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The digital revolution is transforming municipal services, driven by the increasing adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies that also benefit from open data. These developments have the potential to redefine the way municipalities deliver services to their citizens, providing tools to improve efficiency, accessibility and sustainability. This report looks at success stories in the deployment of applications and platforms that seek to improve various aspects of life in municipalities, highlighting their potential to unlock more of the vast untapped potential of open data and associated artificial intelligence technologies.

The applications and platforms described in this report have a high potential for replicability in different municipal contexts, as they address common problems. Replication of these solutions can take place through collaboration between municipalities, companies and developers, as well as through the release and standardisation of open data.

Despite the benefits, the adoption of open data for municipal innovation also presents significant challenges. The quality, updating and standardisation of data published by local authorities, as well as interoperability between different platforms and systems, must be ensured. In addition, the open data culture needs to be reinforced among all actors involved, including citizens, developers, businesses and public administrations themselves.

The use cases analysed are divided into four sections. Each of these sections is described below and some examples of the solutions included in the report are shown.

Transport and Mobility

One of the most significant challenges in urban areas is transport and mobility management. Applications using open data have proven to be effective in improving these services. For example, applications such as Park4Dis make it easy to locate parking spaces for people with reduced mobility, using data from multiple municipalities and contributions from volunteers. CityMapper, which has gone global, on the other hand, offers optimised public transport routes in real time, integrating data from various transport modes to provide the most efficient route. These applications not only improve mobility, but also contribute to sustainability by reducing congestion and carbon emissions.

Environment and Sustainability

Growing awareness of sustainability has spurred the development of applications that promote environmentally friendly practices. CleanSpot, for example, facilitates the location of recycling points and the management of municipal waste. The application encourages citizen participation in cleaning and recycling, contributing to the reduction of the ecological footprint. Liight gamifies sustainable behaviour by rewarding users for actions such as recycling or using public transport. These applications not only improve environmental management, but also educate and motivate citizens to adopt more sustainable habits.

Optimisation of Basic Public Services

Urban service management platforms, such as Gestdropper, use open data to monitor and control urban infrastructure in real time. These tools enable more efficient management of resources such as street lighting, water networks and street furniture, optimising maintenance, incident response and reducing operating costs. Moreover, the deployment of appointment management systems, such as CitaME, helps to reduce waiting times and improve efficiency in customer service.

Citizen Services Aggregators

Applications that centralise public information and services, such as Badajoz Es Más and AppValencia, improve accessibility and communication between administrations and citizens. These platforms provide real-time data on public transport, cultural events, tourism and administrative procedures, making life in the municipality easier for residents and tourists alike. For example, integrating multiple services into a single application improves efficiency and reduces the need for unnecessary travel. These tools also support local economies by promoting cultural events and commercial services.

Conclusions

The use of open data and artificial intelligence technologies is transforming municipal management, improving the efficiency, accessibility and sustainability of public services. The success stories presented in this report describe how these tools can benefit both citizens and public administrations by making cities smarter, more inclusive and sustainable environments, and more responsive to the needs and well-being of their inhabitants and visitors.

Download here the accesible version of the report.

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One of the objectives of datos.gob.es is to disseminate the data culture. To this end, we use different channels to disseminate content such as a specialised content blog, a fortnightly newsletter or profiles on social networks such as X (formerly Twitter) or LinkedIn. Social networks serve both as a channel for dissemination and as a space for contact with the open data reuse community. In our didactic mission to raise awareness of data culture, we will now also be present on Instagram.

This visual and dynamic platform will become a new meeting point where our followers can discover, explore and leverage the value of open data and related technologies.

On our Instagram account (@datosgob), we will offer a variety of content:

1. Key concepts: definitions of concepts from the world of data and related technologies explained in a clear and concise way to create a glossary at your fingertips.
2. Informative infographics: complex issues such as laws, use cases or application of innovative technologies explained graphically and in a simpler way.
3. Impact stories: inspiring projects that use open data to make a positive impact on society.
4. Tutorials and tips: to learn how to use our platform more effectively, data science exercises and step-by-step visualisations, among others.
5. Events and news: important activities, launches of new datasets and the latest developments in the world of open data.

Varied formats of valuable content

In addition, all this information of interest will be presented in formats suitable for the platform, such as:

• Publications: informative pills posts, infographics, monographs, interviews, audiovisual pieces and success stories that will help you learn how different digital tools and methodologies are your allies. You will be able to enjoy different types of publications (fixed, carousels, collaborative with other reference accounts, etc.), where you will can share your opinions, doubts and experiences, and connect with other professionals.
• Stories: announcements, polls or calendars so you can stay on top of what's happening in the data ecosystem and be part of it by sharing your impressions.
• Featured stories: at the top of our profile, we will leave selected and ordered the most relevant information on the different topics and initiatives of datos.gob.es, in three areas: training, events and news.

A participatory and collaborative platform

As we have been doing in the other social networks where we are present, we want our account to be a space for dialogue and collaboration. Therefore, we invite all citizens, researchers, journalists, developers and anyone interested in open data to join the datos.gob.es community. Here are some ways you can get involved:

• Comment and share: we want to hear your opinions, questions and suggestions. Interact with our publications and share our content with your network to help spread the word about the importance of open data.
• Tag us: if you are working on a project that uses open data, show us! Tag us in your posts and use the hashtag #datosgob so we can see and share your work with our community.
• Featured stories: do you have an interesting story to tell about how you have used open data? Send us a direct message and we may feature it on our account to inspire others.

