iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Owen Boswarva @owenboswarva.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Who pays for the bus timetable in your pocket? www.opendatamanchester.org.uk/who-pays-for... good post by @julianlstar.bsky.social of @opendatamcr.bsky.social UK Government call for evidence www.gov.uk/government/c... Data Valuation Framework www.gov.uk/government/p... #opendata #FOI #datapolicy

The government already knows this

The Data Valuation Framework, published in April, says plainly that because data is non-rival, its uses cannot be identified exhaustively, and that methods based on identified uses will therefore understate the value of the data. Its technical annex goes further, and says that the standard appraisal summaries — benefit-cost ratios and net present social value — can be poor summaries of the value of data projects for exactly this reason.

The same framework lists the things that might make open access the better option: spillovers, market dynamics, how sensitive users are to being charged, and the distributional effects on end users. That list appears in a footnote. The charging side gets three valuation methodologies, a comparison table, and a menu of mechanisms — subscriptions, usage charges, royalties, equity stakes, levies.
One side of the argument has a framework. The other side has a footnote.

1:08 PM · Sep 4, 2026

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