Power of Open Data

Amidst the pandemic, tracking the daily case numbers from the government bulletin became a habit for us. For a small circle of friends involving 3-4 guys, it’s a routine to dissect the numbers and get meaning from the case number.

The distance between the decision-makers and us is more than the distance between Moon and Earth. Yet, we discuss as if to guide the entire state. The discussions usually raise some questions on the back story about the rise or fall of numbers.

Underreporting is an open secret. Yet, we trusted the data. Because there was a continuity in the chart. Meaning, 100 new people tested positive for a day implies existing case count will increment by 100. There was no discrepancy, until July 6^th.

We raised the question on Twitter - here and here. Like other million tweets, this too went unanswered. Later, we got to know that the discrepancy in number is not a scam/malicious act. The inflow of cases from neighboring districts contributed to the spike in the case count.

What does this signify?

1. The absence of a college degree is no longer an obstacle to understand and raise questions.

   • Both me and my friend, who noticed it before me, are not a statistician.

2. Authorities can no longer hide behind bureaucracy

   • RTI is in place. But, imagine data is openly available for the public without a bureaucratic firewall.
   • Easier for people to access; easier to notice wrongdoing.

3. Free and open data could decentralize truthfulness.

   • Truth may no longer be hidden on an office shelf
   • It it will be under a constant vigil from whoever interested with numbers Scholars and Academics are well aware of the importance of open data. Indian Government has acknowledged it and has set up Open Data Platform for Smart cities. Yet, the COVID made the data collation and number crunching a glittery thing to do.

Does openness worth the hype?

Openness has already proven to be a massive gamechanger. Linux is a prime example of open source advocacy. Linux has proven that open source is better than closed source. Open source is not entirely defect-free, but the rate at which defects are identified and fixed is astounding.

Given enough eyeballs, all bugs are shallow - Linus’s law

From Wikipedia: A more formal statement is: “Given a large enough beta-tester and co-developer base, almost every problem will be characterized quickly and the fix obvious to someone.”

Analogous to Open-source software development, Open and free data is not a silver bullet to all the existing problems the society is facing. But it will enable more people to see what is happening at the upper echelons, the rulers, who are traditionally dodging accountability.

Will the Open & free data work in India?

Many consider the opening of data as cumbersome activity. Even argue India doesn’t have enough infrastructure to free up data and present it over the web, unlike western countries and developed countries. Conversely, India has already APIised banking through Jan Dhan-Aadhaar-Mobile.

India’s conventional data infrastructure might be squeezed due to its population. However, the information age has been a revelation for India. The 21^st century has been kinder to the country. With IT sector is providing what the manufacturing sector failed in the previous decades. It’s already a big player in SaaS. There may not be a better time for opening up data and introducing data literacy among the public.

India, a reactive nation

We as a country have always been reactive. We look for some solution after the cr*p hit the fan.

• The famines of 60’s pushed us into the Green revolution
• The Sino-Indian war of 1962 made us create R&AW.
• 1991 Indian economic crisis bought us liberalization.
• Humongous bad loans in the banks lead to the introduction of the bankruptcy act

By the same lines, can we expect post-COVID India would be welcoming open data access?