To share — it is as natural as it is human, yet it becomes less and less common practice. But with the Internet and new technology, humankind could leverage sharing to a new level that would bring progress and benefit for all. Some movements already do this: Free Software, Open Data, and many artists and photographers who publish their work with explicit permission for everyone to use.

We live in an information society, in theory. But we are only at the beginning — data is still mostly locked up in copyright, company or state ownership and not made available to everyone. Let’s travel to a place that doesn’t exist yet and explore four examples of how our lives could be different with public data available, all based on technical possibilities that already exist today.

Open cities

Imagine, you and everybody would be able to inform themselves about the plans that are made in your very next environment. You’d be able to know which streets are going to be built and how the park is going to be planned where you are living. But also the leaders of your area could use data from the citizens to incorporate their needs and desires into urban planning. This kind of participation of citizens on how the environment of their living is urbanized is part of innovative projects, like Urban Managua, which have discovered the real value of involving people in the decisions on how their neighbourhood should be designed.

Traffic planning

People carry powerful devices with them everywhere — the smartphone revolution has reached Nicaragua — and this data could be used for the common good. Instead of offering free “wasapea” (WhatsApp usage), Nicaraguan phone companies could instead offer a service that transmits anonymised location data about people’s movements. If freely available, this would allow us to move around in a much more efficient way. Existing applications already hint at how we can use cars without traffic jams, and navigate public transportation efficiently, avoiding overcrowded buses. This data could also be used to collectively create maps, or serve as a valuable source for local authorities to genuinely improve and plan mobility in the city.

Trustworthy leaders

Ultimately, we are the people. The government is paid through our taxes and derives its legitimacy from us. Everything the government produces and does should therefore be transparent and available to everyone. Nicaragua has a strong law on access to information that is, in practice, barely enforced — a situation mirrored in most other countries. People in power are usually afraid of accountability and transparency, but the more transparent they are, the better leaders and politicians they become.

A foundation for good business

Local businesses are the backbone of a healthy society. Rather than everyone duplicating the same efforts, everyone would benefit from the work already done by thousands. A lot of innovation comes to countries like Nicaragua from outside, because significant investment is needed to gather the right information. But much information that holds no direct commercial interest for one company can unlock innovation for another. This is a natural path to growing start-ups and investing in local capacity. Pandora, for example, the world’s largest internet radio service, started giving artists access to more specific data about their fans, which allows them and tour organisers to plan more efficient tours and marketing campaigns.

Sharing is what makes us humans, sharing is culture and sharing is consciousness. Let’s share the public information and protect private information in order to take the technological revolution back into people’s hands.

• Third article in my column “Brave new digital world” (Un mundo digital feliz) in the newspaper Confidencial.com.ni, where it has been published in Spanish language
• Photo by Urban Managua
• Special thanks to Cinthia Membreño