It is generally accepted that the OA data set is not adequate for a number of data consumer’s usage. This creates a demand for a commercial curation service. Currently there is only one commercial service. This commercial service is generally well received and provides value for money. However, due to the need for this service it does create a dependency risk which may put off some organisations and will put all at risk of price increases they might have to accept.
This strategy suggests some consideration of encouraging other commercial offerings to create some competition in the market and provide some fall back if any one organisation should close for whatever reason. Another alternative might be to work with the single commercial offering to provide some form of franchise across the areas of the country. Perhaps in similar way to the telecommunication and utility supply companies. This will help with the risk of scale if OA takes off and requires curation then this single supplier may struggle to scale.