There is an old proverb that reads: What can not be bought with money can be bought with lots of money. Did we ever happen to realize that public information could generate huge finances? Over 90% of all data in the human history has been created over the past two years only. This data is in the fundament of the new information era. It would be beneficial to the society, if the state and the municipal institutions as well as all public institutions start to publish on the Internet the information they collect, except for the personal and the confidential one. The European Commission has calculated that the benefit for the European economy of such actions amount to over EUR 140 billion per year.

The open data is not only statistical, but is also information regarding transport, environment, science, culture and finance-in other words all types of data, explains for Radio Bulgaria Ivaylo Yaydzhiev, a political expert who has a master’s degree in Diplomacy from the Oxford University, Great Britain. In 2013 he worked with the Stat.io British Company.

“What does open data mean? There are some criteria defining whether certain information can be described as open data or not. First of all, the information has to be free of charge. Secondly, is has to be well organized and structured and be accessible to people. These are the PDF files in the worst case scenario. This information must be subject to computer processing.”

According to Ivaylo Yaydzhiev, it is interesting to know that the Open Data can be used in the implementation of the so-called Clever Cities which regulate the energy use in accordance with the current needs and provide opportunities for social inclusion through new technologies. Moreover, this data influence sectors such as education, consumer protection, healthcare, etc. The Open Data emerged quite recently. In 2009 such data was available only in the UK and the USA. In 2013 it was available in forty countries and over three hundred world towns and regions. Bulgaria is also part of this process. It is among the countries which participate in the Open Government Partnership and should switch to publishing Open Data in a certain moment. How Open Data can be used by the ordinary people?

“There are three main arguments about Open Data”, Ivaylo Yaydzhiev goes on to say. "Firstly, they guarantee transparence. Secondly, they are a very strong economic resource. It can be combined in various ways with other private or public data, so the information provided has an added value and becomes a commercial product. If the open data becomes available, the European economy would generate an extra EUR 206 billion. In Bulgaria EUR 1.5 billion would be added to the gross domestic product which equals 50% of the funds received by the EU.”

The Directive on the re-use of the public sector information is an EU directive that obliges the member states to open their public information to the citizens. Bulgarian MEP Ivaylo Kalfin had a serious contribution to the implementation of this directive, reminds Ivaylo Yaydzhiev. He explains why a world revolution of the open data occurred:

“The term open data is gaining popularity among governments and non-governmental organizations which view it as a way to strengthen the relationship with the citizens and boost economic growth”, Ivaylo Yaydzhiev went on to say. “Some institutions which deal especially with this issue emerged. Tim Berners-Lee who invented this network regards it as a personal cause. The European Commission is working on the matter and the journalists are paying more attention to the open data. The fact that many people in Bulgaria have Internet blogs is very positive. This is the place where open data has the potential to be fully revealed. There are many young people who develop applications which are beneficial to the public and also drive the whole process forward. The administration in Bulgaria is also tackling with this topic. The Open Data entered the National Strategy 2020 and the Public Administration Strategy which was published at the end of March, 2014. The problem is that there is no public demand of this data and it is still not clear how the implementation of this European directive will develop in Bulgaria and abroad. The civil society is of great importance in this case, because this data could be opened through various methods and their efficiency can vary. If the society does not demand a quick and easy access, we risk creating a type of web site and stay at this level. It would be sad, bearing in mind its huge potential”, says Ivaylo Yaydzhiev for Radio Bulgaria.