The Government's online data portal ' convicted '»

Data.gov.uk was launched a year ago by Sir Tim Berners-Lee, British inventor of the world wide web. Photograph: Sarah Lee to guardian

One year after the Labour Government launched the data.gov.uk portal, designed to provide a front door to a library of government data, there is unrest, the initial enthusiasm has worn and the officials calmly blocks the widespread release of useful information.

"Forgive me, but believes that this project is doomed", says one contributor to the site's discussion forum, which was highlighted today on the front page of the website, which was launched to enormous fanfare a year ago tomorrow by Sir Tim Berners-Lee, British inventor of the world wide web.

Poster, Peter Austin, Web Developer, said: "I was a member of this community almost a year ago. I wanted to use my programming skills to the public good …[but] I can only describe it as Yes Minister data. Harmless. Unlikely to generate controversy. "

Launched by Gordon Brown, is transparency project has been a large part of the coalition Government plans: use of the Big society included a key line, that "we want to create a new ' right to data '". Downing Street promised to "trigger a tsunami data" in the world, which would hold Government to account-and kick-start a £ gags industry.

Since then, the published significant datasets including all public expenditure over £ 25,000 and civil servant salaries. In June released Treasurys secret coins spending database.

Says a source in Downing street: "with regard to the political will to do so, we are full steam ahead. In the next two months even more will be released on crime and Government contracts.

This month each Council in England have to publish expenditure data over £ 500. So far only 200 out of around 360 Councils made. "We might have to get big stick out on this one," said one Downing Street source.

Professor Nigel Shadbolt, as with Berners-Lee was instrumental in getting the data.gov.uk portal created, said: "there is a huge amount still to be done. We must change the behaviour of officials and Ministers, so that they make data available without prompting. "

Concerns have also been raised about the role and objectives of the public Data Corporation (PDC), a Government-owned entity will distribute data-perhaps for profit. "It only sounds Orwellian," said one involved in the open data movement, who asked not to be named.

Jonathan Raper, chief executive of Placr, which has built a number of applications that use transport data, in particular from London Datastore warned Ministers at a recent public meeting, to the levying of charges for the data via the PDC would be "regressive".

Cabinet Office said: "one of our objectives is to make more data free for use, where this is appropriate and represents good value for taxpayers ' money; and where data is charged for we would aim to make it on a consistent basis "

The largest effects can perhaps be a full reconstruction of data.gov.uk, according to Downing Street source. "It's just not as good as it should be".

View the original article here