Conneticut’s Supreme Court ruled that GIS data cannot be withheld from the public on the ground that it may expose potential trade secrets or public safety issues. I find this a relief since access to data means students, companies and agencies can do meaningful and current research. Besides, like Justice Vertefeuille said:
Justice Christine S. Vertefeuille, writing for the court, rejected the argument that the trade secret exemption could apply to the electronic GIS maps. All of the information contained in the maps is available piecemeal from other town departments, so there is nothing secret about them, she wrote.
Not to mention – our taxes generally pay for the collection of this data. We should have access to it. And while I would prefer free access to it, I have no problem with agencies charging for it, especially when they have a sliding cost scale.
But how are we suppose to live in a totalitarian state with all this free access to information?