Introduction
In recent years, there has been a global shift towards increasing the availability of data and information that is available to the public as open data. Both in the public and private sectors, this increasing availability of open data has facilitated increased transparency and accountability. Open data has also play a central role in the efforts to increase transparency and accountability in the extractives sector.
All implementing countries of the EITI are required by the 2016 EITI Standard to develop an Open Data Policy by 1st January 2017.
The 2016 EITI Standard contains the requirements 7.1 (b) and (c), which requires the Myanmar Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (MEITI) to:
• Agree a clear policy on the access, release and re-use of EITI data. Implementing countries are encouraged publish EITI under an open license, and to make users aware that information can be reused without prior consent.
• Make the EITI Report available in an open data format (xlsx or csv) online and publicize its availability.
The foundation of MEITI’s open data policy is the EITI Board-approved EITI open data policy document developed primarily from implementation lessons and in-depth deliberations with all relevant stakeholders and best practices globally. This MEITI’s open data policy presents a framework for the implementation of the global drive for open data especially in the extractive sector of Myanmar’s economy.
Definition
The MSG (Multi-Stakeholder Group) of MEITI held a board meeting on the on the 29th January 2018 and approved the definition of open data thus: ‘’Data that is or ought to be in the public domain that can be freely available, shared, used at no cost, altered and republished by anyone, anywhere and for any purpose without restrictions from copyright, patent or other control mechanism to be in line with the existing laws of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar.’’
Objectives
Open data policy is the governance instrument on making data publicly available and accessible in a reusable format: convenient, modifiable, in open format, easily retrievable, indexed, and well organized. Some key advantages of open data policy are:
1. Increases transparency of government and business activities: awareness about how countries’ revenues from natural resources are used, and how extractive revenues are spent.
2. Enhances better revenue and sector management
3. Promotes accountability and good governance.
4. Enhances public debate, and helps to combat corruption.
5. Provides access to government data which empowers the citizens and business to make better informed choices on the services they receive and the standards they should expect.
6. Provides a valuable tool for government in improving policy making process.
7. Promotes free access to, and subsequent re-use of data that are of significant value to society and the economy.
These can be summed up as, data sharing engenders greater transparency, facilitates efficient public services delivery, encourages greater public and commercial use and reuse of government information for the benefit of the citizenry.
Policy Guidelines
1. Timing for data/information release: Data/Information that conforms to the open data definition outlined above should be released no later than 45 days after the final EITI report by the independent administrator is ready.
2. Level of information to be made available: All data contained in the EITI final report by the independent administrator are to be made available in open data format (xlsx or csv), including annexes.
3. Data format: Data would be made available in XLSX and CSV formats and will be made available online through a website that makes the full datasets available for download as well as presenting the data in an accessible way through appropriate interactive tools.
4. License: This open data policy will employ the use of an Attribution License (i.e. CC- by & ODC-by). This type of license indicates that attribution must be given to the publisher of the data/information accessed/used.
Policy Outputs
1. Addressing open data issues in the Independent Administrator’s Terms of Reference.
2. Asking the Independent Administrator to produce Excel and CSV files, and with compiling the Summary Data Templates.
3. Clarifying the policy on open data in forthcoming EITI Reports.
4. Publishing data files in open format (XLSX and CSV) on EITI websites and producing appropriate interactive online tools to present the data in an accessible way.