The Government has said that it hopes the move will make it easier for individuals, groups and companies to base their services on data created by the Government. The data could form the basis of other bodies' services or could even be released to the public, it said.
"The Corporation will, for the first time, bring together Government bodies and data into one organisation and provide an unprecedented level of easily accessible public information," said a statement from the Cabinet Office. "It will open up opportunities for innovative developers, businesses and members of the public to generate social and economic growth through the use of data."
The Government said that the PDC could also attract private investment.
"Public sector information underpins a growing part of the economy," said Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude. "The technology that is around today allows people to use and re-use this information in new and different ways. The role of Government is to help maximise the benefits of these developments."
Maude said that the creation of the PDC did not herald an era of free access to all publicly created data, though. Charges would still apply to some of it, he said.
"At present many state agencies face a conflict between maximising revenues from the sale of data and making the data freely available to be exploited for social and economic gain. Creating the PDC will enable the conflicts at the least to be managed consistently with a view to opening up access, and at best to be eliminated," said Maude.
The Cabinet Office statement said that data would be free to use "where this is appropriate and consistent with ensuring value for taxpayers’ money".
It said that the Government aimed to have the PDC operational this year, but that discussions were still ongoing about exactly what form it would take.
Immediately on starting to govern last year the Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition Government began to release greater amounts of public data than its predecessor. It published the COINS spending database within a month of forming the Government and formed the Public Sector Transparency Board to determine the principles that would underpin the publishing of data.
