2.4 To facilitate access to public data, the previous Government launched the www.data.gov.uk website, in January 2010, which indexes data releases in a single searchable portal. The number of data sets indexed on www.data.gov.uk has grown from 2,500 in January 2010 to 7,865 by December 2011.
2.5 Although the volume of information catalogued by www.data.gov.uk has expanded, realising its intended benefits depends on:
• whether the website links to as full a range as possible of disclosable data. Owning public bodies are responsible for linking data to the website. However, due to the lack of publication of data inventories (see section 2.12), it is not possible to assess what proportion of the full range of disclosable data is linked to the site; and
• the structure and design of the website. For example, descriptive information about each data release is currently not standardised and incomplete. Users will therefore find it difficult to identify data sets that may be most useful.
2.6 Since its public launch in January 2010, www.data.gov.uk has had more than 1.75 million visits. However, from May to November 2011, 82 per cent of all users left www.data.gov.uk having only accessed either the home page or the data page. This indicates that they did not find the information they were seeking, although this does not reflect other potential access points for the data, for example linked third party websites or applications. The Cabinet Office has received user feedback that the website's navigation and interface lack usability and appeal. It is currently upgrading www.data.gov.uk, to include better search functionality, a clearer standard taxonomy of the information held and designing the catalogue entry process to limit the scope for errors.