Ensuring you make key decisions based on data is even more critical, given the challenges local businesses face in the current environment. Recently, governments have identified the immense benefits of using and sharing their data with businesses and the community through Open Data Portals. Open data allows anyone to use free data to make informed decisions, create projects and initiatives that add value to the local community and small business.
Top tips for using the Open Data
Many data sources are now open and free on the internet. The challenge for small businesses is to understand better how to use the data best to make better decisions that affect business growth. Here are some tips to make the most of Open Data sources:
- Better understand your audience and what data provides information about your current and potential customers.
- Use the data to create a PR pitch related to your business. This will increase your success in engaging with media outlets and journalists to get coverage.
- Open data can assist you with justifying new business ideas and potential strategies you want to focus on.
- Find the right tools that enable you to sort the data, so it’s valuable and easy to understand.
- Ensure the data source is clean and reliable.
- Ask for support by contacting the Open Data source as they can provide you with more detail about the data to ensure it’s relevant to your business.
Open Data sources available to small businesses
As a local business, you have access to several Open Data sources that are available to the public for the broader benefit of the community and business. Here are some examples of Open Data sources that may be relevant to your organisation:
- Open Data Hub – City of Sydney – for the wider benefit of the community, and to encourage an accessible and connected city.
- Data.NSW – Helping you find and use NSW Government Data
- Open Data 500 Australia Companies – Commonwealth of Australia’s Open Data initiative
- Research Data Australia – Find, access, and re-use data for research – from over one hundred Australian research organisations, government agencies, and cultural institutions
- Data.gov.au – Find, access and reuse Australian government public data.