Culture in Transformation

Without information, an information society like that of the 21st century is unthinkable. Here, public administration can serve as an innovative manager: collected and administered information offers special potential for innovative developments and new social models. Not only does the general public stand to benefit from such developments, but also the public administration may similarly draw advantages from them. And yet, only the exchange of information facilitates new chances and possibilities for both parties, which are subsequently recognized and used. The general conditions for this, such as technical standards and licensing models, have yet to be developed so as to attractively and usefully shape the exchange of information.

The convention seeks to pursue questions in and around the access and use of information from a legal standpoint: who may make profits from sources of information financed by public monies? Where are the fields of tension between free access and protection of information? Is it possible to make a secondary application of public information easier? These thematic fields are considered from the perspectives of citizens and businesses, as well as from the viewpoint of the information society and scientific research.

The objective is to focus on those thematic fields that have previously been treated separately by politics, law and public life, and to thus establish transparency with respect to structural commonalities and differences. It is through this that a dialog between the still separate discussions among specialists and participating circles should be facilitated.