About data open, shared and delegated

The concept of public data transfer makes it possible to supplement the concept of open data with two more categories: shared and delegated data.


When considering such a topic as “open data”, one should look a bit more broadly and evaluate it not only from the point of view of data opened by the state. Business is no less interested in free disclosure of data, but it has its own exclusive tasks and interests. At the same time, the digital world requires each participant to provide personal information and personal data. And all these openly published information should not be hastily mixed in a single “heap” - for one simple reason: each of these types of data is managed differently.

We continue to consider the area of ​​free and free data. Let's try to focus on the entities that act as owners and providers of public data.

The point of view proposed in this publication is not quite common for the subject of open data. But do not take it as an insistent attempt to revise terms from the field of open data. Not. This is just a desire to add understanding to free and free data from the point of view of economic and managerial features of their origin and use, which undoubtedly affect the technical implementation of systems for collecting and analyzing digital data sets.
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Two models

Encountering open data in the network, we are forced to believe that they are hosted by a bona fide supplier.

In other words, the ability to fully respond to questions like the following is almost absent for most users of such data:

• why is the data actually published;
• who is interested in publishing data;
• what hidden motives the publisher pursued;
• how correct and believable the data is;
• What is the likelihood of "fraud" data;
• are the data truly primary or have they been seriously filtered and processed?

It is impossible to figure out all the real driving motives and using a solid method to check large sets (sometimes aggregated, depersonalized and recounted).

We have to take open data "as is" and work with them in the framework of understanding a given subject area and the procedures for their primary generation and subsequent processing.


So, absolutely do not trust the "figure", which is opened by commercial organizations?

But after all, they are even sometimes more interested in the system search for new knowledge based on arrays of accumulated data (motivation was considered at the beginning of the publication) and are willing to actively interact with third-party analysts. You can trust, but prudence does not hurt - you just need to separate and view the data of another kind separately from open data - shared data.

Let's figure it out in order.

A simple model for free publication of data is as follows.

The owner of the data from some internal storage selects sets for publication. Further, speaking independently as a supplier (or outsourcing the role of a technical supplier), he certifies the data and publishes them in open access.

Here we mean the identification of data as a necessary element of the publication, which allows us to understand the essence of the data, identify their supplier (owner) and declare their openness. This is not at all solely a method of technical protection of the integrity of data sets, although it may include this.

Published data is available to users who create new solutions, produce new knowledge and return “beneficial effect” to the owner (directly or through a supplier), including through feedback channels specified by the owner / supplier.



But the model can be somewhat more complicated by adding multiple data owners.

The complex model of free publication of data by several economic entities through one supplier looks different.

The owners of the data, by agreement (or by virtue of the law), transmit their internal data using a secure data transfer scheme to a special economic entity authorized by the supplier. The latter in turn certifies the data on its own behalf and publishes them in the public domain. And now, the supplier certifies the data not only on its own behalf, but also on behalf of a certain community of subjects who have transferred their data to it for free distribution. Published data also becomes available to users who create new solutions, produce new knowledge and return the “beneficial effect” to the direct supplier or a group of economic entities, including via feedback channels set by the owners / supplier. But in a complex model, all members of such a community sharing the data become beneficiaries.



It would seem that almost identical models, with only one small exception: in the first case - one data owner is published through one supplier, in the second - several owners are published through one intermediary supplier.

On the technical side, the difference is not significant, but on the economic side it is definitely important. This is primarily due to the fact that a sustainable self-regulating community appears in the complex model, which has agreed to jointly publish data on generally accepted or standardized conditions. Thus, besides the fact that the intermediary supplier is a certain certifying subject, within such a group of several data owners, mutual restraining competitive control is established. It turns out that more than one subject guarantees the quality of published data, but several closely looking at each other subjects, which, in addition, are also monitored by the supplier-intermediary.

In addition, if such a model is implemented not on a simple agreement of several economic entities, but at the legislative state level, then the credibility of the data increases. In principle, the representativeness of the owners of the data grouped together and the authority of the intermediary supplier who aggregates the data, leads them to the required type, certifies and directly issues, plays an important role in the complex model.

Considering two such models (simple and complex) it is worth fundamentally sharing the published data.

Open (open) data is data transmitted through a public transfer that is created by some subjects, and collected, certified and published in accordance with the jointly established and accepted rules by another subject and / or re-published by other subjects without changes.

Open government data is data transmitted through a public transfer that is created by some entities, and collected, certified and published in accordance with the law by another entity that the state has endowed with supplier functions, and / or re-published by other entities unchanged.