Why Instagram?

In a world where visual information has become a powerful tool for communication and learning, we have decided to make the leap to Instagram. This platform will not only allow us to report on developments in the data ecosystem in a more engaging and understandable way, but will also help us to connect with a wider and more diverse audience. We want to make public information accessible and relevant to everyone, and we believe Instagram is the perfect place to do this.

In short, the launch of our Instagram account marks an important step in our mission to make open data more accessible and useful for all.

Follow us on Instagram at @datosgob and join a growing community of people interested in transparency, innovation and knowledge sharing. By following us, you will have immediate access to a constant source of information and resources to help you make the most of open data. Also, don't forget to follow us on our other social networks X o LinkedIn.

see you on Instagram!

ELISA: The Plan in figures is a tool launched by the Spanish government to visualise updated data on the implementation of the investments of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (PRTR). Through intuitive visualisations, this tool provides information on the number of companies and households that have received funding, the size of the beneficiary companies and the investments made in the different levers of action defined in the Plan.

The tool also provides details of the funds managed and executed in each Autonomous Community. In this way, the territorial distribution of the projects can be seen. In addition, the tool is accompanied by territorial sheets, which show a more qualitative detail of the impact of the Recovery Plan in each Autonomous Community.

It seems like only yesterday that we were finishing eating our grapes and welcoming the new year. However, six months have already passed, during which we have witnessed many new developments in the world, in Spain and also in the open data ecosystem.

Join us as we take a look back at some of the most newsworthy open data events that have taken place in our country so far this year.

New regulations to boost open data and its use

During the first weeks of 2024, some legislative advances were made in Europe, applicable in our country. On 11 January, the Data Act came into force, which aims to democratise access to data, stimulate innovation and ensure fair use across Europe's digital landscape. You can learn more about it in this infographic that reviews the most important aspects.

On the other hand, at the national level, we have seen how open data is gaining prominence and its promotion is increasingly taken into account in sectoral regulations. This is the case of the Sustainable Mobility Bill, which, among other issues, includes the promotion of open data for administrations, infrastructure managers and public and private operators.

This is a trend that we had already seen in the last days of 2023 with the validation of Royal Decree-Law 6/2023, of 19 December, approving urgent measures for the implementation of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan for the public service of justice, the civil service, local government and patronage. This Royal Decree-Law includes the general principle of data orientation and emphasises the publication of automatically actionable data in open data portals accessible to citizens. The government's Artificial Intelligence Strategy 2024 also includes references to data held by public bodies. Specifically, it establishes that a common governance model will be created for the data and documentary corpus of the General State Administration in such a way as to guarantee the standards of security, quality, interoperability and reuse of all the data available for the training of models.

In relation to governance, we saw another development at the end of 2023 that has been reflected in 2024:  the adoption of the Standard Ordinance on Data Governance in the Local Entity, approved by the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP in its Spanish acronym). Over the last few months, various local councils have incorporated and adapted this ordinance to their territory. This is the case of Zaragoza or Fuenlabrada.

News on data platforms

In this time, new platforms or tools have also materialised that make data available to citizens and businesses:

• The Government of Spain has created the National Access Point for Traffic and Mobility which includes data on the facilities with electric vehicle charging points, detailing the type of connector, format, charging mode, etc.
• The National Institute of Statistics (INE in its Spanish acronym) has launched a Panel of Environmental Indicators. With it, it will be possible to quantify compliance with environmental targets, such as the Green Deal. It has also created a specific section for high-value data.
• The Statistical Institute of the Balearic Islands (IBESTAT in its Spanish acronym) has revamped its web portal which has a specific section on open data.
• Open Data Euskadi has published a new API that facilitates the reuse of public procurement data from the Basque administration.
• MUFACE (General mutual society of civil servants of the State) has launched a space with historical and current data on choice of entity, health care, etc.
• Some of the local authorities that have launched new data portals include the Diputation of Málaga and the City Council of Lucena (Cordoba).
• The Museo del Prado has set up a virtual tour which allows you to tour the main collections in 360º. It also offers a selection of 89 works digitised in gigapixel.
• Researchers from the University of Seville have collaborated in the launch of the PEPAdb (Prehistoric Europe's Personal Adornment database), an online and accessible tool with data on elements of personal adornment in recent prehistory.

In addition, agreements have been signed to make further progress in opening up data and boosting re-use, demonstrating the commitment to open and interoperable data.

• The INE, the State Tax Administration Agency (AEAT in its Spanish acronym), the Social Security, the Bank of Spain and the State Public Employment Service (SEPE) have signed a agreement to facilitate joint access to databases for research of public interest.
• The councils of Castelldefels, El Prat de Llobregat and Esparreguera have joined the Municipal Territorial Information System (SITMUN) to share geographic information and have access to a transversal information system.
• The Universidad Rey Juan Carlos and ASEDIE, the Multisectorial Association of Information, have joined forces to create the Open Data Reuse Observatory which is born with the vision of catalysing progress and transparency in the infomediary field, highlighting the importance of the data-driven economy.

