[Aust-NZ] [Fwd: Fee vs Free] [SEC=UNCLASSIFIED]

[Ian.Batley at ga.gov.au]

Also from the ABS Annual Report
http://www.abs.gov.au/Ausstats/abs@.nsf/Latestproducts/FBF88ADA798ABCA1CA2573
71001411C3?opendocument
The ABS website remains the primary access point for the majority of users of
ABS information, with site users accessing ABS web pages 101 million times in
2006-07. This was an increase of 30.2 per cent from 2005-06, and it is
substantially due to the change in ABS' pricing policy, which now provides
free access to all statistics on the website, an increase in the number of
pages available and the first release of the 2006 Census results.

On the same page is information about how the reduction in pricing for access
to CURF's has dramatically affected the number researchers. At the bottom of
the page is a number of tables, some of which show dramatic increases in
numbers from when the ABS put their data out for free.

-------------------------
Ian Batley
ian.batley at ga.gov.au
02 6249 5825


-----Original Message-----
From: Batley Ian 
Sent: Thursday, 21 August 2008 9:14 AM
To: 'bruce at bannerman.id.au'; discuss at lists.osgeo.org
Cc: Aust-NZ at lists.osgeo.org
Subject: RE: [Aust-NZ] [Fwd: Fee vs Free] [SEC=UNCLASSIFIED]

I do not know if there are any ABS people on this list but they could
probably provide info on the effect of free vs fee from when they changed
their approach.

As an example from their 2006-7 Annual report
http://www.abs.gov.au/Ausstats/abs@.nsf/Latestproducts/3E14B0CB530F1C1BCA2573
71001405C9?opendocument
While the release of the 2006 Census output on the ABS website marked a
significant milestone in the way the ABS communicates information,
developments are continuing in an attempt to optimise communication to all
levels across government, the business sector and the community. The ABS'
goal is to increase the use of statistics and to improve understanding of the
content, caveats, contexts and limitations of the data, to assist user
assessment of fitness for purpose of the data. To achieve this we are working
to provide more relevant, understandable and interesting content. We are also
working on effective presentation of information on the website by utilising
opportunities available from web technology. 
The introduction of free statistics on the website has ensured that use of
the ABS website continues to grow. This growth is an indication that more
Australians are using statistics as the basis for decision making across all
sectors. The ABS has continued the transition away from print media and we
are now releasing some statistics exclusively on the ABS website, making
effective use of the internet medium and the features available. 

The success of the work on using the website for dissemination of information
gained international recognition in 2006-07. A recent survey of more than 700
international economists by the Parisian International Chamber of Commerce
and Ifo Institute, which is an economic research centre attached to the
University of Munich, concluded that the ABS website is the second best
national statistical organisation (NSO) website. Statistics Slovenia came in
first of the sixty-five NSOs and the ABS tied with Statistics Norway for
second place, with Denmark and Finland also rating highly. 


-------------------------
Ian Batley
ian.batley at ga.gov.au
02 6249 5825


-----Original Message-----
From: aust-nz-bounces at lists.osgeo.org
[mailto:aust-nz-bounces at lists.osgeo.org] On Behalf Of Bruce Bannerman
Sent: Wednesday, 20 August 2008 9:37 PM
To: discuss at lists.osgeo.org
Cc: Aust-NZ at lists.osgeo.org
Subject: [Aust-NZ] [Fwd: Fee vs Free]

There is a slide that I've seen relating to the Canadian SDI and the
dramatic increase in downloads of data in the twelve month period after
data was made free for download.


http://www.thinkwell.ca/cgdi-icdg/libraryDocs/FeevsFree.pdf 



It shows an increase from around 96,000 to > 5.4 Million downloads in
that period.



Can anyone point me to some studies that support the claim made in this
slide please?



Bruce Bannerman