Information networks of Open Data promotion in Local
Governments of Japan
Keywords:
Local Governments, Open Data, Information Network, Scale-free network, Regional bondAkio YOSHIDA, Jawaharlal Nehru University
Tetsuo NODA, Shimane University
Masami HONDA, Shimane University

Abstract:
Public data collected or possessed by administrative agencies and subsequently released as
Open Data is expected to bring about positive economic effects. The purpose of this study is toobtain findings contributing to the Open Data promotion in Japanese local governments. We
conducted WEB questionnaire survey and obtained information networks of Open Data promotion
in local governments. The network in the open data personnel had different characteristics fromthose of the WEB reference relationship network in the degree distribution. It shows those twonetworks have different structures. This result can be indicative that the regional binding plays
an important role in the information network.

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Journal of Socio-Informatics Vol. 10 No. 1 Mar. 2018

With respect to economic effects by using

Introduction

Open Data, some estimates have been carriedOpen Data, publishing public data whichout by the governments including the EU

governmental agencies collect and hold in theCommission and private research institutions,form easy-to-secondary-use, are expected to havethere are also the estimates made in Japana significant economic effect. On 22th Dec 2016,(Jitsuzumi et al, 2013). Noda (2015) carried out athe council of industrial structure in the Ministry

study of the relevant prior research. Subsequently,of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan (whichon the basis of the study results, a questionnaire

is discussing the strategy of growth) has decided

survey for local governments of Japan wasto consider making new mechanisms forconducted (Yoshida et al, 2016). A comparison ofcompanies to utilize big data that the central

the major previous studies and this study aregovernment and local governments obtain in theshown in Table 1. First, this survey aims totraffic and medical fields etc (NHK, 2016). On

estimate the economic effect in line with the20th Jan 2017, Saitama prefecture has created acurrent situation of Open Data in Japan. Second,common format of Open Data in cooperation withthe investigation object is the local government

58 municipalities in the prefecture (Nikkeiwhich is a provider of data. Third, the estimation

Shimbun,isprocess of the economic effects becomes clear byimportant for both promotion and utility of Openusing a uniform question of WEB questionnaire.

Data (Noda et al, 2017). Japan is on the way of

The purpose of this study in the project is to2017).

The

commonformat

Open Data promotion.

obtain the knowledge how Open Data spread in

In the view of network effect (Katz et al, 1985),

municipalities of Japan by considering throughthe more local governments provide these public

the network analysis of the answers in thedata, the values and utilities of each data sets willquestionnaire how the local governments referincrease. Open Data initiatives in advanced

information of each other. Honda et al (2016)

municipalities bring about certain economic

have already pointed out the role of advanced

effects, and Open Data can spread to various

cities in Open Data promotion. Especially Sabae

places throughout the network. In this process,city in Fukui Prefecture was referred by otherthe following local governments get information

municipalities. In this study, total structures offrom advanced ones. Both the estimation ofinformation networks are analyzed. Municipalities

economic effects and findings in the way ofcan learn the ways of Open Data on websites byspread can help to promote Open Data.

others. They can also get information about Open

Table 1 Comparison with previous researches

(Noda et al, 2017)15

Information networks of Open Data promotion in Local Governments of Japan

YOSHIDA et al

Data from personnel in other municipalities.

Data in the inter-local government were asked. In

Therefore, this study is going to clarify thethe question of the information network, the 182difference. It will help us to know how to promotelocal governments made up of all subjects

Open Data efficiently.

presented to the respondent by pull-down menu,
to select the appropriate other local government

Methodin the order. Specific questions are as follows. If
we asked them to answer all informants, it would

WEB questionnaire were requested to the

be too much a load for respondents. It might

persons in charge of Open Data at local

decreasegovernments of Japan which have alreadymunicipalities were selected in this survey, based

response

rate.

Therefore

five

implemented Open Data. WEB site for answer

on the name generator method in 1985 GGS

were constructed and e-mails of the request for(Smith et al, 2015).

answer were delivered Using the SPIRAL of◦
“DoPiped Bits Co., Ltd. Period was up to 22ndFebruary

from9thFebruary,2016.

youaccessthefollowing

otherThe

municipalities’ WEB sites, in the reference ofinvestigation objects correspond with Open Datathe state of Open Data? Please select five in themunicipality list of Fukuno (2013) at the time oforder you refer the most.” ...(A)survey added Atsugi city, 182 local governmentsof Japan (Table 2). Response rate is at 57.1％, up◦“Do you get information about Open Data fromto 63.5％ excluding the administrative districts ofpersonnel of public information at the following

major cities.

