[OSGeo Africa] Ideas on writing a petition to access municipal spatial data

[Gavin Fleming]

Hi all

'user pays' and 'cost recovery' are by law not applicable to public data in SA. Custodians of public data are allowed to charge a minimal fee for making the data available (such as writing a DVD) but not for the data. An example of a policy in this respect is https://www.westerncape.gov.za/text/2013/September/draft-pricing-of-spatial-info-policy.pdf.

And the economic benefits to the country of making the data free to the public without restrictions on use far outweigh the cost of capture and maintaining the data. 

And it’s one thing to make the data free, another to make it accessible. 

Some local efforts to make data accessible:

http://data.gov.za/
http://southafrica.opendataforafrica.org/
http://opendata.capetown.gov.za/
https://wazimap.co.za/

A group to collaborate with (were Code4SA): https://openup.org.za/ 

Gavin


> On 15 Feb 2018, at 09:20, Sindile Bidla <sindile.bidla at geoilocate.co.za> wrote:
> 
> Dear List,
> 
> Most municipalities in the country are making it difficult to access spatial data that has been paid for through our taxes:
> 1. selling of spatial data
> 2. signing data agreements that prevent reuse
> 3. providing access to spatial data only if conducting a municipal project
> 
> I am proposing that we start a petition in this regard, because government policy is quite clear with regard to access to spatial data.
> 
> What I would like ideas on is:
> 1. is there appetite from the community in this regard?
> 2. should we have a single petition which will be sent to individual municipalities and key government department?
> 3. is there an online platform that we could use?
> 4. any other idea.
> 
> Thank you.
> 
> 
> Sindile XJ Bidla
> 
> Geoilocate
> p:
> 087 373 0982  m: 082 340 8538
> a:
> Block B3, Science & Technology Park, East London IDZ
>  
> Lower Chester Rd, Sunnyridge, East London
> w:
> www.geoilocate.co.za <http://www.bizwebhost.co.za/>
> 
> 
> 
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