Open Data is the publication of non-personal, non-confidential data by public bodies, such as the Dutch government. This data can be freely used, shared, and built upon by anyone, and aims to increase transparency, stimulate innovation, and create economic and social value.

The Dutch government has access to a lot of data, such as demographic data from the Municipal Personal Records Database, geographic information from aerial photos, and information about businesses from the Cadastre. The reuse of government information has been officially incorporated in a European directive since 2003 (PSI Directive 2003/98/EC). Due to the rapid growth of interactive applications on the internet (web 2.0), data reuse has gained momentum in the past year. Some organisations are now actively providing (parts of) their files to the public via the internet. Examples include: - Statline from CBS ([link](www.cbs.nl/nl/statline/index.htm)) - Overview of medication use in the Netherlands ([link](www.gipdatabank.nl)) - Ratings of all schools in the Netherlands ([link](www.onderwijsinspectie.nl)) - Portal with over 12,000 data files for research and education in the fields of arts and social sciences ([link](www.dans.knaw.nl/content/data-archief)) - UV radiation in Europe ([link](www.temis.nl/uvradiation/UVdose.html)) - Geographical overview of nature areas in the Netherlands ([link](www.staatsbosbeheer.nl/Natuurgebieden.aspx)) - Energy consumption and CO2 emissions per industry sector in the Netherlands ([link](www.energie.nl/index4.html)) Government information is increasingly seen as a key part of open content; information that serves as the basis for various (creative) reuses by citizens and businesses. Governments worldwide are currently working on setting up an online catalog containing as many sources of government information as possible. Examples include the United States ([link](www.data.gov)) and the United Kingdom ([link](www.data.gov.uk)). In the Netherlands, the Ministry of the Interior is currently working on a similar portal. In preparation for the potential establishment of this portal, the ministry has requested Dialogic to carry out an inventory of the available datasets and the conditions associated with their use.