A smartphone app called “Weather Here” (unofficial translation) provides daily and weekly weather information for the user’s current location. If people set a location of interest, the app will also provide weather information for that place. 

Another app, “Smart Parcel” (unofficial translation), uses Korea Post’s parcel tracking service. It informs users where their parcels are, when they will be delivered and at which stage of the process they’re currently at. 

These apps and more were all developed by start-ups using publically released data collected by the government and published on its Public Data Portal website (www.data.go.kr). 

Recently, more and more people in the private sector have been making use of data at this website. It was launched in October 2013 when the government enforced its so-called Public Data Law, designed to promote the use and provision of data to the public. The government said it would publicize a total of 3,395 sets of data collected by 1,547 public organizations, including central and local government bodies. By 2017, it plans to further extend the data-opening to 9,470 sets of data. 

Since the passing of the Public Data Law, the average monthly number of applications submitted by the private sector to use the data showed a four-fold increase, from 574 up to 2,066, according to the Ministry of Security & Public Administration. These applicants wish to use the data to create smartphone apps or to create new added–value projects, as well as to create more jobs. The average monthly number of dataset downloads at the Public Data Portal website also showed an increase, growing 12-fold from 118 to 1,465 cases. 

Under the new law, the number of new apps for mobile phones based on public data rose from 42 to 244, showing a nearly six-fold increase every month. In the earlier stages, firms were mostly developing mobile services or online programs showing bus information, but the range programs so far developed has greatly broadened these days. It now ranges from tourism services, to weather information, parcel delivery and performing arts information. Some of the more popular apps include “Travel Note,” “Weather Here” and “Smart Parcel.” These apps have recorded more than 100,000 downloads each. 

The growth in such businesses is thanks to the public’s increased comfort with companies using publicly available data since the passing of the Public Data Law, the ministry said. The government announced its “Government 3.0” vision in June last year which sees both wider access to government data and new plans, such as this one, that gives citizens access to government “big data.”