Skip to main content

https://geospatialcommission.blog.gov.uk/2020/12/18/launching-the-developer-licence-2-0/

Launching the Developer Licence 2.0

twilight evening city scene with location icons
Credit: Who is Danny, Shutterstock

The National Archives is pleased to introduce the Developer Licence 2.0.  As with the licence it replaces, it is part of the UK Government Licensing Framework (UKGLF) which provides the policy and legal framework for the re-use of public sector information.  

Adoption of the Data Exploration Licence

The new Developer Licence builds on the work of the Geospatial Commission and its partner bodies, who introduced the Data Exploration LicenceThis permits their geospatial data to be re-used under a single, standardised licence, providing harmonised and simplified access to and use of their data. It replaces the first version of the Developer Licence which was issued in 2016, but maintains the same purpose of enabling developers to use data to evaluate ideas, build prototypes and identify commercially viable opportunities.

Developer Licence 2.0 and its wider use

The Developer Licence 2.0 is based on the harmonised licence and continues the streamlining of data licensing by:

  • enabling any public sector geospatial data to be re-used on terms equivalent to the Data Exploration Licence
  • creating the potential for the inclusion of wider sets of geospatial data
  • simplifying developer access to data
  • allowing its use in developing new products without charge
  • taking into account changes to Data Protection legislation 

Providing the licence under the UK Government Licensing Framework (UKGLF) makes it easier for other public sector bodies to licence their data to developers in situations where the Open Government Licence is not appropriate and supports the UK’s Geospatial Strategy mission to maximise the value of geospatial data.  It makes it more accessible for research, development and innovation purposes and unlocks the significant economic opportunities offered by geospatial data.

The Developer Licence can be accessed at The National Archives.

You can learn more about the Geospatial Commission and its Partner Bodies data improvement resources that have been developed under the Data Improvement Programme in our  Best practice guidance and tools for geospatial data managers.

Sign up to this blog to get an email notification every time we publish a new blog post.

Sharing and comments

Share this page