Open data in Spain according to the Global Data Barometer study

The Global Data Barometer is a new multi-dimensional study that assesses the potential of data use by public administration in more than 100 countries. It is a tool that thoroughly investigates data policies and practices in their governance, openness and use for the public good.

This new Barometer draws on the previous experience of the Open Data Barometer, which has been widely used to drive policy development, advocacy and academic research. However, it also goes further in its methodology with an in-depth analysis that includes new indicators on data governance, the capacity of governments to manage data, current availability, use and impact of data - as well as a wide range of thematic modules including data on climate change, health, public procurement and others.

In this article we will first briefly review the results obtained by the countries of the regional group of Europe and North America -among which Spain is included- according to the published report and then we will review the data and indicators compiled by the study (in the period between May 2019 and May 2021) to discover which are the elements that their research has considered most outstanding in our country with respect to data governance and the capacities for its management -which are in turn the two modules built on the previous methodology of the Open Data Barometer, and which will give us a better estimate of progress in terms of data openness.

Regional comparison of the report

Spain appears in the top 10 in the results in the analysis of the 27 countries -all of them OGP members and with a high level of democratic and economic development- that are included in the Europe and North America region of the study (extended with some other countries of a similar level of development such as Australia and South Korea). This has even more merit if we take into account that this is, in turn, the best performing of the six regions analysed in the study, and therefore we are also talking about the global leaders.

This group of countries, in general, including Spain, stands out for having historically led the open data movement and the development of standards for the reuse of information from the public sector - which has made it easier for government data to be increasingly used in this region by private sector companies and civil society agents such as journalists.

Spain also stands out from the rest of the countries in the group and at a global level for its high level of development in terms of data management capacities in general, as well as for its regional and local open data policies, where it is a global leader. It also has a strong open data initiative and mature and stable open data policies.

Indicators of data governance in Spain collected for the study

As mentioned above, this section includes some of the elements relating to our country that have been taken into account in the preparation of the report:

• Data protection: the existence of a comprehensive data protection framework is evident throughout the region mainly thanks to the reference of the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This gives European countries - among which of course Spain is also included with its Organic Act on Personal Data Protection and guarantee of digital rights - a clear leadership position in this matter, incorporating a wide range of rights such as choice, consent, access or rectification - as well as clear responsibilities for database owners.
• Open data policies: our country already has long-standing open data policies that have been expanded and improved over the years - sometimes even ahead of the evolution of EU legislation. The arrival of new policies at European level such as the Open Data Directive and the window of opportunity that will open up when it comes to its implementation may contribute to this improvement continuing and maintaining a high level of demand in the coming years. In Spain there are a number of laws that regulate the basic elements of opening public data, including the Act on Re-use of Public Sector Information (which has recently been amended by Royal Decree-Law 24/2021 transposing the latest European Directive on Open Data and Re-use of Public Sector Information), the Act on Transparency, Access to Public Information and Good Governance and the Legal Regime of the Public Sector. However, there are still some aspects of data sharing between private entities or from other entities to the administration that are not covered by such regulation. There is also another area for improvement regarding the regulation of the use of data by artificial intelligence applications, an issue that will be addressed soon through the European pilot project that is about to start.
• Data management: the National Interoperability Scheme and the resolution approving the Technical Interoperability Standard for the Re-use of Information Resources together form the basis for defining the standards for the management, cataloguing and publication of the administration's data at national level - also including other supporting elements such as quality control guides (and which in the very near future will be extended with an adaptation of the data quality guide published by the European Union).

Indicators of management capacities in Spain

• Training for civil servants: the National Institute of Public Administrations is the body in charge of developing the technical skills of civil servants throughout their careers and offers them an extensive catalogue of courses and conferences that also cover the skills needed to work with data. In addition, as part of the commitments of the Open Government action plan currently in force, there is a specific training plan that includes actions around open data and re-use of information.
• Open data initiatives: Spain has one of the pioneering open data initiatives in the world that started more than 12 years ago through the work of the Aporta Initiative, which promotes the opening of public information and the development of advanced data-based services. datos.gob.es is the virtual platform of this initiative. The initiative's lines of action include the management of the national open data portal and coordination with the rest of the administrations at local, autonomous and state level to promote the open data ecosystem. In this sense, it is also worth highlighting the Data Office, whose mission is to address the main challenges that exist today in the Data Economy, defining the legal and political frameworks for data sharing and governance. The Data Office emerges as an umbrella for various data openness and data sharing initiatives, encouraging the public and private sectors to collaborate in trust to help the expansion of the data society and the growth of the data economy.
• Support for reuse: by virtue of the existing agreement between Red.es and the General State Administration, different actions are carried out to promote the opening of information and the reuse of public sector information in Spain, including informative sessions, meetings and thematic conferences, seminars and competitions -also offering advice and direct support to public bodies and entities regarding the technical and methodological aspects of the publication and reuse of data. In addition, the national data catalogue platform also provides a series of guides, examples of the use of government data and other useful information on re-use.
• Data at local and regional level: there are a large number of open data initiatives at both regional and local level that are very active through their direct participation and commitments in international groups such as the Open Government Partnership or the Open Data Charter or in collaboration with the national private sector - in addition to collaborating with each other in defining strategies and common learning through associations such as the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces, the Spanish Network of Smart Cities or the Institute for Knowledge Transfer in Public Innovation. All the Autonomous Communities also have their own regulations on transparency, open government and open data, as well as their own data catalogues, which in turn can be integrated into the national catalogue.

Thus, with all of the above we can see how after the years that have passed since the last available report of the Open Data Barometer, this new study reveals how Spain continues to maintain its privileged position among the leaders in open data not only at European but also at international level. However, and according to the results of this new Barometer, some actions should be taken into account in order to maintain this position in the future, such as the need to continue investing in the training of civil servants working with data and supporting re-use activities - while continuing to increase the availability of data and redouble efforts to improve its quality, interoperability and ease of use and re-use.

Content prepared by Carlos Iglesias, Open data Researcher and consultant, World Wide Web Foundation.

The contents and views expressed in this publication are the sole responsibility of the author.