Boosting the re-use of data

Both the data published previously and those published as a result of this work allow for the development of products and services that bring valuable information to the public. Some recently created examples include:

• The government has launched a tool to track the implementation and impact of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan investments.
•  Data on the network of ports, airports, railway terminals, roads and railway lines can be easily consulted with the this visualiser of the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility.
• The Barcelona Open Data Initiative has presented a new version of the portal DadesXViolènciaXDones a tool for analysing the impact of policies against male violence.
• Madrid City Council has shown how it measures the use of the Cuña Verde Park through data analysis and its GovTech programme.
• Furthermore, in the field of data journalism, we find many examples, such as this article from elDiario.es where one can visualise, neighbourhood by neighbourhood, the price of rent and access to housing according to income.

These data combined with artificial intelligence makes it possible to solve and advance social challenges, as the following examples show:

• The wildINTEL project, of the University of Huelva, in collaboration with the state agency Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), aims to monitor wildlife in Europe. It combines citizen science and AI for effective biodiversity data collection and management.
• Experts at the International University of La Rioja have developed AymurAI, a project that promotes judicial transparency and gender equality through artificial intelligence, based on methodologies with a gender perspective and open data.
• Two researchers from Cantabria have created a model that makes it possible to predict climatic variables in real time and in high resolution by means of artificial intelligence.

On the other hand, to boost the re-use of open data, public bodies have launched competitions and initiatives that have facilitated the creation of new products and services. Examples from recent months include:

•  The7th Castile and Leon open data competition.
• The University of Zaragoza's Pedro R. Muro-Medrano Awards.
• The València City Council awards for open data and data journalism projects.

New reports and resources linked to open data

Some of the reports on open data and its re-use published in the first half of the year include:

• The "ASEDIE Report: Data Economy in the infomediary field", now in its twelfth edition.
• The ASEDIE report "Geospatial data in the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility. Impact of the information co-produced by IGN and CNIG".
• The report "The reuse of open data in Spain" by the COTEC Foundation.
• The "Guide of Good Practices for Data Journalists" elaborated by the Observatori de Dades Obertes i Transparència of the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV).

A large number of events have also been held, some of which can be viewed online and some of which have been chronicled and summarised:

• The "III National Meeting of Open Data (ENDA): Data to boost the tourism sector", organised by the Deputation of Castellón, the Deputation of Barcelona and the Government of Aragón.
• The round table "Building Tourism Intelligence: Data Sharing for Strategic Decisions in the Tourism Sector" organised by SEGITTUR (State Trading Company for the Management of Innovation and Tourism Technologies) as part of Fitur Know-how & Export.
• The session "Managing Water with Open Data" organised within the framework of the CafèAmbDades initiative of the Generalitat de Catalunya.
• The European Data Portal's workshop "How to use open data for your research", with the participation of the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid.

These are just a fe examples that illustrate the great activity that has taken place in the open data environment over the last six months. Do you know of any other examples? Leave us a comment or write to dinamizacion@datos.gob.es!

The transformative potential of open data initiatives is now widely recognised as they offer opportunities for fostering innovation, greater transparency and improved efficiency in many processes. However, reliable measurement of the real impact of these initiatives is difficult to obtain.

From this same space we have also raised on more than one occasion the recurring question of what would be the best way to measure the impact of open data, we have reviewed different methods and best practices to try to quantify it, as well as to analyse it through detailed use cases or the specific impact on specific topics and sectors such as employment, geographic data, transport or sustainable development objectives. Now, thanks to the report "Indicators for Open Data Impact Assessment" by the data.europa.eu team, we have a new resource to not only understand but also be able to amplify the impact of open data initiatives by designing the right indicators. This publication will provide a quick analysis of the importance of these indicators and also briefly explain how they can be used to maximise the potential of open data.

Understanding open data and its value chain

Open data refers to the practice of making data available to the public in a way that makes it freely accessible and usable. Beyond ensuring simple availability, the real value of open data lies in its use in various domains, fostering economic growth, improving public sector transparency and driving social innovation. However, quantifying the real impact of data openness poses significant challenges due to the multiple ways in which data is used and the wide-ranging implications it can have for society. 

To understand the impact of open data, we must first understand its value chain, which will provide us with a structured and appropriate framework for transforming raw data into actionable insights. This chain includes four main stages that form a continuous process from the initial production to the final use of the data: 

Figure 1: Open Data Value Chain

1. Collection: this consists of identifying existing data and establishing the necessary procedures for their cataloguing.
2. Publication: making data available in an accessible form and easy to locate.
3. Uptake:will come sooner when data is easy to use and accompanied by the right incentives to use it.
4. Application:either through direct consumption of the data or through some transformation that adds new value to the initial data.

Each of these steps will play a critical role in contributing to the overall effectiveness and value derived from open data. The indicators developed to assess the impact of open data will also be closely linked to each of these stages, providing a holistic view of how data is transformed from simple information into a powerful tool for development.

