← VCE Data Analysis

Open data portals and data licences

Datasets, such as government statistics, that anyone can download from a portal. A licence says how you may reuse them, and you must credit the source.

Part of: VCE Applied Computing - U1O1 - Data analysis — Module 15, VCE Data Analytics - U3O1 - Data Analytics — Module 40, VCE Data Analytics - U3O2 - Analysis and Design — Module 34, 9-10 Digital Technologies: Acquiring, storing and validating data — Module 5, ACARA Digital Technologies Years 7–8 — Acquiring and Storing Data — Module 25, ACARA Digital Technologies Years 9–10 — Acquiring and Validating Data — Module 38, QCE Digital Solutions Unit 2 — Data and Programming Techniques — Module 15

Understanding Open data portals and data licences in VCE Data Analysis

What it does: A good citation names the portal, the publisher, the licence and the date accessed. Portals let you search by keyword and narrow results by format so you find a usable dataset. Open data is published on a portal for anyone to download. The licence explains how it can be reused. A licence sets the rules for reuse. The size of the dataset is shown in the dataset's description or metadata, not in the licence. CC BY lets you reuse the data, but you must give attribution. Being able to download data does not mean there are no conditions. Removing the source is not honest or allowed under most licences. Crediting the publisher is the key step when reusing open data.

Common mistakes: Open datasets come from an official open data portal, such as data.gov.au. A friend's blog is not a trusted portal. Line 1 should name a real portal like data.gov.au. A CC BY licence lets you reuse the data, but you must credit the source. Line 4 should say that credit is required.

Class: _____________________  ·  Name: _____________________  ·  Date: _________

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This module's key terms are also in a printable crossword (Modules 15–24) and word search (Modules 3–24).

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Learning
Duo
Which best describes open data?
Private company records that only paying staff can seeDatasets, such as government statistics, that anyone can download and reuse under a licence
Matches
Source: I found this data on the internet.
↓
This citation is too vague. It does not name the portal, the publisher, the licence or the date accessed.
Applying
Meanings
Term
open data
Meaning
Datasets, such as government statistics, that anyone can download from a portal. A licence says how you may reuse them, and you must credit the source.
Practice
Dataset: Bike Counts by Suburb
Testing
Gaps
: rainfall
Check Answer
Spots
1Portal: myfriendsblog.com
2Dataset: Bus stops Victoria

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Quick Questions

1. Which best describes open data?
A. Private company records that only paying staff can see
B. Datasets, such as government statistics, that anyone can download and reuse under a licence ✓
Open data is published on a portal for anyone to download. The licence explains how it can be reused.
2. You need Australian population statistics for a Year 10 project. Where is the best place to start looking?
A. An open data portal such as data.gov.au ✓
B. A friend's private spreadsheet that has no source listed
Open data portals collect datasets from government and other bodies and show who published them. This makes them a reliable place to find a dataset.
3. Which search approach helps you find a dataset on a portal?
A. Open every dataset one by one until you find something useful
B. Search by keyword, such as 'bushfire', and filter by file format like CSV ✓
Portals have search boxes and filters for topic, publisher and format. These save time and help you find the right dataset.
4. What does a data licence tell you?
A. How you are allowed to reuse the data and what credit you must give ✓
B. How many rows and columns the dataset has
A licence sets the rules for reuse. The size of the dataset is shown in the dataset's description or metadata, not in the licence.
5. A dataset is released under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) licence. What must you do when you use it?
A. Credit the source and publisher ✓
B. Nothing, because downloadable data is always free of conditions
CC BY lets you reuse the data, but you must give attribution. Being able to download data does not mean there are no conditions.

Match the Pairs

license: CC BY 4.0 → A licence that lets you reuse the data for any purpose as long as you credit the source
format: CSV → A download option that opens in a spreadsheet and lets you import the dataset
Citing the source so the publisher gets credit for the data → Source: data.gov.au, Dept of Health, CC BY 4.0, accessed 5 May 2025
Finding a dataset by searching a portal for a topic and filtering by file type → search: "rainfall" + filter: CSV
Source: I found this data on the internet. → This citation is too vague. It does not name the portal, the publisher, the licence or the date accessed.
Open data means I can use it any way I like without credit. → Open data still has a licence. Most licences require you to credit the source and follow the reuse terms.

Key Term

open data
Datasets, such as government statistics, that anyone can download from a portal. A licence says how you may reuse them, and you must credit the source.

Fill in the Blanks

1. Portal: data.gov.au Search: rainfall
Hint: Type the word for looking up a dataset on a portal by keyword.
2. Dataset: Rainfall 2023 Licence: CC BY 4.0
Hint: Type the Creative Commons licence code that lets you reuse data as long as you give credit.
3. Source: Bureau of Meteorology Licence: CC BY 4.0
Hint: Type the field name used to credit who published the data.
4. Dataset: Rainfall 2023 Format: CSV Download: rainfall.csv
Hint: Type the file format, short for comma-separated values, that matches the download file name.
5. Licence: CC BY 4.0 Reuse: allowed Credit: required
Hint: Type the word that says whether you must credit the source under this licence.

Spot the Error

Question 1
A Portal: myfriendsblog.com
B Dataset: Bus stops Victoria
C Licence: CC BY 4.0
Line A — Open datasets come from an official open data portal, such as data.gov.au. A friend's blog is not a trusted portal. Line 1 should name a real portal like data.gov.au.
Question 2
A Dataset: Rainfall by suburb
B Licence: CC BY 4.0
C Reuse: allowed
D Credit: not needed
Line D — A CC BY licence lets you reuse the data, but you must credit the source. Line 4 should say that credit is required.
Question 3
A Dataset: Train punctuality
B Publisher: Dept of Transport
C Licence: none, so it is free
D Cite: Dept of Transport, 2024
Line C — Having no licence does not make data free to reuse. You must read the licence and follow its rules. Line 3 should name the licence, such as CC BY 4.0.
Question 4
A SET topic TO 'bushfire risk'
B SET site TO 'data.vic.gov.au'
C SEARCH topic FOR site
D SHOW licence of each result
Line C — You search the portal (site) for the topic, not the other way round. Line 3 should be SEARCH site FOR topic.
Question 5
A Author: Dept of Education
B Title: School locations 2023
C Publisher: data.vic.gov.au
D Accessed: next Friday
E Licence: CC BY 4.0
Line D — A citation records the date you actually accessed the data, which must be in the past. Line 4 should be a real date, such as 12 March 2025.

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