Shared (shared) data - this is the data transmitted in the framework of public transfer, which are created by one entity, certified and published by him and / or re-published by other entities without change.

We would not like it, but these two models are fundamentally different in the level of confidence in the published data.

And if in a difficult case, we can really talk about the discovery of data - that is, the provision by several independent economic entities through an authorized intermediary of data about their (or about them) activity in accordance with the agreed conditions openly, qualified, controlled, fully.

In a simple variant, the word “ shared ” data is more appropriate - that is, the data that one economic subject published about his (or about him) activity in accordance with his own rules and goals, and only conditionally and independently declared their openness, completeness, authenticity. The owner shared the data with others, or in other words, offered to use them by other persons at the same time as him, but he does not disclaim the rights and obligations regarding the published data.


But there is another significant difference in the models presented.

It manifests itself when the supplier (owners) get back a useful effect in the form of new solutions or knowledge.

In a simple model, where data was distributed by one subject to trust in the results obtained on the basis of them, by default, one should expect only from the same subject.

In a complex model, on the contrary, it is expected that all subjects who opened data within a certain merged group will trust the created useful effect based on such data. These are general principles that in practice may have a number of nuances. For example, even a single person who has opened data can enjoy such a great authority and trust from other subjects that neither the quality of his data, nor the results obtained on their basis, will cause significant doubts and objections.

Open data

Open data is always outwardly secondary data from the primary supplier. And this is the data that such a supplier somehow gets, checks, processes, controls. He to some extent guarantees their quality. With regard to open data, it can be said that the commercial success or non-commercial interest of the direct supplier (regulating intermediary between owners and users) does not depend on their content, format and method of transmission.

In fact, such a definition excludes from the category of “open data”, those from them that are created by one economic entity and are isolated are published by him.
This can be as a private or public business, and social non-profit organizations.

The range of open data providers is deliberately and deliberately limited to bona fide (again) government agencies, non-state associations and informal communities, the purpose of which, when publishing, is not the hidden improvement of one’s own market positions due to informational influence. The first carry out data collection by virtue of the law, and the second in accordance with the voluntary agreement of members of the community. In the overwhelming majority of cases, open data are obtained from a variety of individuals and legal entities and are collected in a common array. The simplest example is government statistics.

Collusion of a commercial structure with a state organization for the indirect publication of allegedly “open” data on behalf of an independent publisher is not excluded. However, this is a separate case, the consideration of which is primarily related to the constant monitoring of the relevance, integrity and objectivity of open data "at the input". In addition, one cannot exclude the intentional change of open data for certain non-commercial purposes. But then it should already be about the bad faith of the supplier.

The main purpose of open data published by state authorized organizations and voluntary associations is:

1. Informing stakeholders.
2. Stabilization of markets (communities).
3. The development of public institutions.

Consumers of open data are citizens, business and other government agencies, but indirectly through “third parties” who are able to obtain new valuable knowledge (solutions) based on such data.

Since open government data directly relates to the functioning of the state system and is aggregated from a variety of individuals and legal entities, they are regulated and controlled at the level of federal and regional legislation.
The basic concept that develops through the expansion and deepening of the content and technologies of open data is an open economy .

Shared data

Slightly above, the data were separated and created separately and freely published by organizations into a separate category - shared data. The term “shared” should show that the supplier can and does not have to fully disclose the relevant digital data created by him. At the same time, on the one hand, it allows third parties to use the information accumulated by them, but on the other hand reserves the right to actively use it and manage it. By the way for this, he has many ways that are not limited only to restrictions within the framework of copyright. He may, for example, declare them invalid or incorrect, cease to maintain their relevance and integrity. Obviously, the interested supplier shares the data in which he has invested, but at the same time suggests sharing it with him without any payment, hoping (and sometimes insisting) that users will later share new interesting solutions and knowledge.

Shared data is always internal data for the primary supplier or external, but processed at its discretion. With regard to shared data, it can be said that the commercial success (for business) or the evaluation of the activity (for non-profit organizations) of their supplier may depend on their content, format and method of transmission. The verification and confirmation of the quality of the shared data remains the responsibility of the supplier, and therefore they do not receive external control and certification.

From which it follows that shared data should be looked at with greater criticality in terms of content than in open data.

And besides, for shared data, it is important to understand that they are selected for publication and are published by the person directly interested in their content.

Even the result of processing and analyzing open data, presented in the form of secondary sets, from this point of view, is presented as shared data with all the ensuing consequences.

The responsible publisher of the shared data always carefully (and even more carefully than the open data provider) stipulates the conditions and context of the transmitted data, as well as identifies the restrictions imposed by it and the selection criteria. But the user is still forced to seek and pay special attention to the conditions of disclosure of data in "small print".

