In a democratic country, government documents should be open to public scrutiny and thus, freely accessible by anyone regardless of the person’s software choice.

Currently, many government agencies in this country still exchange, archive and distribute information using proprietary file formats such as .doc. .docx, .xls, .ppt and others.

Supposedly publicly-accessible documents such as information papers, application forms , permits, data sheets, annual reports, and other downloadable forms are still available exclusively in MS Word or MS Excel format, requiring users to download viewers or purchase proprietary software should they need to edit these documents for research or academic purposes.

Will the Philippine government ever adopt policies to endorse the use of Open Document Format (ODF) in document creation and exchange? Currently, a handful of schools, government agencies and private companies have looked into its use. However, the adoption of ODF should occur on a national level.

The OpenDocument format (ODF) is a file format for electronic office documents that was approved as an international standard (ISO 26300:2006) in May 2006. It is used in proprietary and non-proprietary software. Prominent office suites supporting OpenDocument format include IBM Lotus Notes 8 , OpenOffice.org, NeoOffice, StarOffice, Google Docs, and IBM Lotus Symphony. Some of the most common filename extensions used for OpenDocument documents are:

.odt for word processing (text) documents

.ods for spreadsheets

.odp for presentations

.odg for graphics

.odf for formulae, mathematical equations

ODF is growing in popularity among governments due to its benefits of access, choice, interoperability and cost savings.

The availability of information to the general public is only one aspect of accessibility. Another aspect is the availability of information across agencies , across time and across computing technologies. ODF guarantees long-term access to data that governments need. Documents should be readable after several decades or centuries and accessible to citizens , without regard for the kind of software they use now or will use then. Users will not have to upgrade their current application only so that they could read a document saved in a newer version of software. In addition, files saved in ODF can be accessible by majority of software- proprietary or non proprietary, and across different system platforms. That’s freedom of choice at work.

Several applications that use ODF are also open source, and available at no cost. Since no money is shelled out for licensing costs, government budget could be allocated to other needs. Vendor lock-in is also prevented, which typically leads to bribery and corruption among decision makers in government.

Openness is the most important aspect of the ODF. As opposed to proprietary file formats, which are protected by private companies under lock and key, the source code for Open Document Format is readily available and can be put under scrutiny. It is backed by standards groups, ISO and OASIS and not controlled by any company with some form of interest.

ODF - a global perspective

National, regional and state governments all over the world have adopted Open Document format as the preferred standard for the creation and exchange of documents. Based on the ODF Annual report for 2007, twelve national, seven regional, and several local governments have now adopted pro-ODF policies, in addition to more than 50 government agencies.

Government action on the adoption of ODF generally take the form of laws, executive decisions, interoperability frameworks, or policy statements.

Five countries, including the Netherlands, South Africa, Malaysia, Norway, and Croatia – adopted plans requiring the use of ODF for document exchange between government agencies , with its constituents and other external entities. Japan and Russia adopted procurement preferences for products adhering to open standards, while Poland approved a national plan recommending the use of open, publicly-available IT standards. Consistent with the trend at the national level, three regional governments – Kerala (a state in southwestern India), Misiones (a province in northeast Argentina), and Paraná (a state in southern Brazil) – formally adopted policies requiring the use of ODF.

Five U.S. state legislatures considered proposals to require the use of an open format. These include California, Texas, New York, and Florida – as well as Minnesota.

Even presidential hopeful and US Senator Obama endorses ODF as part of his campaign.

"We have to use technology to open up our democracy. It’s no coincidence that one of the most secretive administrations in history has favored special interests and pursued policies that could not stand up to sunlight. As president, I’ll change that. I’ll put government data online in universally accessible formats"

This makes me wonder -when will the Philippine government ever consider reaping the benefits of ODF?

Knowing is not enough; we must apply! (Goethe)

Send your email to: openofficetips@feria.name