PSI Guidance - Asset Lists
Summary
This explains why public sector organisations should provide asset lists showing information available for re-use under the PSI Regulations.
Background
1. Under Regulation 16 (1) (c) of the PSI Regulations, public sector organisations are required to publish a list of main documents that are available for re-use.
2. Publishing a list of information assets brings benefits to both public sector organisations and to businesses/citizens.
3. Benefits to public sector organisations:
- enables public sector organisations to follow an asset-based approach to managing their information resources;
- provides a mechanism for maintaining and auditing key information assets;
- provides a means of understanding what information assets are held by others;
- reduces the risk of devaluing knowledge about information assets within a department when staff move;
- facilitates compliance with the PSI Regulations.
4. Benefits to businesses and citizens:
- provides knowledge of the information collected by the public sector in a consistent and useful way;
- helps businesses and citizens to re-use public sector information, supporting economic growth;
- enables a clearer understanding of the opportunities for developing value added products;
- identifies public sector information assets that can be used in new information products.
5. The Office of Public Sector Information is currently developing a model Information Asset Register suitable for use across the public sector. Annex A features an example of the type of information assets that public sector organisations hold and which are available for re-use.