Open Government Licence (OGL)

The Open Government Licence (OGL) is a permissive license for public sector information that allows for the free reuse of government data, documents, and other materials produced by or for public sector organizations. Developed by the UK government, the OGL is designed to promote transparency, accountability, and innovation by encouraging the widespread use and dissemination of government-produced information and resources.

Under the terms of the Open Government Licence, individuals and organizations are granted permission to:

1. Copy, publish, distribute, and transmit the licensed information.
2. Adapt, modify, and build upon the licensed information.
3. Use the licensed information for both commercial and non-commercial purposes.

These permissions are granted as long as the following conditions are met:

1. Attribution: Users must acknowledge the source of the licensed information by providing a proper attribution statement, which includes the title of the information, the author or creator, and a link to the OGL terms and conditions.
2. Non-endorsement: Users must not imply or suggest that the licensor endorses their use of the licensed information or that they are affiliated with the licensor in any way.

The Open Government Licence is intended to be compatible with other open licenses, such as Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) licenses, making it easier for users to combine and reuse materials from various sources under a common licensing framework.

The benefits of the Open Government Licence include:

1. Increased transparency and accountability: By making government information freely accessible and reusable, the OGL promotes greater transparency and enables citizens and organizations to scrutinize and analyze government data, policies, and decisions.
2. Encouragement of innovation: The OGL fosters innovation by allowing businesses, researchers, and individuals to use government data and resources to develop new products, services, and applications, which can drive economic growth and social benefits.
3. Improved public services: The open dissemination of government information can lead to improved public services by enabling the identification of gaps, inefficiencies, and opportunities for improvement.
4. Enhanced collaboration: The OGL promotes collaboration and knowledge sharing among public sector organizations and between the public and private sectors, facilitating the exchange of ideas, best practices, and expertise.

In summary, the Open Government Licence (OGL) is a permissive license that allows for the free reuse of government data, documents, and other materials produced by or for public sector organizations. By promoting the widespread use and dissemination of government-produced information and resources, the OGL aims to increase transparency, accountability, innovation, and collaboration.

See Also

• IT Strategy (Information Technology Strategy)
• IT Governance
• Enterprise Architecture
• Chief Information Officer (CIO)
• IT Sourcing (Information Technology Sourcing)
• IT Operations (Information Technology Operations)
• E-Strategy