Chapter 4 – Open Data: Higher and Further Education Stepping up to the Challenge

It has been impossible to avoid open data in the last few years. This has been driven by support from governments the world over and innovative work in the UK from organisations like data.gov and the Open Data Institute. Despite some strong examples, higher and further education is not moving as quickly as the government. Although the UK government is making great strides, there is not yet compelling evidence on the impact of this effort. So higher and further education is left with the question: is this something we should seek to address urgently or is it more prudent to wait until undeniable evidence of impact is available before deciding to dedicate significant effort to exploiting open data?