We often hear how the world is divided between global north and global south, and ‘have’ and ‘have not’. This division is based on economic parameters. Revolution that comes with ICT besides creating another category of division, it expanded the already existing one. Now we have division between regions/countries and individuals not only based on economic and social matrices but also on the level of access people or countries have to ICT. There are people who are left behind internet revolution. The gap, just like economic one, is widening. This is alarming, indeed.

Now days, any action or activity that enages ICT literally results in bulk of data. We are in the era of ‘big data’ as a result of the web 2.0. Great deal of data, however, is generated by big companies and public institutions.

Big data which makes data seemingly ubiquitous has surprisingly not led to free access to data all the time and for everyone. Millions do not have access to data to use it for business and for social benefits. Access to internet is one of the factors which determine access to data. And lack of access to the Internet is inhibiting access to data.

Public institutions are one of the major actors in the field of data production and dissemination. It is so astonishing to see how slow public institutions’, mostly funded by tax payers’ money, move towards democratizing access to data. There is frequent call for open access to public data. In practice, public institutions are far behind private institutions both in terms of realizing the potential of ‘big data’ and its data democratization process.

Not all countries and inter-governmental institutions are moving at the same pace as far as embracing open data is concerned. Some are moving fast and others are still hesitating to fully embrace it. The EU and the World Bank are one of those institutions which have made significant progress in terms of advancing and supporting open access and open data policies. For instance, the EU made its position clear through launching various policy initiatives and taking practical actions. It launched open data portal and made mandatory open access publshing- this is one of its major policy instruments so as to advance research and innovation. The EU has shown its commitment to open access through its horizon 2020 open access policy. There are indications which show that some national governmnets, even with in the EU, are not keeping up with the pace.

Data is key ingredient for innovation and research. It boosts creative and sustainable economy. When data is trapped behind a pay wall, we are denying individuals, business and research institutions to innovate and create. On the contrary, when we give people and institutions free access to data, beyond saving time and cost for data collection, we are speeding up innovation and research. Moreover, by democratizing data sharing, we are bridging the gulf created between those who produce and consume great deal of it and those who are left behind in both aspects- producing and consuming very little.

In both fronts i.e. data production and consumption, ACP [Africa, the Caribbean and Pacific] countries are the one which lag far behind the rest of the world. This is the case because countries in these regions lack proper ICT infrastructure which is prerequisite for massive data production, consumption and dissemination. Good news is that, the EU is financing ICT infrastructure development projects in these regions. This will help realize digital bridge between the north and the south. Similarly, there are many initiatives by the EU aimed at strengthening ICT polices, data research and making the Internet affordable in Africa. For the time being the sad reality is that the south is trailing the north as far as having access to open data is concerned. But the EU and other similar initiatives, despite current reality, create an atmosphere of optimism in the global south.

For more see Data for Development