Significant events in the past two years, from the
Kaohsiung gas explosion to the fake food scandals, have ravaged the “Made in
Taiwan” image and destroyed global goodwill toward and trust in Taiwan.
The key to these events was information
transparency and openness. In the fake oil scandals, if the import and export
sources had been publicized, the misconduct of the middle men could have been
avoided. Before the Kaohsiung gas explosion, an odor was present in Kaohsiung
that the city government could not identify. After the explosion, numerous
requests for the government to release information about the pipeline were
dispatched from all sectors, following a pattern established by previous
similar incidents around the world. However, the government refused these requests,
stating that this information could endanger national security and cause property
prices to fall. Crime maps, which enable the public to interact with open data
regarding locations, dates, and types of crimes committed, have recently become
popular in the North America and Europe. Domestic police departments may be
proud that they possess this information, but they also withhold the
information because publishing it could influence housing prices.
In recent years, numerous countries have begun to
promote open data, anticipating that open access to government data can
achieve the transparency of democratic governance and promote citizen
participation and cooperation. The knowledge economy, coupled with
statistical analyses of large amounts of data, have stimulated personal,
industry, and government motives for reusing data, particularly to conduct
innovative research and development or related services. This has created
potential business opportunities for transforming data into knowledge
services.
The “soy paste vat” culture is often deeply ingrained in Chinese societies. This nontransparency
provides those in power with the substantial advantage of being able to
maintain control of the information flow. The United States, France, and the
United Kingdom have also faced rule by bureaucracy; consequently, these
countries used disruptive innovations to obtain the tangible benefits of open
data. The policies and administrations of these countries actively increased
the amount of disclosed data.
Contrastively, Taiwan relies primarily on the Freedom of
Government Information Law; although this law protects the public’s right to be informed, it
cannot be applied to information reuse by a public sector that emphasizes the
value of information. This creates a large gap compared with other countries.
Without a timeline to schedule the release of information on key topics such
as health care, law enforcement, and public safety, Taiwan continues to face obstacles
such as legal battles, governmental inaction, and unambitious officials.
The amount of data disclosed to the Taiwanese public
has increased rapidly in the past year, and has become the subject of
national attention. However, global progress is rapid, and Taiwan still
requires substantial improvement. High-level government officials should observe
other world leaders to determine the methods these leaders have used to create
policies to achieve open data. The public is tired of begging the government
for information. The government should, as quickly as possible, conduct an open
inventory of all the data that they possess, and compare these data to those already
disclosed by other countries. The government should then create a timetable
for releasing this data, and enter negotiations with the public regarding the
reasons for not disclosing data or for classifying data as confidential.
The vitality of civilian information scientists can
enable Taiwan to become the Asian country that most fully and diversely uses
open data. Disclosing data is a manifestation of soft strength, enabling the
country’s youth to alter the government and accelerate reforms through the
use of data. Furthermore, disclosing data can create job opportunities and
economic output. If the government does not actively disclose data, Taiwanese
youth cannot be trained in handling this wave of international data, which would
become a key factor in Taiwan’s lack of global competitiveness.
2014/10/15 United Daily News
| 資訊公開 讓黑心無所遁形 |
| 彭啟明／台灣開放資料聯盟會長（台/聯合報 |
這兩年陸續發生的重大事件，從高雄氣爆、造假食品等，重創「台灣製造」的形象，讓台灣在全世界公認的善良及信賴感蕩然無存。
這些事件最重要的一環，就是資訊透明公開，例如假油事件，如果能公開源頭進出口的詳細資料，就可避免中間商搞鬼。高雄氣爆事發前，連市政府都搞不清楚臭味是哪種氣體，事後各界以國際上開放管線資料案例要求開放，政府卻以會危害國家安全與導致房價下跌而否決。近年歐美最熱門的犯罪地圖，公開犯罪地點、型態及時間，讓民眾介接資料，我國警政單位對擁有本項資料自豪，卻也以會影響房價而不公開。
近幾年各國紛紛推動開放資料，希冀藉由開放政府資料實現民主治理的透明、促進公民的參與及合作。在知識經濟推波助瀾下，配合大數據的統計分析，激發個人、產業與政府對於資料再利用的動機，以進行創新研發與服務，創造將資料轉化為知識服務的潛在商機。
華人社會常存有深沉的醬缸文化，越不透明，執政者越可掌握資訊的絕對優勢。美、法及英國，也曾面臨官僚主義，才以破壞式的創新手段來達成開放資料的實質效益，藉由政策或行政方法，積極促成開放更多的資料。
觀諸我國僅以政府資訊公開法為主要依規，此法係保障人民知的權利，相對於偏重資料價值的公部門資訊再利用，無法一體適用，與其他國家落差很大。對於開放關鍵資料，例如醫療、警政、公共安全等更缺乏開放時程，陷入法令、政府僵化、官員無企圖心之困境。
我國近一年來開放資料集的數量成長快速，受到國際矚目，但全球進展很快，我們的進步空間很大。期許政府高層，該看看各國領袖，如何用政策達成開放資料成效。民間已厭倦向政府乞討資料！政府應盡速公開盤點擁有的資料集，並與各國已開放之資料集進行比較，列出開放時間表。對不開放、機密的資料理由，須透過與民間協商方式進行。
台灣民間資料科學家的活力豐沛，可以為亞洲開放資料應用最充分多元的國家自許，這更是一種軟實力的展現，讓年輕人透過資料運用來改造政府，加速革新，更能創造工作機會及經濟產值。若政府不積極開放資料，在國際大數據浪潮下，年輕人苦無資料練兵，將是導致台灣缺乏國際競爭力的關鍵因素。 |
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