Open Environmental Data in Developing Countries: Who Benefits?

Should research institutions from developing countries provide open access to their data? Who would benefit? These are highly relevant questions for environmental research. In the backdrop of increasing discussions regarding open data, attention should be paid to guarantee that research institutions from developing countries do not become mere data providers. At the same time, restricted access to data should not become a barrier for advancing our knowledge of critical environmental issues. Open access policies for environmental data must be developed not only for advancing science, but also to provide growing opportunities for researchers in developing countries.