On February 16 I tweeted that it was very difficult to find information due to Jamaica’s poor data infrastructure. I proceeded to recommend an increase in the budget of the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (Statin) to fill the obvious gap.

Based on the number of likes and retweets I can assume most agreed with my sentiment. According to Open Data Watch, Jamaica ranks 73rd on the global scale. That’s not horrible, but more work is left to be done.

From high school days, when my classmates and I did research for our school-based assessments (SBAs), to conducting research during my time at The University of the West Indies (The UWI) it was always difficult to find up-to-date and pertinent information, that is if we could find any at all. Let me be clear, information is out there, but much of it does not go deep enough and is not current. I have been told that data sets exist and collection is not the problem but rather accessibility. That may be true, but I believe the depth of information is not as rich as we need it to be, especially compared to other nations. This can be seen on the Jamaica Open Data website on which much of the information is out of date and limited. All in all, Jamaica has to take data and information seriously if it intends to drive further development in an effective and efficient way. For this to happen there are three main aspects that must be tackled: collection, storage, and accessibility.

According to the European Commission, open data is the information collected, produced, or paid for by public bodies and made freely available for reuse for any purpose. For example, open data would be useful to many companies, the Government, and non-profit organisations because it gives them the ability to find patterns and insights in a much more efficient and precise manner. For example, information from an economic think tank could be used to decide where to build out a new railway system that will serve the most people possible, using the most cost-effective method. It could also be used to pinpoint which new industry Jamaica could develop based on leading indicators from the general population’s decision-making data set from the Bank of Jamaica (BOJ) or it could even just be helpful to someone who likes to research information when writing an article.

Stem cell data that is collected could be used down the line to find cures for multiple cancers as well, but for that to be widely possible the data has to be widely available. I’m sure we know that for the data to be free and available collection must be tackled.

Statin collects wide swaths of information, but I believe they need to do more. Estimating the population of the nation, calculating the gross domestic product (GDP), and tracking inflation is not enough. Minute details are required, such as Jamaica’s savings rate — disposable income that is not spent — information the United States Federal Reserve collects. Having this information will allow economists to make better decisions. If we can also hone our collection by targeting and correcting the weak points in our methodology, we should be able to ascertain relevant and coherent data. For this to be achieved, Statin and other research institutions will need additional funding and direction. While collecting data is important, it would not make sense if storage is not considered.

Much of the data that is collected isn’t stored or maintained with much care. A lot of it is put in books that catch dust and cobwebs for years and are simply forgotten. This could stretch from our historical archives to medical records to anthropological research to even police stations. Our data is not stored in a medium that is up to 21st century standards. In 2023, Jamaica should have all its information stored digitally. A set of key words could be pre-programmed to make research more convenient as well as make documents machine-readable. Also, in the event of a fire, water damage, or physical loss, there won’t be need for concern about losing data permanently because we would have spread our eggs of data across multiple baskets.

The Government has already begun digitising some of the country’s records, but the effort needs to be ramped up. For a proper security apparatus, blockchain could be considered. All in all, this effort will allow for easier accessibility. This is of utmost importance because if data isn’t accessible then there’s almost no point in creating it, and it’s almost like the information doesn’t exist if it cannot be accessed.

Just like a traditional car needs an internal combustion engine, a frame, and wheels to operate, open data will need collection, storage and accessibility. Without these three, the entire concept is already dead on arrival. According to the World Bank, nearly 70 per cent of Jamaicans have access to the Internet, so let’s use that to our advantage.

We can no longer expect people to go to the barely maintained parish libraries on foot or by taxis and buses to find information en masse or expect them to know insiders and gatekeepers in order to get data sets. That contradicts data equality on every tenet. If we have relatively frictionless and open access to everything, new inventions and leaps in progress could be made faster. With a transparent system, individuals could get considerable compensation for their research and development and make strides in their respective fields.

However, for this to work we need one main location where everything can be found. The Jamaica Open Data portal already exists, so that’s a good start, but the website is lacking. My proposal is to make it a zero-rated website in order for it to be accessible without the use of Wi-Fi. In addition, an open feature could be added in which people could add their own research and data sets. This could be vetted by administrators in the respective fields to ensure it’s not spam and that it is also accurate to the source material. And the obvious last one is to have more up-to-date information. We can’t be making serious decisions with data from 2017. A limit for data that is used needs to be set at five years maximum. This will give strength to recency and relevance of the information. An education campaign should also be done to drive further awareness to the point of critical mass; with that, this initiative should be well on its way.

Data is a commodity, perhaps the oil of the 21st century, and it must be treated with utmost importance. Open data won’t only level the playing field in data equality, but it will also spotlight efficiencies that analysts who study data in silos wouldn’t. Data sets collected that are diverse to the point at which similarities are found in assumedly unrelated places is the goal. If this is done properly it will democratise data usage across Jamaica and that’s a win for everyone in my book.

Malik Smith is a graduate of The University of the West Indies. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or maliksmith774@gmail.com /@MalikSmithJM.