Open Government Data and Value Creation: Exploring the Roles Canadian Data Intermediaries Play in the Value Creation Process

Abstract

Open government data, concerned with the opening and publishing of government data in a free, accessible, and machine-readable format, aims to encourage public participation in government affairs, increasing government transparency and accountability. It is also posited that open government data will inspire businesses, the public and government agencies to use it and contribute to economic growth and value creation. The Canadian federal, provincial, and local governments have been actively opening and releasing open datasets about multiple subjects of interest to the public. However, evidence of the benefits of using open government datasets by Canadian businesses is scant, with no empirical research undertaken in Canada to understand how the data are used and what value is being created. Based on a qualitative approach, this thesis focuses on the works and experiences of 17 professed open data intermediary firms in Canada. It aims to discover patterns and themes that provide insights into how open government data were used, the challenges facing open data intermediaries, the state of open government data, and the economic value created. The data collection is based on semi-structured interviews conducted virtually with the founder or company's executives. In addition, the findings highlight the key similarities and differences in the activities open data intermediaries performed and the importance of resources and capabilities in developing products/services that contribute to economic value creation. Finally, five critical challenges impacting the use of open government data are identified: awareness, quality of open government data, competencies of users, data standards, and value creation.