Date/Period

6 July 2022

Resources

Sito

The term "open data" refers to certain types of data (such as information, numerical data, etc.) made available by public administrations or private companies, which can be freely used, processed, and redistributed for various purposes, according to the terms specified in their usage license. Open data is provided in an open, standardized format that is readable by computer applications, in order to facilitate access and encourage reuse — including creative reuse — and must in turn be released under free licenses that do not restrict distribution or reuse by interested parties. Open data therefore allows anyone to freely consult information collected by a specific entity or organization and to access it without needing special authorization that could delay consultation, and without limitations due to copyright, patents, or other legal restrictions.

Moreover, open data is free of charge, provided that the source is properly cited and acknowledged.

From this perspective, data, which is inherently neutral, becomes specific information when it is created, extracted, processed, and used for particular purposes. A collection of such information, grouped into a dataset—either of the same type or different types—becomes knowledge when interpreted through tools, applications, methods and/or models, and indicators. Finally, knowledge becomes awareness, and in the case of open data, we can confidently add that it is of a collective nature, which allows us to define it as a “common good”, as it can serve as the starting point for societal change and improvement.

The concept of open data is linked to the broader framework of open government, which calls on public administrations to be open to citizens through principles of transparency regarding their operations and direct involvement in the decision-making process, with the aim of creating a more informed and therefore more aware community.

With this in mind, the INVALSI Statistical Department has introduced two sections dedicated to open data: territorial and sample datasets. The former includes analytical datasets and survey structures from census and sample surveys with detailed breakdowns of the various investigated territories, while the latter provides anonymized sample matrices related to the surveys conducted by INVALSI.