Indicators for impact assessment

The report introduces a set of robust indicators that are specifically designed to monitor open data initiatives through their outputs, outcomes and impact as a result of their value chain. These indicators should not be seen as simple metrics, but as tools to help us understand the effectiveness of open data initiatives and make strategic improvements. Let us look at these indicators in a little more detail:

• Output indicators: are those that focus on measuring the immediate results that come from making open data available. Examples would be the number of datasets released, the frequency of dataset updates , the number of visitors to the data catalogue, the accessibility of the data across various platforms, or even the efforts made to promote the data and increase its visibility. Output indicators help us to assess the efficiency of data publication and dissemination processes and are generally easy to measure, although they will only give a fairly superficial measure of impact.

• Indicators of effect: Outcome indicators measure the short- and medium-term consequences of open data. These indicators are crucial to understand how open data influences decision-makingprocesses, leads to the development of new applications or improves government transparency. Thus, improved public transport planning based on usage data, increased citizen participation in the development of public policies to tackle climate change brought about by the increased availability of data and information, or improved productivity of public services through the use of data can be considered as significant examples of outcome indicators.

• Impact indicators: This is the deepest level of measurement, as impact indicators assess the broader, long-term effects of open data. These indicators may include economic benefits such as job creation or GDP growth, social impacts such as improved trust in public entities, or even environmental impacts such as the effective reduction of greenhouse gases. At this level, indicators are much more complex and specific, and should therefore be defined for each specific domain to be analysed and also according to the objectives set within that domain.

Figure 2: Indicators for impact assessmen

Implementing these indicators in practice will require the implementation of a robust methodological framework that can capture and analyse data from a variety of sources. It is recommended to combine automated and survey-based data collection methods to collect more comprehensive data. This type of dual approach allows for capturing quantitative data through automated systems while also incorporating qualitative insights through user feedback and more in-depth use case analysis.

Looking to the future

The future of open data impact assessment looks towards refining the indicators used for measurement and consolidating them through the use of interactive monitoring tools. Such tools would enable the possibility of a more continuous assessment that would provide real-time information on how open data is being used and its effects in different sectors. In addition, the development of standardised metrics for these indicators would facilitate comparative analysis across regions and over time, further improving the overall understanding of the impact of open data.

Another important factor to take into account are possible privacy and ethical considerations applicable to the selected indicators. As in any other data-centric initiative, privacy and data protection considerations will be paramount and mandatory for the indicators developed. However, once we get into its use by users, it could lead to more delicate situations. Generally, this should not be a particularly problematic issue when monitoring data. However, once we get into its use by users, it could lead to more delicate situations. Ensuring anonymity in indicators and secure practices in their management is also crucial to maintaining trust and integrity in open data processes.

In conclusion, the development and implementation of specific detailed indicators following the recommendations of the report"Indicators for an Open Data Impact Assessment" would be a significant step forward in terms of how we measure and understand the impact of open data.Continuous refinement and adaptation of these indicators will also be crucial as they evolve in tandem with the open data strategies they accompany and their growing sphere of influence. In the medium term the European Commission will further develop its analysis in this area of work through the data.europa.eu project with the ultimate goal of being able to formulate a common methodology for the assessment of the impact of the re-use of public data and to develop an interactive monitoring tool for its implementation.

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.

The National Open Data Meeting (ENDA, in its Spanish acronym) is an initiative born in 2022 from the joint effort of the Diputación de Barcelona, the Government of Aragón and the Diputación de Castellón. Its objective is to be a space for the exchange of ideas and reflections of the administrations to identify and elaborate concrete proposals in order to promote the reuse of quality  open data that can bring concrete value in improving the living conditions of citizens.

An important peculiarity of the Encounters initiative is that it fosters an annual cycle of collaborative work, where challenges are posed and solutions are worked out together. These challenges, proposed by the organisers, are developed throughout the year by volunteers linked to the field of data, most of them belonging to the academic world and the public administration.

Three challenges have been worked on so far. The conclusions of the challenges worked on are presented during each annual event and the documentation generated is made public.

CHALLENGE 1.- Generate data exchanges and facilitate their opening up

At the first ENDA (held in Barcelona, November 2022) a vote was taken on which data should be prioritised for openness. Based on the results of this vote, the Challenge 1 working group made an effort to collect standards, regulations, data sources and data controllers, as well as cases of publication and re-use.

The objective of this challenge was to foster inter-administrative collaboration to generate data exchanges and facilitate their openness, identifying datasets to work on in order to boost their quality, the use of standards and their reusability.

• Material from Challenge 1: Encourage inter-administrative collaboration to generate data exchanges and facilitate their openness presented at the second ENDA (Zaragoza, September 2023)

CHALLENGE 2.- Increase capacities for data openness

Challenge 2 aimed to ensure that public sector workers develop the knowledge and skills needed to drive the dissemination of open data. The ultimate goal was to improve public policies by involving citizens and businesses in the whole process of opening up. 

Therefore, the working group defined profiles and roles needed for data opening, collecting information on their functions and the skills and knowledge required.

In addition, a list of free training courses on open data and data analytics was compiled, linking these with the profiles for which they could be targeted.

• Document of the Challenge 2: Capabilities for opening data

CHALLENGE 3.- Measuring the impact of open data

Challenge 3 sought to address the need to understand the impact of open data. Therefore, throughout the year, work was carried out on a methodological proposal for a systematic mapping of initiatives that seek to measure the impact of open data.

