We're probably soon going to ask some volunteers to finish crowdsourcing
the data on http://www.yournextmp.com/ - if we do that, and then just
compare it to the PA data for integrity, would that be legally fine,
since it was us who constructed the database from the initial facts
(data on council web pages)?
-t
On 18/05/10 11:10, Roger Moffatt wrote:
Given the debate on the copyright issue, it certainly seems to need
some clarification?
It all seems to stem from the problem that the data hasn't been
created in the public domain by the UK Parliament in the first place.
One would hope that given the importance of transparency to the
operation of democracy, that the information regarding candidates,
votes and basically everything surrounding the election that we see on
the news daily, would in fact have one central, independent, reference
source.
The lack of that central reference source seems to be the crux of the
matter. This reflects what often seems to happen with councils being
given a mandate to run things, but there being no pressure on them to
publish data in any common or readily acceptable form.
My worry is that I see so much data recycling (organisation A takes
data from Organisation B and then tweaks it before Organisation C uses
it for a feed that is used by Organisation D etc) that not only is the
legality of the data open to question, but so is the integrity.
It is extraordinarily tempting just to use the data that can be found
on the grounds of fair use / news access and even public interest, but
it is frustrating that the legal position isn't clearer.
Perhaps the Press Association will get back and say they are happy for
anyone to use their election data with attribution ... that would be a
nice resolution.
Roger
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