But we can create greater value by giving others access to the information that we own. Unfortunately, access is a complex issue. Providing access requires some difficult policy decisions regarding possible legal and privacy issues. Making data available to others requires greater attention to whether the information is accurate, complete and timely. Sometimes, procedures for collecting and managing information must change in order to make it useable for others.
Security is always a concern.
So is cost, if the decision to provide access requires additional expenditures for automation and computer systems. And this, of course, raises the thorny question of who should be responsible for those additional costs that a jurisdiction might avoid if it kept its old isolated system. The need to overcome these hurdles is why this conference is so important. Everyone agrees on the need for access to information. Going from concept to reality, though, requires opportunity, cooperation, and funding.