other municipalities? Please select five in theThe main questions in this survey were,order you get the most, including the case you

percentages and progress degrees of Open Data,attended a seminar.” ...(B)the cost at the time of implementation of Open
Data, the reduction cost of the past business, andInformation networks obtained from the twothe feeling of personnel. In addition, the use ofquestions1 of the respondents were compared bythe data, the possibility of private use, and thedegree distributions.

network of information propagation about Open

Table 2 Investigation object＊16

Included major city in city, Number of City is 1741
(Yoshida et al, 2016)

Journal of Socio-Informatics Vol. 10 No. 1 Mar. 2018

Figure 1 Degree distributions for two information networks
y=1.898x －1.0794 R 2=0.6727. The coef ficient ofResults

determination is approximately 0.3 lower thanthat of WEB network. This also can be seen inInformation networks in the WEB site (A), andFigure 1. The number of local governments within the persons in charge of public information (B)the 5 designees is only 1. The cut-off of normal

are shown as piled degree distributions (Figure

distribution seems to occur. It is also reflected in1). The horizontal axis is the number ofthe point that the long tail becomes shorter,

nomination (designee) from the personnel at

designee number Sabae city in Fukui Prefectureother local government which is incoming degree

remains 19 in spite goes up to 48 in the WEB

in the sense that it was chosen by others as thenetwork.

option of the answer, but also is outgoing degree

Discussion

in the sense that it originated the information.
Here, it is referred to as the designee number.
The vertical axis is the number of local

Degree distribution of the WEB site of thegovernments. Both of the horizontal axis and theinformation network, which fit very well in power

vertical axis are displayed in common logarithm

approximation

to distinguish the features of distributions.

determination 0.9748, can be said to have thewiththecoefficientofIn the information network of the WEB site,characteristics of the so-called scale-free network

the degree distribution to power approximation

by Barabási et al. (1999). However, theis y=1.5129x

information network of the persons in charge of－0.9128

R =0.9748 (the local governments
2with no designee2 included in the calculation ofpublic

the approximate curve as designee number 0.1).

determination 0.6727 is approximately 0.3 lower,

On the other hand, the information network ofis presumed to have different properties from thethe persons in charge of Open Data is calculatedscale-free network.

1	
It can also be considered to use WEB reference
network in their sites. But they may not link up others
even if they referred to them. These ways of asking
realize the comparison of the two networks.

2	Those municipalities also constitute networks bynominating others. Nomination has significancewhen compared with non-nomination.

17

information,

thecoefficientof

Information networks of Open Data promotion in Local Governments of Japan

YOSHIDA et al

What are in this back ground? As one of them,that regional bonds work well. But aiming tothere exists a regional binding in the Open Datafurther promotion of Open Data, we should alsoof the municipalities (Honda et al, 2016). Sabae

remember that the regional peer pressure plays

city in Fukui Prefecture which won the large

one of the important roles, and not limit ourselves

number of nomination in this study is a pioneering

by following the success stories of somemunicipality in Open Data and has also grabbed

pioneering local governments.

nationwide

attention.

Whenotherlocal

In the formation of the social network,

governments are going to implement the openconsidering human constraints of time anddata, it is a very natural flow to check the WEB

money, it is also necessary to focus on familiarsite of Sabae city trying to refer to the theirand homogeneous relationship. Findings of thisefforts. There also would be many local

study may not stay only in the range of Opengovernments that participated in lectures andData promotion. Future task is to generate themtrying to listen to the person in charge directly.

considering peculiarity of Open Data.

Such reference relationship like scale-free

Reference

network is considered to exist.
On the other hand, 17 other municipalities in◦ACIL Tasman (2008) “The value of spatial

Fukui Prefecture has conducted Open Data at

information: The impact of modern spatial

the time of this survey. Municipalities which has

information

already implemented Open Data are at most 182,economy,” report prepared for the CRC for Spatialof the nationwide 1963 local governments as seen

Information and ANZLIC, Australia, the Spatialin Table 2. Municipalities with Open Data inInformation Council. http://www.crcsi.com.au/

Fukui Prefecture are 18. This number is the first

assets/Resources/7d60411d-0ab9-45be-8d48-in Japan except the administrative district ofef8dab5abd4a.pdf (Accessed 2016-06-23)

technologies

ontheAustralian

Osaka City. On the flip side, it does not mean that

◦Barabási, A.-L., and Albert, R. (1999) “Emergence

the impact of Sabae city uniformly deliveredof scaling in random networks”, Science 286, pp.

across the country. It can be said the regional509-512◦Honda, M., Noda, T. and Yoshida, A. (2016),

influence has appeared heavily.

“Positioning of the Precedent Local Government inConclusion

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Processing Society of Japan 137th Information

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System and Social Environment research workshop

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Externalities, Competition, and Compatibility”,

online and offline, and pointed out the possibility

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http://fukuno.jig.jp/2013/opendatamap

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