Apr 7th 2012 | from the print edition
A COMMON frustration with London’s subsidised cycle-hire scheme is that it can be insanely hard to find a bike in rush hour, or a vacant docking slot at the end of a ride. Savvy cyclists tap an icon on their smartphones that shows them where to look. The widget, devised by Little Fluffy Toys, covers 32 cities in countries from America to Australia, and generates lucrative business for the London-based software developer. Its popularity shows how individuals and businesses can both benefit from the ready supply of official data.
The state has long been the biggest generator, collector and
user of data, in Britain as in most countries. As the
information revolution reshapes the business landscape,
governments have responded by returning data to the hands of the
people who paid for it. Britain publishes more official
statistics than any country except America—although others are
catching up fast, says Nigel Shadbolt of the University of
Southampton. Ministers from more than 50 countries will meet in
Brazil later this month to discuss data developments.
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