The main purpose of shared data created and published by businesses and non-profit (socially-oriented) organizations:

1. Informational openness to the state and society.
2. Improving conjuncture of target markets (social spaces).
3. Customer support and partners.

Consumers of shared data are citizens, another business and some state structures, but, again, indirectly through “third parties” who are able to obtain new valuable knowledge (solutions) based on the data. Regulation of shared data is a community task that needs to be implemented through standards, clear rules and procedures. Each organization’s development of its own principles and functions of shared data transfer is useful, but it will discourage users with its diversity.

If open data is intended to strengthen the principles of an open economy, shared data is gradually but surely moving markets and communities towards an open partnership . Its main mission is the exchange of relevant data with economic actors to ensure sustainable development at a regional, state and global level with a given level of trust and reputational responsibility. This is realized and manifested through timely notification of counterparties, miscalculation and minimization of risks, optimization of resource opportunity costs, alignment of information-intensive business processes, quick and reasonable settlement of disputes, etc.

Delegated data

Aside from state, social, and commercial data, a special category remained — data openly published by individuals . This is not only personal data, the use of which is actively regulated by the state, and the “leakage” becomes the subject of “hot” discussion. But these are, for example, huge amounts of personal digital data available for receiving on social networks or retrieved from them.



The data (and any information) published by an individual about themselves always remain copyright and have obvious personal identity.

Such data is always associated by a citizen as his own, belonging exclusively to him and in respect of which he considers lawful to dispose freely both at the stage of publication and in the subsequent stage. It is almost like the right to personal opinion, which, moreover, can be changed at any time due to certain circumstances. An individual has the right to recall data published about himself, because he has the undisputed basic right to change his own opinions and preferences. A person may change his mind and therefore, in order to protect his right of freedom of conscience, he receives to some extent support from the state.


Data published by an individual openly for free use are never fully literally irrevocably open and finally transferred to others. The person who published them has and should always have the right to withdraw / refute them. A number of legal acts are built on this. Including the notorious right to oblivion. Therefore, to speak of such data as open or as shared is not entirely correct, especially from the point of view of use in business analysis.

It is necessary to introduce an additional category - delegated data . Here the word "delegated" indicates the possibility of the supplier (individual) to limit in time the provision of data to third-party users. Why the right to delegate data can not have government agencies or business? Because they are legal entities and do not have personal information that requires special protection from civil society. And when transmitting delegated data, any economic entity implements a number of special measures envisaged at the legislative level or at the level of practice or business practice.

Delegated data is a public transfer of data in which an individual provides digital data about himself, implying his right and a hypothetical opportunity to change or withdraw it later.

Accordingly, with regard to the data to be delegated, special business processes should be structured, taking into account their characteristic features, as well as taking into account the specifics of personal data legislation. That does not mean at all that there is no benefit and there is no opportunity to actively use the delegated data. Known examples of successful software services are based on processing data from social networks, both professional and general purpose.

The main purpose of the delegated data published by individuals:

1. Waiting for personalization of market offers.
2. Personal socialization and grouping.
3. Social influence and control.

Consumers of the data to be delegated are other citizens, business and government agencies, indirectly through some “third parties” or directly. The regulation of the delegated data is possible only from the state at the legislative level. Business can develop its own principles of working with them, and in some cases even have to do it, for example, in relation to personal data. Still, the main work in this part is carried out by the state with the participation of public and non-state special organizations. Hypothetically, there is also the possibility of uniting individuals into certain social groups that will offer special conditions for the distribution of delegated data, but this is rather a special level of non-profit social organizations and foundations.

An interesting development of the future of delegated data is the concept of open citizenship . By analogy, when the state is opened to society, civil society becomes a more open and understandable counterbalance not only to state social and commercial structures, but also, first of all, to itself. The result of an open civil position should be a significant increase in security, an increase in the efficiency of public institutions, the involvement of citizens in social processes, an interest in receiving reliable information, etc.

Total = public data

The total array of freely published digital data turned out to be delineated into three categories:

1. open,
2. shared and
3. delegated data.

For the correct selection and assessment of the quality of sources, tools, technologies, resources, it is important to clearly understand and control the pros and cons of each of the data categories.
Especially if this is done in order to obtain a meaningful result in such a process. And do not try to convince management that all three categories can be managed equally.
Handle - yes, but not manage .

In the future, with the development of such powerful tools as distributed registries, the distinction between the selected categories of free and free data to be distributed will become more pronounced, especially at the information technology level.

In general, these three categories of data can be combined under a more general term - public data .