×

UPSC Courses

DNA banner

DAILY NEWS ANALYSIS

GS-II :
  • 30 June, 2020

  • 10 Min Read

Share public data with the public

Share public data with the public

M. S. Santhanam is a physicist and a professor at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune

Systemic discrepancies

# The unsatisfactory state of India’s data collection and processing system is among the many systemic deficiencies exposed by the pandemic.

# It was highlighted by the recent upward revisions to the COVID-19 death toll in some States.

# Apart from this implicit acknowledgement of the discrepancies in the data-handling process, there are also allegations of under-reporting COVID-19 cases.

# In general, on every issue encountered during the last three months, from the migrants’s travails to the inadequate fiscal package, lack of reliable data in the public domain has hampered the search for policy alternatives.

# From 2006 onwards, several open-source software enthusiasts and civil society activists came together in the U.S. and U.K. with a demand to unlock the data gathered by governments for unfettered access and reuse by citizens.

Principle of Open Data Charter

# After all, the data collected at public expense must belong to the people. This principle is the basis for the Open Data Charter adopted by 22 countries since 2015.

# It calls upon governments to disseminate public data in open digital formats. In return, the Charter argues, governments can expect “innovative, evidence-based policy solutions”.

Making data accessible

# In India, a step towards making non-sensitive government data accessible online was taken in 2012 with the adoption of the National Data Sharing and Accessibility Policy (NDSAP).

# However, the implementation has lagged far behind its stated objectives.

# The main thrust of the policy is to “promote data sharing and enable access to Government of India owned data for national planning, development and awareness”.

# The implementation guidelines for NDSAP include lofty ideals such as “openness, flexibility, transparency, quality” of data, and aim to facilitate “access to Government of India shareable data in machine-readable form”.

# The guidelines prescribe open digital formats suitable for analysis and dissemination.

# Opaque formats such as the portable document format and the image format are discouraged. As part of the Open Government Data (OGD) initiative, data.gov.in, was launched in 2012.

# In the current climate, the OGD initiative could potentially have made a substantial difference to India’s COVID-19 response.

# Had the district-wise, demographic-wise case statistics and anonymous contact traces been released in the public domain, reliable model forecasts of disease spread and targeted regional lockdown protocols could have been generated.

# Model forecasts have limitations, but b from empirical data are even more unreliable.

# Principles of OGD notwithstanding, sufficiently granular infection data are not available.

# Ironically, violating the data format guidelines, OGD portal provides COVID-19 data only as a graphic image unsuitable for any analysis.

# The other official data sources (the Indian Council of Medical Research and mygov.in) fare no better.

# They too do not publish district-wise statistics, and the available data are not in usable formats.

# Such half-hearted attempts throttle any possibility of data-driven research, innovation and useful outcomes.

# In contrast, the data portals of Canada, the U.K. and the U.S. present district-wise COVID-19 cases data, and also the emergent effects on mental health, jobs and education.

# According to the latest report of the Open Data Barometer, an independent group measuring the impact of open data, these nations lead the pack while India is a contender to reach the top bracket and not a laggard.

# The government must provide the impetus and incentive to exploit this voluminous data by invigorating the dated national data portal.

Creating social impact

# Every department must be mandated to share substantive data respecting privacy concerns.

# Much of the Census and socio-economic data, publicly funded research data, and scientific data are either not open or rotting in unusable formats.

# The government should look within for examples of creative outcomes of opening up the database.

# Start-ups have built novel applications using Indian Railways data to provide ticket confirmation prediction and real-time train status. Sharing public data is a way to create beneficial social impact.

Source: TH


Oceanic Anoxic Event 1a and MASS EXTINCTION

Oceanic Anoxic Event 1a from the Paris Basin (Environment) Paper-3 PMP OAE 1a refers to a period during the Cretaceous Period (145 million years ago and ended 66 million years ago) when Earth's oceans became depleted of oxygen, causing a significant disruption in marine life.  Cause: The event is believed to have been

Viksit Panchayat Karmayogi (Good governance)

Viksit Panchayat Karmayogi (Good governance) Governance GS PAPER-2 PMP Dr. Jitendra Singh launched the ‘Viksit Panchayat Karmayogi’ initiative on Good Governance Day, celebrated to mark the 100th birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The initiative, which is part of the broader ‘Prashasan Gaon

Major programmes to control Air Pollution

Major programmes to control Air Pollution National Clean Air Programme? It was launched by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) in January 2019. It is the first-ever effort in the country to frame a national framework for air quality management with a time-bound reduction target. The

Air pollution and Air quality Measures in India

Air pollution and Air quality Measures in India (Environment) GS Paper-3 P-M-P Air pollution may be defined as the presence of any solid, liquid or gaseous substance including noise and radioactive radiation in the atmosphere in such concentration that may be directly and/or indirectly injurious to humans or other l

Geopolitical Significance of Ports

Geopolitical Significance of Ports (IR)  Act as Geopolitical Assets: Ports enhance the projection of strategic reach, which helps strengthen the country’s control over important sea and energy supply routes.  E.g. Indian Navy’s staging base at Agalega Islands will enable marine patrols

Toppers

February 2025

MTWTFSS
27
 
28
 
29
 
30
 
31
 
1
 
2
 
3
 
4
 
5
 
6
 
7
 
8
 
9
 
10
 
11
 
12
 
13
 
14
 
15
 
16
 
17
 
18
 
19
 
20
 
21
 
22
 
23
 
24
 
25
 
26
 
27
 
28
 
1
 
2
 
3
 
4
 
5
 
6
 
7
 
8
 
9
 

Search By Date

Newsletter Subscription
SMS Alerts

Important Links

UPSC GS Mains Crash Course - RAW Prelims Answer Key 2024