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Smart cities
Smart cities

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Smart cities

4.2 What can open data do for you?

Open data is data that is made available by governments, organisations, businesses and individuals for anyone to access.

It’s there for anyone to use and share, and it’s making massive differences to people’s lives. It’s a core component of smart cities that’s helping to create a better future across the world.

Watch the following video about open data.

Download this video clip.Video player: ou_futurelearn_smartcities_vid_1090.mp4
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Transcript

NARRATOR:
Every day, vast amounts of open data are being used to change the way we live our lives. This data has the power to improve education, enable us to be healthier, to be more productive. The power to build better cities and a better world. From San Francisco Bay to the beaches of Barcelona, the city map app uses open transport data to make people's daily travel easier, easing congestion and improving mobility. And it means that Maria can get home quickly from work and still have time to meet her friends. In Singapore, Andy can track cases of dengue fever throughout the city, and with the help the community, take steps to contain the disease.
This helps keep his family safe and also enables a more efficient health service, meaning doctors and nurses have more time to treat emergencies. By using open data, the government of Burkina Faso can compare and evaluate local schools, looking at performance and amenities. This helps the government devote resources to the schools that need them most. In Nepal, earthquakes are a dangerous fact of life. By using open data, the structural integrity of the schools and health centres are being recorded, so city planners like Bishal can save lives by repairing high risk buildings before future disasters strike.
In Qingdao, the new wire portal allows collaboration between citizens and government departments, so Kang can not only find any city information instantly, he can help city planners create better services and a better quality of life for all. Open data is data that is made available by organisations, businesses, and individuals, for anyone to access, use, and share. It has the power to transform and create a better future for everyone.
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