At the third ENDA (Peñíscola, May 2024), a self-test for local authorities to measure the impact of the publication of open data was presented as a result of the working group.

• Document of the Challenge 3: Methodological proposal for a systematic mapping of initiatives that seek to measure the impact of open data

The answers to these challenges have been made possible through collaboration and joint work, resulting in concrete documents and tools that will be of great help to other public bodies that want to advance their open data strategy. In the coming years, work will continue on new challenges, with the aim of further boosting the openness of quality data and its re-use for the benefit of society as a whole.

The III National Open Data Meeting (better known by its acronym ENDA) took place on 31 May 2024 in the Gothic Hall of the Papa Luna Castle, in Peñíscola. The event was organised by the Diputación de Castellón, with the collaboration of the Diputación de Barcelona and the Government of Aragón. This Third Meeting took over from those held in Barcelona and Zaragoza in 2022 and 2023, respectively, thus closing the first cycle of meetings and giving way to three new organisers with new ideas and new challenges to face.

The main theme of the day was the promotion of the tourism sector. The objective was to ensure digitisation and easy access to open data in order to offer quality and sustainable tourism experiences.

Crucial issues related to effective management, strategic analysis and implementation of data in an increasingly information-driven world were addressed during the meeting. Round tables and conclusions of work carried out by experts in the months leading up to the congress provided a comprehensive view of the application of open data in the tourism sector and all its associated activities, with the aim of benefiting not only the public administrations themselves, but also the private sector and the general public.

 The III National Open Data Meeting lasted approximately eight hours and was attended by almost 100 people. The organisers decided not to broadcast the event live, as had been done in previous editions, in order to encourage spectators to attend the castle in person.

Start at 08:30 a.m

The event started at 08:30 in the morning with the staggered arrival of attendees and the distribution of accreditations. Half an hour later, at 09:00, the official inauguration of the Meeting was held by Marta Barrachina Mateu, President of the Provincial Council of Castellón. The event welcomed the attendees and thanked the organisers, especially the Diputación de Castellón, for their great work in organising, disseminating and convening the event.

At 09:15 the opening speech was given by José Norberto Mazón López, Professor of Computer Languages and Systems at the University of Alicante. José spoke about the importance of creating a data-driven society, not only at the Spanish level, but also at the European level. He highlighted that there has been an exponential increase in the value of tourism data compared to the first data that started to be collected way back in 2018.

He further stressed that such data is underpinned by 3 main axes, namely public administrations, private businesses and citizens, and that it is crucial that all three entities collaborate with each other to ensure the quality, integrity and reliability of the data.

Table 1: Tourism and the economy: a data space for growth and development

The first round table, entitled "Tourism and economy: a data space to favour growth and development", started at 10:00 and was moderated by Sonia Castro García-Muñoz, Coordinator of the Digital Public Services Department of Red.es. The speakers at this first round table were as follows:

• Sergio Ballentani, Head of the Comunitat Valenciana Geoportal/Tourist Map.

• Desam Garcia Sevilla, Technician of product creation for international promotion and tourism of the Diputación de Valencia.

• José Luis Galar, Head of the Analysis and Strategy Area of Aragon Tourism.

• Francisco Mestre, President of the Network of the Most Beautiful Villages of Spain.

This first round table dealt with the use of geographic data as a driving force for tourism thanks to the interactive services they can offer and which facilitate tourist movement. The need to use European standards to standardise the structure of the datasets and thus optimise the exchange of data between public administrations was also addressed, and it was stressed that Spain is currently the country most visited by tourists and one of the most competitive in the world in the field of tourism, highlighting the role played by private businesses and companies in the sector.

Once the first round table was over, there was a 30-minute break for coffee, stretching the legs and sharing impressions with the speakers and the rest of the attendees.

Table 2: How data can improve experiences and make tourism sustainable

After the break, the second round table, moderated by Borja Colón de Carvajal, Head of the Public Administration and Innovation Service of the Provincial Council of Castellón, began with a debate on how data can improve experiences and make tourism sustainable. This second roundtable featured the following speakers:

• Virginia Ochoa, Manager of the Castellón Provincial Council's Tourist Board

• Luis Falcón, President of the ASEDIE Geospatial Commission.

• Alberto González-Yanes, Deputy Director of Statistical Modernisation of the Canary Islands Statistics Institute (ISTAC).

• Enrique Crespo, Technical Advisor in the Directorate General for Transparency and Quality of Madrid City Council.

• Juan Carlos Lázaro López, Technical Manager of Open Data of the Government of Navarre.

The main topics discussed on this occasion were the use of open data to solve common problems of today's society in the field of tourism and how an intelligent use of these data can offer competitive advantages to administrations. To this end, a comparison was made of the situation in the province of Castellón, in the Canary Islands, in the city of Madrid and in the Community of Navarre.

This second round table discussion also focused on the main reasons why Spain is year after year one of the favourite destinations for tourists, concluding that up to 80% of visitors are attracted by the sun and beach product offered by our country.

