Government not stepping in to release more taxpayer-funded weather data

Tuesday, 15 January 2019

Niwa's new supercomputer, unveiled in November 2018, is the most capable computer in the country.

The Government has no intention of changing how New Zealand's two taxpayer-funded forecasting agencies work in an effort to improve access to weather data.

Minister of Research, Science and Innovation Dr Megan Woods says changes have already been signalled by state-owned enterprise MetService to improve data access for competitors, meaning 'its services will better align with New Zealand's open data principles'.

A spokesman for Woods said a report had identified the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (Niwa) – a Crown research institute – was 'performing satisfactorily against the New Zealand open data principles, therefore no changes were necessary for its data-access provisions'.

Minister of Research, Science and Innovation Dr Megan Woods says changes MetService is already making will free up more weather data.

National's research, science and innovation spokeswoman, Dr Parmjeet Parmar, said it was disappointing the Government had opted for 'business as usual' after recent reviews.

National Party research, science and innovation spokeswoman Dr Parmjeet Parmar says the Government has chosen to 'do nothing' about the weather data issue.

* Data sharing could jeopardise taxpayer-funded forecasting agency profits

* MetService data-sharing complaint rejected by Commerce Commission**

'With this decision she is going to do nothing. After all this work, and now she has come back and stopped this halfway.

A warm day at the beach. Private weather forecasting companies want better access to taxpayer-funded weather data to ensure their forecasts can compete fairly with those from MetService and Niwa.

'In my view it has been a big waste of resources.'

Woods said the decision not to change Niwa and MetService's operating models was made by her, Finance Minister Grant Robertson and Associate Minister of State-Owned Enterprises Shane Jones after discussions in September last year.

In a briefing, released to Stuff under the Official Information Act, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) proposed five options for improving access to data, ranging from the status quo to structural changes of both agencies.

MBIE recommended negotiating changes with both to minimise any possible loss of income from releasing what is largely taxpayer-funded data.

But other documents released showed Treasury did not want to pay for any solution and said MetService's planned changes were enough, a recommendation that was adopted by the ministers.

Philip Duncan, chief executive of private forecaster Weather Watch, has been arguing for better data access for years.

Woods said it would have been 'a long and costly process' to open up more data. The costs of doing so would likely outweigh any benefit for New Zealanders 'at this time'.

'The ministers decided changing the legislative and operating model was not a priority when [the] Government is tackling a number of other priorities'.

MetService's data changes already under way include:

- A new website with improved data support to be rolled out in the first half of this year.

Treasury on the Terrace in Wellington. A Treasury recommendation not to pay anything to free up more weather data has been adopted by the Government.

- A new interface to make a wider range of free data, up to a certain level, publicly available.

- Provision of open oceanographic data.

Private forecasters such as WeatherWatch want to be able to compete with MetService and Niwa on an equal footing and have argued more data should be made available to it immediately, before it loses its value for forecasting.

A 2017 review of 'open-access weather data' for MBIE found New Zealand had the most restrictive barriers out of the United States, Norway, Australia, the United Kingdom and France.

WeatherWatch managing director Philip Duncan said it was ironic, but unsurprising, that significant parts of the reports dealing with open access to data had been withheld.

'Taxpayers must fund both Niwa and MetService, then we cannot use the data we fund, and on top of that the Government redacts information about why.

'If both Niwa and MetService operate heavily commercially, and both say they are highly accurate, why would the Government need to give them even more money for apparent 'lost revenue' if they opened up data?'

MetService had challenged the Australian Government to open up data in Australia and won that case in 1997, Duncan said.

'This is the very thing they are now digging their heels in about in New Zealand.

'Since winning in Australia, Metra makes a very nice profit. So MetService has proven to the marketplace they can make a profit when they operate in a truly open and free market.'