Open Data

Obrazok-open-data

Definition

Open data is data that can be freely used, re-used and redistributed by anyone – subject only, at most, to the requirement to attribute and share-alike.

The key features of openness:
  • Availability and access: the data must be available as a whole and at no more than a reasonable reproduction cost, preferably by downloading over the internet. The data must also be available in a convenient and modifiable form.
  • Reuse and redistribution: the data must be provided under terms that permit reuse and redistribution including the intermixing with other datasets. The data must be machine-readable.
  • Universal participation: everyone must be able to use, reuse and redistribute — there should be no discrimination against fields of endeavour or against persons or groups. For example, ‘non-commercial’ restrictions that would prevent ‘commercial’ use, or restrictions of use for certain purposes (e.g. only in education), are not allowed.

(Source: Open Data Handbook)

Obrazok-FAIR-Data-vs-Open-Data

Obrazok-FAIR-DATA-Principles-by-SangyaPundir-licence- CC BY-SA 4.0-via-Wikimedia-CommonsFAIR data

FAIR data present an inevitable part of open science and describe basic principles of good data management  and open access to research data.

The principles emphasise machine-actionability (i.e., the capacity of computational systems to find, access, interoperate, and reuse data with none or minimal human intervention). The ultimate goal of FAIR is to optimise the reuse of data.The FAIR principles were published in 2016 for the first time. They were accepted by the European Union and many other organisations, including universities and research institutions.

More information and resources in English:

Open Knowledge Foundation: https://okfn.org/opendata/

Open Data Handbook: https://opendatahandbook.org/guide/en/what-is-open-data/

UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science: https://en.unesco.org/science-sustainable-future/open-science/recommendation

GO FAIR: https://www.go-fair.org/

Cover-Methodological-Recommendations-for-Developing-a-DMP-Slovak-langugae

Slovakia

Methodological Recommendations for Developing a Data Management Plan (Metodické odporúčanie na tvorbu plánu manažmentu výskumných dát)

The document provides information and guidance on creation of a data management plan in Slovak. It is intended for funders that provide publicly funded grants. They serve as a guide for defining the structure and type of research data management plan for data generated during publicly funded research. The recommendations may also be used by other research funders or scientific, research, and academic institutions when establishing guidelines for research data management within their organizations.

The document is available on the website of the Ministry of Education, Research and Development and Youth of the Slovak Republic for open science and in the Zenodo repository.

Image sources:

  1. Principles of Open Data. Blog post: Understanding the Distinction: Open Data vs. Available Data. . Acccessed June 18, 2026 at https://opusproject.eu/openscience-news/understanding-the-distinction-open-data-vs-available-data/

  2. Open Data vs. FAIR Data. Jan Vališ, FAIR vs. Open Data (Venn diagram), CC BY.  Figshare.
  3. FAIR data principles. SangyaPundir, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.