Impact of open data

This was followed at around 13:30 by a brief presentation on a series of methodologies for measuring the impact of open data, given by Roberto Magro, coordinator of the Open Data Working Group of the FEMP Network and Deputy Director General for Youth, Children and Adolescents of Alcobendas City Council. Right after, Alberto Abella, Data Modelling Expert at Fiware presented the 4th report on open data in Spain. This round table was chaired by Ana Coroján, Head of Projects and Research at the NovaGob Foundation.

Roberto began by telling us how even today there are many public administrations that do not believe in data and, as such, either share bad data or do not share it at all. In this sense, he encouraged all attendees to make an effort to raise awareness among other public bodies about the importance of sharing reliable, truthful and quality data. It also called on re-users to make use of these data and make them available to citizens through data products such as visualisations and/or mobile applications.

Alberto presented the conclusions of the Cotec Foundation report on the reuse of open data in Spain. The main key points he highlighted in his presentation were that the number of open data portals had remained stable compared to the previous year, increasing the number of datasets available on them, but at the same time reducing the quality of their metadata, as well as the dissemination of this data to the public. Finally, he regretted that there are still 6% of the datasets that are either outdated or not available at all, which in his view is too high a percentage and should be minimised for the following year.

Table 3: Public management: Data-driven public policies to improve tourism activity

The third and last panel of the event took place after lunch, around 15:45 and was moderated by Vicent Rubio, Open Government Technician of the Castellón Provincial Council. This round table dealt with data-driven public policies to improve tourism activity, and consisted of the following speakers:

• María Tormo Casañ, Deputy for Participation and Transparency of the Castellón Provincial Council.

• Montse Giró Torrens, Head of LabTurisme, Diputació de Barcelona.

• Joseba Asiain Albisu, Director General of the Presidency, Open Government and Relations with the Parliament of the Government of Navarre.

This roundtable addressed the main challenges faced by public administrations in opening up data, as well as the key solutions and strategies they have implemented to achieve this, and the benefits these solutions have brought them, especially in the field of tourism.

Among other things, the importance of street surveys was highlighted as a fundamental tool for gaining first-hand knowledge of citizens' impressions, as well as their nationality, motivations and purchasing power, in order to be able to adapt the services offered to their needs.

Conclusions and closing of the event

Finally, the last block of the event was led by Marc Garriga, CEO of DesideDatum and rapporteur of the meeting, in which the main conclusions drawn throughout the session were presented, to finally introduce the next 3 organisers of the next triennium of meetings, which will be, in this order, the Government of the Canary Islands, which will organise the 2025 Meeting, the Government of Navarra, and finally the City Council of Madrid, which will be responsible for hosting the third and final meeting of this second phase.

Finally, as for the challenge for this year, it is still to be defined and the plan is to make it public in the coming weeks, and then include it on the website.

For many people, summer means the arrival of the vacations, a time to rest or disconnect. But those days off are also an opportunity to train in various areas and improve our competitive skills.

For those who want to take advantage of the next few weeks and acquire new knowledge, Spanish universities have a wide range of courses on a variety of subjects. In this article, we have compiled some examples of courses related to data training.

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) with QGIS. University of Alcalá de Henares (link not available).

The course aims to train students in basic GIS skills so that they can perform common processes such as creating maps for reports, downloading data from a GPS, performing spatial analysis, etc. Each student will have the possibility to develop their own GIS project with the help of the faculty. The course is aimed at university students of any discipline, as well as professionals interested in learning basic concepts to create their own maps or use geographic information systems in their activities.

• Date and place: June 27-28 and July 1-2 in online mode.

Citizen science applied to biodiversity studies: from the idea to the results. Pablo de Olavide University (Seville).

This course addresses all the necessary steps to design, implement and analyze a citizen science project: from the acquisition of basic knowledge to its applications in research and conservation projects. Among other issues, there will be a workshop on citizen science data management, focusing on platforms such as Observation.org y GBIF.  It will also teach how to use citizen science tools for the design of research projects. The course is aimed at a broad audience, especially researchers, conservation project managers and students.

• Date and place: From July 1 to 3, 2024 in online and on-site (Seville).

Big Data. Data analysis and machine learning with Python. Complutense University of Madrid.  

This course aims to provide students with an overview of the broad Big Data ecosystem, its challenges and applications, focusing on new ways of obtaining, managing and analyzing data. During the course, the Python language is presented, and different machine learning techniques are shown for the design of models that allow obtaining valuable information from a set of data. It is aimed at any university student, teacher, researcher, etc. with an interest in the subject, as no previous knowledge is required.

• Date and place: July 1 to 19, 2024 in Madrid.

Introduction to Geographic Information Systems with R. University of Santiago de Compostela.

Organized by the Working Group on Climate Change and Natural Hazards of the Spanish Association of Geography together with the Spanish Association of Climatology, this course will introduce the student to two major areas of great interest: 1) the handling of the R environment, showing the different ways of managing, manipulating and visualizing data. 2) spatial analysis, visualization and work with raster and vector files, addressing the main geostatistical interpolation methods. No previous knowledge of Geographic Information Systems or the R environment is required to participate.

• Date and place: July 2-5, 2024 in Santiago de Compostela

Artificial Intelligence and Large Language Models: Operation, Key Components and Applications. University of Zaragoza.

