Europe defines the high-value datasets that the public sector will have to open up by 2024 at the latest
Fecha de la noticia: 26-01-2023
Updated: 21/03/2024
On January 2023, the European Commission published a list of high-value datasets that public sector bodies must make available to the public within a maximum of 16 months. The main objective of establishing the list of high-value datasets was to ensure that public data with the highest socio-economic potential are made available for re-use with minimal legal and technical restriction, and at no cost. Among these public sector datasets, some, such as meteorological or air quality data, are particularly interesting for developers and creators of services such as apps or websites, which bring added value and important benefits for society, the environment or the economy.
The publication of the Regulation has been accompanied by frequently asked questions to help public bodies understand the benefit of HVDS (High Value Datasets) for society and the economy, as well as to explain some aspects of the obligatory nature of HVDS (High Value Datasets) and the support for publication.
In line with this proposal, Executive Vice-President for a Digitally Ready Europe, Margrethe Vestager, stated the following in the press release issued by the European Commission:
"Making high-value datasets available to the public will benefit both the economy and society, for example by helping to combat climate change, reducing urban air pollution and improving transport infrastructure. This is a practical step towards the success of the Digital Decade and building a more prosperous digital future".
In parallel, Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton also added the following words on the announcement of the list of high-value data: "Data is a cornerstone of our industrial competitiveness in the EU. With the new list of high-value datasets we are unlocking a wealth of public data for the benefit of all”. Start-ups and SMEs will be able to use this to develop new innovative products and solutions to improve the lives of citizens in the EU and around the world.
Six categories to bring together new high-value datasets
The regulation is thus created under the umbrella of the European Open Data Directive, which defines six categories to differentiate the new high-value datasets requested:
- Geospatial
- Earth observation and environmental
- Meteorological
- Statistical
- Business
- Mobility
However, as stated in the European Commission's press release, this thematic range could be extended at a later stage depending on technological and market developments. Thus, the datasets will be available in machine-readable format, via an application programming interface (API) and, if relevant, also with a bulk download option.
In addition, the reuse of datasets such as mobility or building geolocation data can expand the business opportunities available for sectors such as logistics or transport. In parallel, weather observation, radar, air quality or soil pollution data can also support research and digital innovation, as well as policy making in the fight against climate change.
Ultimately, greater availability of data, especially high-value data, has the potential to boost entrepreneurship as these datasets can be an important resource for SMEs to develop new digital products and services, which in turn can also attract new investors.
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