Affiliations: Delft University of Technology Jaffalaan 5, Delft, The Netherlands
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Anneke Zuiderwijk, Delft University of Technology Jaffalaan 5, 2628 BX Delft, The Netherlands. Tel.: +31 15 27 86471; E-mail:[email protected]
Abstract: Creating commercial value through open data use in open data ecosystems is a
wicked problem. This problem is characterized by a lack of specific
formulation, complex interactions amongst a variety of stakeholders, a lack
of criteria determining a satisfactory solution, including what constitutes
`value', and uncertain outcomes. Wicked problems cannot be solved by only
considering part of the problem. Yet, open data efforts all too often focus
mainly on open data publication and neglect the use of the data; while it is
the use of data (not just publication) that generates value. This paper
addresses the question: Which policy guidelines can support commercial value creation from open data? This study first elicits characteristics of wicked
problems for studying the wicked problem of commercial open data value
creation. Subsequently, we use the wicked problem characteristics to study
open data innovation in two countries and consult experts. This work results
in eliciting four policy guidelines that can help to derive greater
commercial value from open data ecosystems. The four policy guidelines show
that governmental open data policies for commercial value should pay
attention to: 1) increasing the knowledge of open data ecosystem
stakeholders about contextual factors influencing open data use and
commercial value creation, 2) ensuring the availability and quality of five
types of resources: open data, open Information Technology (IT), internal
IT, knowledge and governance, 3) cooperating between businesses and citizens
to create alliances, and 4) reducing the negative effects of value creation
by companies in the open data ecosystem. These policy guidelines are
expected to stimulate commercial value creation with open data use.
Keywords: Open data, commercial, companies, value creation, wicked problem, ecosystem