Through this course, students will be able to understand the fundamentals and practical applications of artificial intelligence focused on Large Language Model (LLM). Students will be taught how to use specialized libraries and frameworks to work with LLM, and will be shown examples of use cases and applications through hands-on workshops. It is aimed at professionals and students in the information and communications technology sector.

• Date and place: July 3 to 5 in Zaragoza.

Deep into Data Science. University of Cantabria.

This course focuses on the study of big data using Python. The emphasis of the course is on Machine Learning, including sessions on artificial intelligence, neural networks or Cloud Computing. This is a technical course, which presupposes previous knowledge in science and programming with Python.

• Date and place: From July 15 to 19, 2024 in Torrelavega.

Data management for the use of artificial intelligence in tourist destinations. University of Alicante.  

This course approaches the concept of Smart Tourism Destination (ITD) and addresses the need to have an adequate technological infrastructure to ensure its sustainable development, as well as to carry out an adequate data management that allows the application of artificial intelligence techniques. During the course, open data and data spaces and their application in tourism will be discussed. It is aimed at all audiences with an interest in the use of emerging technologies in the field of tourism.

• Date and place: From July 22 to 26, 2024 in Torrevieja.

The challenges of digital transformation of productive sectors from the perspective of artificial intelligence and data processing technologies. University of Extremadura.

Now that the summer is over, we find this course where the fundamentals of digital transformation and its impact on productive sectors are addressed through the exploration of key data processing technologies, such as the Internet of Things, Big Data, Artificial Intelligence, etc. During the sessions, case studies and implementation practices of these technologies in different industrial sectors will be analyzed. All this without leaving aside the ethical, legal and privacy challenges. It is aimed at anyone interested in the subject, without the need for prior knowledge.

• Date and place: From September 17 to 19, in Cáceres.

These courses are just examples that highlight the importance that data-related skills are acquiring in Spanish companies, and how this is reflected in university offerings. Do you know of any other courses offered by public universities? Let us know in comments.

In the medical sector, access to information can transform lives. This is one of the main reasons why data sharing and open data communities or open science linked to medical research have become such a valuable resource. Medical research groups that champion the use and reuse of data are leading this transformation, driving innovation, improving collaboration and accelerating the advancement of science.

As we saw in the case of FISABIO Fundation, the open data in the health sector foster collaboration between researchers, speed up the process of validating study results and, ultimately, help save lives. This trend not only facilitates faster discoveries, but also helps to create more effective solutions. In Spain, the Consejo Superior de Investigación Científica (CSIC) is committed to open data and some renowned hospitals also share their research results while protecting their patients' sensitive data.

In this post, we will explore how research groups and health communities are sharing and reusing data to drive groundbreaking research and showcase more inspiring use cases. From developing new treatments to identifying trends in public health, data is redefining the medical research landscape and opening up new opportunities to improve global health.

Medical research groups committed to working with shared data

In Spain, there are several research groups and communities that share their findings more freely through platforms and databases that facilitate global collaboration and data reuse in the field of health. Below, we highlight some of the most influential cases, demonstrating how access to information can accelerate scientific progress and improve health outcomes.

• H2O - Health Outcomes Observatory clinical data repository

H2O is a strategic public-private partnership to create a robust data infrastructure and governance model to collect and incorporate patient outcomes at scale into health decision-making at the individual and population level. H2O's approach puts patients in ultimate control of their health and ensures that only they exercise that control  and ensures that only they exercise that control. Hospitals from all over the world participate in this consortium, including the Spanish Hospital Universitario Fundación Jiménez Díaz and the Hospital Vall d'Hebron. The Spain Research Unit collects patient-reported health outcomes and other clinical data to build an observatory to improve patient care.

• Carlos III Health Institute: IMPaCT open science research projects

Within the framework of the IMPaCT infrastructure, different projects are being developed and approved as part of the Action in Health's grants for Precision Personalised Medicine Research Projects:

1. COHORTE Programme - Predictive Medicine
2. DATA programme: Data science
3. GENOMICS Programme - Genomic medicine

The information, data, metadata and scientific products generated in IMPaCT are open access, to make science more accessible, efficient, democratic and transparent. Hospitals and research institutes from all over Spain are participating in this project.

• POP Health Data: medical research project of the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) and the Platform of Patients' Organisations (POP)

This is a data project developed collaboratively between ISCIII and POP to improve knowledge and evidence on the clinical, occupational and social reality of chronic patients, and social reality of chronic patients, which is crucial for us. This initiative involves 36 national patient organisations, 16 scientific societies and 3 public administrations, including the Ministry of Social Rights and Agenda 2030, the Carlos III Health Institute and the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products.

• European Cancer Imaging Initiative european project to provide cancer imaging and support cancer research.

One of the objectives of the European Cancer Plan is to maximise the potential of data and digital technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) or high performance computing (HPC). The cornerstone of the initiative will be a federated European infrastructure for cancer imaging data, developed by the European Federation of Cancer Imaging (EUCAIM). The project starts with 21 clinical centres in 12 countries, including 4 Spanish centres located in Valencia, Barcelona, Seville and Madrid.

