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Open data

Open Data

To achieve our vision, Inspiring possibilities through knowledge, stories and creativity, State Library champions open access to information and ideas as a key enabler for a strong, well-informed and innovative society. In October 2012, the Queensland Government announced an “open data revolution” aiming to release as much public sector information as possible to encourage the development of innovative services and solutions for Queenslanders.
What is Open Data?
Brisbane 1888

Open Data Strategy and Action Plan

Open data is a key component in our Digital Strategy and State Library's commitment to open data is outlined in our Open Data Strategy. The Strategy includes activities to build digital collections for use and re-use, and activities to position State Library as a lead in the open data movement. We aim to:

  • Stimulate economic activity and innovation by making government data available for commercial reuse
  • Improve public services by using and sharing government data to support evidence-based policy and program design
  • Increase transparency, accountability and public trust in the Queensland Government.

Every year State Library completes the ODI Open Data Pathway maturity assessment to review the activities of our open data program. The Open Data Pathway is a self-assessment tool developed by the Open Data Institute (ODI) in the UK. These results help State Library identify areas of improvement and set specific actions in a plan to meet our open data goals for the year. The Open Data Strategy Action Plan 2020-21 outlines specific open data activities to help achieve our open data goals in 2020-21.

Open Data Strategy Action Plan 2023-24

State Library's commitment to activities in 2023-24 that will enable the delivery of the Open Data Strategy 2022-24.

PDF · 115 KB

Open Data Strategy 2022-24

State Library's strategy to uncover data in our collections, make it more usable, provide learning and skill development opportunities, create rich digital experiences, empower experimentation, and ensure open access to cultural heritage.

PDF · 202 KB

Open Data Strategy 2018-22

State Library's strategy to release data and champion open access to information and ideas as a key enabler for a strong, well-informed and innovative society.

PDF · 148 KB

2020-21 Open Data Strategy Action Plan

State Library's Open Data Strategy Action Plan for 2020-21 outlines specific open data activities to help State Library achieve our open data goals for the year.

PDF · 219 KB

Review of 2019-20 Open Data Strategy Action Plan

A review of the open data activities undertaken in 2019-21 from State Library's Open Data Strategy Action Plan for the year.

PDF · 231 KB

Reusable, machine readable data
Open Data sets
State Library has released a number of datasets as part of our open data strategy. They are in easy to use formats and licensed under Creative Commons, which means anyone can use them for apps, mashups, and other services, so long as State Library is attributed as the source of the data.
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Tunley 3D braille globe
Open Data case studies
State Library's data has been used in innovative ways by developers, creative artists and researchers. State Library is also using open data to improve our services.
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Arthur, Joseph and William Perfect
Open Data hack events
Open data hack events invite small teams of competitors to produce any kind of "hack" using nominated open data sets in an event with a set time period. Common "hack" formats are web or mobile applications, or visualisations. Usually the events require all source code to be deposited in an open source repository and open-licensed.
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