To address London’s most pressing challenges, the city needs to make better use of the vast amount of data and analysis held by the private and public sector. Opening up access to a wide range of data sets will create social and economic opportunities to benefit businesses, local authorities, charities, citizens and many more.

The London Data Charter will help businesses and public entities of all sizes to innovate and explore opportunities using data, through facilitating its sharing among different organisations. Collaboration between businesses of all sizes with local authorities, government agencies and government departments, will translate into opportunities for cross-sector innovation.

It is vital that data sharing ensures personal information is protected and sensitive information is secure when sharing and collaborating. 

Trust among all stakeholders, including the public, is essential for the success of any data sharing initiative which promotes the importance of ​“open and trusted ways of working”. For the London Data Charter, trust means three things: Transparency; Ethics and Accountability.

Organisations that sign up to the Principles and engage in data-sharing initiatives will be encouraged to share what they learn.

To generate real scalable solutions using the data shared by public and private organisations, the knowledge gained must be shared with other businesses, local authorities and the wider public. The London Data Charter will promote scalability and sustainability through an open, collaborative and trustworthy approach.

While ​“open by default” may be an appropriate measure in the context of public sector data being made available to the public, a more nuanced approach is needed to facilitate engagement with and within the private sector. In particular, alongside the issues of regulatory and legal compliance, there may be commercial sensitivities that will need to be addressed before the sharing of certain data is practicable.