Rechtzeitig zum Apps für Deutschland Wettbewerb haben wir ein paar besonders schöne Zitate sammeln können.

Spending data has made the workings of government much clearer to journalists and citizens

Tim Berners-Lee: In the UK, with clear request from the very top levels, with dedicated people working within government, with strong support from academic and non-profit sides, there has been a major shift toward Open Government Data as the default. Spending data has made the workings of government much clearer to journalists and citizens, encouraging citzen engagement in the process and in democracy. Logistical and geospatial data has made it more efficient to run a company. Data on the performance of schools and hospitals has helped people chose where to live, and of course provided publicly visible feedback to the managers .. and so on. The US and UK governments have competed in an informal race to get the data out, and to reap the benefits. We welcome Germany joining that race, for Germany’s sake but also because we know that as more countries provide data about more things, so we all will get a picture of the state of the whole world, a picture which is very important in this crucial era.

Tim Berners Lee, W3C Consortium and Advisor of the UK Government on Linked Open data

Open public data benefits everybody

Neelie Kroes: Open public data benefits everybody – and more and more public authorities across Europe are recognising this and opening up. The recent EU Open Data Challenge showed innovative applications using these data – made by citizens, for citizens. By demonstrating the usefulness of open data, competitions like this can increase awareness, stimulate innovation, and boost European competitiveness. I am delighted that Germany is joining the movement towards open government data!

Neelie Kroes, European Commission Vice-President for the Digital Agenda

We hope this is a trend that cannot be reversed

Jose M. Alonso: We have seen the number of Open Government Data initiatives increasing from 2 to nearly 200 in less than three years. The benefits of these programs are just starting to be realized: from increased transparency and accountability to economic growth and job creation and improved government efficiency and effectiveness. We hope this is a trend that cannot be reversed as it provides the means for a much needed change on the way governments and their constituencies relate, allowing a two-way interaction and, in the end, improving people’s lives. It’s crucially important to take all the challenges into account and address them properly for those initiatives to become a successful success over time and for the people at large to enjoy the aforementioned benefits. Germany interest in joining the Open Data movement should not but add to the greater impact of Open Data worldwide and will help to provide more examples on how to address those challenges and reap those benefits.

Jose M. Alonso, Program Manager, Open Data, World Wide Web Foundation

It’s great to see the launch of Apps Für Deutschland

Andrew Stott: It’s great to see the launch of Apps für Deutschland, with three federal agencies, Berlin and Bremen leading the way in contributing open data and with the opportunity for developers to show politicians, officials and the public new and innovative ways to generate economic and social value from open government data.

Andrew Stott, UK Transparency Board and former Director of data.gov.uk