Public sector information underpins a growing part of the economy and the amount is increasing at a dramatic pace. The driver is the emergence of online tools that allowpeople to use, re-use and create information in new ways. This review explores the role of government in helping to maximise the benefits for citizens from this new pattern of information creation and use. It recommends a strategy in which government: engages with users and operators of user-generated sites in pursuitof common social and economic objectives; supplies innovators that are re-using government-held information with theinformation they need to maximise the long-term benefits for citizens; and protects the public interest by preparing citizens for a world of plentiful information. The report reflects the views of the external authors and is not a statement of government policy.
