News

How Open Data Can Help Caribbean Development

By: Caribbean Journal Staff - October 4, 2015 - 11:33 pm

A push for transparency

By Gerard Best
CJ Contributor

Across the Caribbean, governments are moving their essential services to digital platforms and generating more data than ever.

Yet much valuable public information remains locked away in proprietary systems, beyond the reach of Caribbean innovators and end users. A growing number of open data initiatives aim to change this, but it won’t be easy.

“The Caribbean can benefit tremendously from open data as part of its development agenda,” said Bevil Wooding, Internet Strategist, in a presentation on Open Data at the 13th Strategic ICT Seminar of the Caribbean Telecommunications Union held in Tortola, British Virgin Islands on 30th September 2015.

His call to make more government data available was timely, as he addressed an audience that included several government ministers and officials from across the region. Extracting maximum value from data is increasingly becoming a base-level requirement, as governments aim to measure progress and demonstrate achievements.

“Transparency, openness and accountability are three of the main benefits of open data,” Wooding pointed out. “However, there are also significant social and economic benefits that can be derived from the development of new applications and services based on open data.”

The Seminar was also addressed by Anat Lewin, an ICT Policy Specialist with the World Bank. Lewin shared on the work of the Bank in open data projects in the Caribbean, including Open Data Readiness Assessments in Antigua & Barbuda, Jamaica and St Lucia.

She also announced that the Bank is supporting development of online open data portals in Jamaica and St Lucia.

In an interview following his presentation, Wooding (photo above) noted that governments play a key role in collecting and disseminating data, but he said some are more open and effective than others.

“Open government is about more than a simple commitment to share data. It’s also about supporting a larger ecosystem for using data and spurring innovative new applications of data by tapping into creativity and resources that are not available within any single organisation.”

The process of making government more open, he said, is not an easy one, as it involves confronting tough questions, and unlocking entrenched mindsets concerning exactly what data should be open to the public.

“Governments are wrestling with the dilemma between promoting open data on one hand and maintaining data sovereignty and control on the other,” he said.

“The challenge has always been about where to strike a balance between the openness and information control.”

Privacy concerns are one of the most common obstacles faced by open data advocates. Even as the open data movement gains strength, difficult questions remain about how to protect information about private citizens. Without proper controls, such information could be used to shame, discriminate or cause other undesirable outcomes.

“In some countries, there’s simply not much data to share anyway,” Wooding said. “Data gaps are particularly acute in emerging markets that lack technology-powered systems, active research communities and strong institutional frameworks for data collection. Other countries have plenty of data, but don’t have tools, protocols or leadership motivation for using data effectively and ethically.”

To overcome these challenges, a growing array of stakeholders—including tech innovators, research institutions, governments, civil society, academia and individuals—are banding together to develop new models to promote and leverage open data. Theirs is a difficult but necessary struggle for the greater good of the region.

Popular Posts best caribbean restaurants

The 50 Best Restaurants in the Caribbean - 2025

No region in the world has a more diverse or dynamic culinary continuum than the Caribbean. Just about every cuisine on earth is represented, often in wonderfully, intoxicatingly fused expressions. Across the breadth of the Caribbean Basin, you will find […]


The Southern Corner of This Caribbean Island Is Filled With Endless Beaches, a Boutique Resort and a Spirit of Adventure    

eleuthera caribbean island

You can get lost out here. There are nearly 4,500 acres of Bahamian frontier here, filled with casuarinas, empty trails and secluded white-sand beaches. Take a golf cart, or a bicycle or, if you’re daring, just a pair of running […]


In Dominica, an All-Inclusive That Comes With the Whole Island 

dominica fort young views

All-inclusive has been changing. That’s not a secret. It’s the biggest thing in travel right now, particularly in the Caribbean, where travelers want more. But they don’t just want the unlimited food and beverage. They want the experience. They want […]


Related Posts grace bay beach

Caribbean Photo of the Week: A Secret Corner of Grace Bay Beach in Turks and Caicos

The latest Caribbean Photo comes from Caribbean Journal reader Joanna Blanco, who sent in this lovely shot of what she calls a “secret corner” of Grace Bay Beach in Turks and Caicos. Have you taken a great photo in the […]


Rum Journal: A Game-Changing Caribbean Rum Gets Even Better 

dos maderas caribbean

It may be hard to remember with the growth of rum in the last decade. But when Dos Maderas came out with its 5+5 rum, it was a bit of a game-changer for the spirit.  At the time (more than […]


There’s a New Way to Arrive on This Caribbean Island, Famous For Its Beaches, Honeymoons and History 

antigua long bay

It’s already one of our favorite airports in the Caribbean: the sparkling VC Bird International Airport, the primary hub for the increasingly-popular hotspot of Antigua and Barbuda, a Caribbean island famous for its beaches (365 of them, to be exact), […]