Perception of Key Barriers in Using and Publishing Open Data

Abstract

TThere is a growing body of literature recognizing the benefits of Open Data. However, many potential data providers are unwilling to publish their data and at the same time, data users are often faced with difficulties when attempting to use Open Data in practice. Despite various barriers in using and publishing Open Data still being present, studies which systematically collect and assess these barriers are rare. Based on this observation we present a review on prior literature on barriers and the results of an empirical study aimed at assessing both the users’ and publishers’ views on obstacles regarding Open Data adoption. We collected data with an online survey in Austria and internationally. Using a sample of 183 participants, we draw conclusions about the relative importance of the barriers reported in the literature. In comparison to a previous conference paper presented at the conference for E-Democracy and Open Government, this article includes new additional data from participants outside Austria, reports new analyses, and substantially extends the discussion of results and of possible strategies for the mitigation of Open Data barriers.