The Dades Obertes Chair, CATEDRADES, is born at the Polytechnic University of Valencia

On April 27, the agreement was signed that gives rise to the new Càtedra Dades Obertes, also called CATEDRADES, whose objective is to offer data, information and open knowledge to civil society. Driven MESURA and ACICOM, this new chair becomes part of the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV) from the Higher Technical School of Computer Engineering, the Faculty of Business Administration and Management, and the Center for Quality and Change Management.

It is the first University Chair promoted by civil society associations. This is a great differentiating nuance, since the rest of the chairs are supported mainly by companies or Public Administrations, and in some cases by foundations.

What will be the work of CATEDRADES?

The purpose of the CATEDRADES Chair is the promotion and development of activities focused on obtaining and using data from public administrations and companies, as a basis for their transparency and accountability at the service of social transformation initiatives and social problems of interest to the citizenship. It seeks to build a space for exchange and technical collaboration aimed at improving the environment through:

• Support of data platforms
• The development of basic competencies for obtaining, managing and analyzing data in general and data generated by citizens (DGC) in particular, with actions aimed at all citizens and with a special focus on young people.
• The momentum of data journalism
• The design of indicators related to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda from the perspective of citizens.

The activities of the new chair will be focused on environmental, health, sustainability, communication and citizen participation issues, always promoting the management of open knowledge and collective intelligence through the transfer of data, information and knowledge between civil society, public and private entities, the UPV and students. For this, the Learning-Service (ApS) methodology will be used: while learning, students also offer a service to society, thus promoting critical citizenship. On this post You can find some of the activities carried out and that continue to be carried out by the UPV following this methodology.

MESURA and ACICOM: civil associations to promote open data

The MESURA and ACICOM entities bring together citizens, professionals and entities from different sectors and specialties united with a common goal: the defense of citizens' rights, especially those related to information and communication.

From MESURA and ACICOM, they promote different projects related to open data and that may also be treated in the CATEDRADES Chair, such as:

• Data Platform "Albufera Junts". Initiative to improve access to information and promote cooperation between entities that they intervene in the Albufera.
• Citizen Observatory "Nostre Aire". It brings together professionals and entities of different types with the purpose of building a space for exchange and technical collaboration oriented to the observation and generation of open data to improve the air quality of the Valencian Community.

They are also promoting data platforms on the impact of addiction to gambling and various substances or the urban toll.

In summary, the Chair will favor the making available to the public of data in general and OD4D in particular, presented in the most friendly way possible, using different elements that go from the data itself, to infographics, presentations or websites, etc. These data will facilitate awareness, analysis of complex reality, decision-making and positions, accountability or collaboration and governance, among others.