DIGITALWORLD
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>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ‘It iswell known thatwe only learn
through failure.We knowthis in life,why do people expect that government can’t?’
firstworkshop andwe asked themwhatwas themost important data to them. Crime and transport were the key data sets that they wanted,” continues Coleman, adding that she and her team also gained valuable insights fromtheir advice. “They told us not to get into a flap about data formats, to just
get it out there. Often the state will fret about quality of data to such a degree that it doesn’t release it at
all.Their attitudewas ‘go early and ugly, and if there’s problemswith the datawe’ll help you fix it’. That was quite critical. And clearly transport and crime were areaswhere theywere going to be able to do business – and that’s the really important thing, the stimulation of the SME sec- tor. Really dynamic real-time data is the thing thatmakes those businesses fly.”
DATA STORE SUCCESS The London Data Store has been a significant successwith over 70 apps now available across iPhone and Android, all built on Transport London data. “I always say that the Data Store was a collaboration between
the state and the software developers.Wewouldn’t have the data storewithout them, and it allowed us to leverage in a huge amount of intellectual capability.” She says the economic benefits are significant. “We’ve always
said the state is very good at collecting data, it’s just not terribly good at using it.Our role should not be to get involved in the cre- ation of apps, but rather bring the data to the table and let the market dowhat it canwith it.”
And of course free access is crucial she says. “The runway for
a start-up is so tight that any cost put in there in the beginning is going to be a deterrent to innovation inmy view. So the fact that we were able to say ‘Whether you’re aMicrosoft or a solo devel- oper you’ve got the same chances’was really important. “We knowalready that people operating using that data are re-
turning tax revenues to the
exchequer.So that’s themodel.Rather than the state charging at source, it should just put the data out there and then takewhat comes back in tax revenues.” Returning to the present day, Coleman’s strong views on how
governments need to transformin a social age can apply just as easily to Ireland. “Basically government has to get better at trying things out, it-
erating, testing, not always scoping out to the nth degree and say- ing ‘Here’swherewe are going to be’.We have to behave like other small agile businesses that say ‘Let’s try this’. “Why is there an expectation in government, which you have
nowhere in business, that you have to get it right first time. Peo- ple have this idea in public policy that you can’t fail, but how on earth can thatwork? It iswell known thatwe only learn through failure.We know this in life, why do people expect that govern- ment can’t? “You don’t want to get things wrong in sensitive service areas
of course, but the reality is that in order to change we have to experiment and experimentation of its nature is a risk.”
This article first appeared on
Siliconrepublic.com Issue 4 Spring/Summer 2012 INNOVATION IRELAND REVIEW 61
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