Ofwat tells the industry to embrace open data

Ofwat has told the water industry to make open data more of a priority and to “embrace open data for the benefit of customers, society and the environment”.

Last week, it published H2Open, a “case for change” developed in conjunction with a wide set of stakeholders. Ofwat reflected: “Water companies are at the start of their journey in opening up data. At present, very few water companies provide open access to their data sets and no company has opened large numbers of data sets beyond what is required by Government or a regulator for regulatory purposes.”

It showcased examples of good work in the area by companies and others, and told the industry it would like to see the sector “make measurable progress in delivering open data over the next 12 months – and we'll be checking in on what is achieved”.

Ofwat pointed to key enablers needed to unlock the best outcomes from open data, including:

• a strong data culture and the development of capability and skills – “A strong individual company and industry-wide vision and strategy is essential for delivering open data. Strong senior leadership ensures strategic focus, and that data and analytics capability is developed”;

• improved collaboration on open data across the industry – it called on firms to work together to collect, share and use data can help to address challenges, improve decision making and adapt to changing environments; and

• established data infrastructure – “Open and accessible datasets, technology, training and processes that collect, maintain and use the data to gain insights and solve problems”.

Yorkshire Water’s director of corporate affairs, Richard Emmott,– a long standing advocate of open data – said: “We've seen how the release of data about waste water discharges has sparked public interest in the state of our rivers and prompted calls for change and investment to be allowed in the next price review.

"This sort of 'citizen regulation' could be a very positive disruptor in the water sector and create real challenges for both economic and quality regulators. We welcome the fact that Ofwat has grasped the potential of open data and it’s important that companies take bold steps rather than be unduly cautious.”