• 4CE: Research Consortium

It is an international consortium for the study of the COVID-19 pandemic using electronic health record (EHR) data. The aim of the project - led by the international international academic user group i2b2 - isto inform clinicians, epidemiologists and the general public about COVID-19 patients with data acquired through the healthcare process. The platform offers aggregated data that are available on the project's own website divided between adult and paediatric data. In both cases, the data must be used for academic and research purposes; the project does not allow the use of the data for medical guidance or clinical diagnosis.

In conclusion, the commitment to data sharing and reuse in medical research is proving to be a fundamental catalyst for scientific progress and the improvement of public health. Through initiatives such as H2O, IMPaCT, and the European Cancer Imaging Initiative, we see how accessibility in data management is redefining the way we approach disease research and treatment.

The integration of data analytics practices promises a future where innovation in healthcare is achieved faster, more equitably and efficiently, thus delivering better outcomes for patients globally.

Open data should be inherently accessible, meaning it must be available for free and without barriers that could restrict access and reuse. Accessibility is a fundamental and complex issue because it means that these data sets should not only be available in reusable formats but also that anyone should be able to access and interpret them.

To ensure that access to open data is democratic, it must meet fundamental accessibility criteria that affect both the platform (web) and the way its content is displayed (e.g., through visualizations). In this context, this post delves into the essential principles to ensure that open data is inclusive and useful for a diverse audience. Discover recommendations aimed at improving the accessibility of open data portals and platforms, as well as best practices for data visualization, with a focus on the importance of inclusive design that considers the needs of all users.

Levels of Web Accessibility

When focusing on the platform, open data portals can refer to the web accessibility specifications identified by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), the leading international organization for web standardization, which sets guidelines for web accessibility that a website should meet.

1. Perceivable: Information and user interface components must be presented to users in ways they can perceive, regardless of any physical or cognitive disabilities they might have.

2. Operable: User interface components and navigation must be operable. Therefore, users who use the keyboard instead of the mouse must be able to interact correctly with a webpage; no time limit should be imposed on users to complete interactions, and there should be ways to navigate and find content easily.

3. Understandable: Text must be clear and easy to understand, the user interface and navigation must be consistent and predictable, and webpages must help users when they make mistakes filling out a form, for example.

4. Robust: Content must be robust enough to be reliably interpreted by a variety of web browsers and other software, such as screen readers.

Each guideline has compliance criteria that can be tested. These criteria are classified into three levels: A, AA, AAA. The levels, from least to most, are:

• A (Minimum): All non-text content like images and videos must have textual alternatives; videos and audios must have subtitles; navigation should be possible using only the keyboard; the page must have a clear title and assigned language.
• AA (Acceptable): In addition to all level A requirements, other functionalities are added, such as live videos also having subtitles; the contrast ratio between text and background must be at least 4.5:1; text must be resizable up to 200% without losing content or functionality; text images should not be used.
• AAA (Optimal): This level requires all the features of levels A and AA, along with other requirements such as sign language interpretation for videos or a contrast ratio between text and background of at least 7:1.

Accessible Open Data Websites and Visualizations

Considering the conditions and recommendations set by W3C, the European Open Data Portal offers a Data Visualization Guide that includes best practices for accessibility in data visualization. Following the guidelines of this Guide, to respect inclusivity from the design stage, a good data visualization must meet three conditions: it must be perceivable, understandable, and adaptable.

• Perceivable: Colors must be adapted for people with vision problems, and the font size and contrast must be adequate.

• Understandable: The interface must be user-friendly and intuitive. Whenever possible, the graphic should be understandable regardless of the user's background.

• Adaptable: The visualization must be responsive, meaning it adapts to the dimensions of each electronic device, flexible, editable, or with viewing options for people with cognitive disabilities.

Once these three conditions are identified, we can analyze if our graphic meets them by paying attention to issues such as the use of an appropriate color palette for people with vision problems, good contrast, and understandable titles and text. It is also advisable to include alternative text (adapted for people with intellectual disabilities) and, when necessary, a visualization guide to understand the graphic.

Tools to Improve Accessibility

To apply accessibility principles in data visualization, we can use three resources:

• Accessibility Audit Tools: Conducting accessibility audits is a good practice, for example, using Chartability which analyzes websites considering all aspects related to inclusion.

• HTML: The fundamental web markup language was developed with accessibility in mind, so using its elements semantically correctly is a simple way to ensure a basic level of accessibility. This applies to the context of a visualization (which should use elements like headers and paragraphs correctly, for example), interactive elements (like links, buttons, and inputs), and the elements of a visualization itself. It is better to offer a visualization in HTML than in image format (jpg or png) whenever possible. When not possible, it is necessary to provide an accessible alternative (an alternative text, as mentioned earlier).

  • SVG: Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) is a format for two-dimensional vector graphics, both static and animated, in Extensible Markup Language (XML) format, meaning it is composed of code and its specification is an open standard developed by W3C to generate accessible graphics.

• Datawrapper: Among many data visualization tools, Datawrapper offers the possibility to test accessible color palettes and write alternative descriptions, among other accessibility-related functions.

In summary, data visualization is a method to make a data set and its visualizations more accessible. Taking these accessibility tips into account and incorporating them by default into the design when presenting a data set visually will enrich the result and reach a wider audience.

Content developed based on the Data Visualization Guide from the European Open Data Portal: https://data.europa.eu/apps/data-visualisation-guide/accessibility-of-data-visualisation