benefit when local businesses make more money) are aware of this opportunity? 
4. Conclusion: seven Open Data strategy and 
best practices suggestions
Starting from the trends and conclusion described in the previous chapter, this section lists, in the  
most synthetic way possible, some strategic actions and best practices for 2011, that we consider  
important in making Open Data succeed and bring the greatest possible benefits to all citizens and  
businesses. 
4.1. Properly define and explain both Open Data and Public 
Data
Just because Open Data is becoming more popular (and, we may say, more and more necessary  
every year), it is essential to intensify efforts to explain, both to the general public and to public  
administrators, that 
1. Privacy issues are almost always a non-issue.  Quoting from  What "open data" means -  
and what it doesn't): Privacy and/or security concerns with putting all the government's data  
out there are a separate issue that shouldn't be confused with Open Data. Whether data  
should be made publicly available is where privacy concerns come into play. Once it has  
been determined that  government data should be  made  public,  then it  should  be done  
openly. 
2. Defining as Public and consequently opening them in the right way, much more data  than 
those born and stored  inside Public Administration is an urgent task that is in the best  
interest of all citizens and businesses 
4.2. Keep political issues separated by economics ones
Open Data can reduce the costs of Public Administrations and generate (or at least protect, as in the  
case of deals from local merchants) local jobs in all sectors of the economy, not just high-tech ones.  
There seems to be enough evidence for these two assertions to go for more Open Data even if they 
had no effect at all on participation to politics. This should always be kept in mind, also because  
some  data  that  can  directly  stimulate  business  are  not  the  same  that  would  be  useful  for 
transparency. 
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Copyright  2011 LEM, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna. This work is released under a Creative Commons attribution license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/)