What are the caveats?
Inevitably, since this is the first time we have done this we will learn a lot as we go along (and
we hope you'll help us do this). Below are some brief caveats to the data we publish:

• We've had our Performance Dashboard since July 2009 and it has changed over that
time. Thus, though most of the data is consistent, some of it may not be
• We know there are gaps in the data on the Performance Dashboard. This is either where
we didn’t collect that data at that time or haven’t set a target. These gaps are identified by
shaded cells or “TBC”
• Where sharing this data highlights errors or inaccuracies, we will update the data to
ensure it’s correct. We’ll ensure the version of each document is clear
• Similarly, the Board papers we’re publishing go back to August 2007 and so come in a
variety of formats and quality
• Obviously, we hope the data shows the good things that we do. But inevitably it will also
highlight the things that don't work so well. We will share our data openly that shows both
good and not-so-good things, if friends and colleagues constructively share their thoughts
with us, and give us reasonable time to respond to their thoughts.

Transparency and Open Data at ecdp

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What next?
This is hopefully the first step of many for ecdp in its transparency and Open Data work.
Where data is relatively easy to publish, we will do more to make our organisation as
transparent as possible.

We have done a considerable amount of work in establishing and developing our innovative
support planning model at ecdp. Early in 2011 we will publish every piece of information and
data we have on this model, to support other organisations to learn from and use whatever
parts of the model they wish.

Similarly, we will publish all non-confidential papers associated with our Management Board
(stretching back in August 2007) before Spring 2011.

Furthermore, over the next few months we also intend to:

• Encourage more staff to use social media such as Twitter and Facebook in order to
promote disability equality, and so support achieving our vision
• Regularly create and share podcasts and videos of members of staff - including senior
members of staff – talking about our work
• Look to start a blog by our Chief Executive to share and open up what they – and other
members of staff – are doing.

If you have any ideas of things we can do to be more open and transparent, or examples of
ways other organisations are doing this, please share them with us.

Contact us

If you'd like to contact us about anything to do with Open Data and ecdp, or share with us
what you've done with the data, then please feel free to do so using opendata@ecdp.co.uk.

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Resources and thanks
Thank you to Karl Wilding and David Kaner at NCVO for their excellent work on Open Data,
which in part has prompted this piece of work. You can access the Voluntary Sector
Datastore created by NCVO here: http://data.ncvo-vol.org.uk/. Thanks also to Beth Kanter for
her excellent book "Networked Non-Profits" which has had a substantial influence on this
piece of work.

More generally, here is a selection of links and information we've found useful in bringing this
note together:
• Open Data on the Cheap (Helpful Technology): http://www.helpfultechnology.com/helpful-
blog/2010/08/open-data-on-the-cheap/
• A call to arms to developers (Jimmy Leach):
http://blogs.fco.gov.uk/roller/leach/entry/a_call_to_arms_to
• 10 Dos and Don'ts of Opening Up Public Data (100 open):
http://www.100open.com/2010/06/10-dos-and-donts-of-opening-up-public-data/
• Good and Bad Transparency (Helpful Technology):
http://www.helpfultechnology.com/helpful-blog/2010/06/good-and-bad-transparency/
• 9 Beliefs at the Heart of Open Government (Sunlight Foundation):
http://blog.sunlightfoundation.com/2010/02/09/9-assumptions-at-the-heart-of-open-
government/
• Open Local Data blog: http://localdata.citizenshipfoundation.org.uk/
• Open Government Data 2010: http://opengovernmentdata.org

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