Video: Open Data in the UK

How does local government prove it's making a difference with taxpayers' money? The leaders of West Sussex, U.K., found the answer was open data.

"One of the real key drivers for me about publishing our data was about making sure we had a really strong contract with our taxpayers," Samantha Mowbray said.  

Mowbray, the head of policy and communications for the West Sussex County Council, also emphasizes the benefit of open data on both public and private industry.

"One of our key outcomes we're trying to achieve is growth of jobs and growth of entrepreneurship in West Sussex," Mowbray said. "And I think open data is a really positive way of bringing businesses in to help with that and to help them to grow."

Watch the video, from Socrata's Open Data TV, below: 

(Image via Duc Dao/ Shutterstock.com)