The Businesses of Open Data and Open Source: Some Key Similarities and Differences

Abstract

Open data and open source are phenomena that are often automatically grouped together, perhaps because they share the word "open". A careful analysis of what open means in each of these cases is a stepping stone towards building viable businesses around both open source applications and on open data. Although there are, indeed, elements they share through their openness, the ways in which they differ are significant. In this conceptual paper, we aim to out- line the differences and similarities of the two phenomena from a commercial perspective.