Italian Open and Big Data Strategy

Abstract

In contemporary society, technology deeply changes our way of creating knowledge, making it active and dynamic. In light of that background, this contribution focuses on two key elements of knowledge creation, namely, open data and big data, highlighting their differences and their treatment under Italian law and discussing the projects and strategies developed in Italy. We will first look at open government data, whose ability to be reused enables them to act as tools for generating knowledge and offering new government services and products. We will then turn to big data, whose use carries complex legal and social consequences, and which also serve as a key tool for creating knowledge by making it possible to plot and forecast economic and social trends. We will finally consider the way open data and big data can be effectively used in combination to promote growth and forge an authentic open government in Italy.