Open Data

For my own purposes, I wanted to summarize the list of pros and cons regarding open data that were most compelling for me.

The Wikipedia link provided

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_data#Arguments_for_and_against_open_data served as the motivator and resource for this personal reference list:

Pros

• Publicly funded research should be available to ... the public (include government research)
• No copyright/property rights on ideas
• Mutually beneficial discovery fueled by information; information sharing accelerates that

Cons

• Cost of compilation for publication/distribution
• Privacy necessary in certain contexts (security systems, safety)
• Profitability disincentives (sharing decreases my profits)
• Fair remuneration necessary for managers of the database

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