Abstract
Open data has become the most popular trend over the world. Public sectors, Citizens and Private sectors are all interested to the benefits open data will bring. Public sectors using open data to advance transparency and efficiency, while citizens using open data to ensure government supervision and a better life, private sectors using open data to lower operational costs, forming new services and enlarge the benefits. Open data movement are developed in two approaches, both are started by public sectors and communities respectively. The movement from public sectors is inherit from the policy of e-government, open government information…etc. while communities developed the idea from some open movements like open source and open content. Although the two approaches have the same goal, actually they are in different aspect and interest. The potential global economic value of open data which estimated by McKinsey is more than $3 trillion annually, while open weather data supports around $1.5 billion in applications and the secondary insurance market – but much greater value comes from accurate weather predictions, which could save the U.S. more than $30 billion annually. Companies in weather and climate industry are the most typical private sectors using open data, knowing how they utilize open data and what the benefits or impacts are, will provide many in-depth strategy and insight. Therefore, this research are using in-depth interview analysis, using local weather company- WeatherRisk Explore Inc. as case study, analyse what data they are using and how the value are being added, having the overall knowledge about the meaning and actual impact from open data. Base on the study, there are three main conclusions. First, open data is becoming a new technical barrier, all competitors are back to the same starting point. The key to win the game is how to analysis mass scale of open data and adding value by mash up with other data. Second, using global open data could have advantages to other local competitors and expand the market to the whole world in the same time. At last, open some of the data from the private sector itself could be a strategy to engage with users and potential customers.