encuentro nacional

Imagine you want to know how many terraces there are in your neighbourhood, how the pollen levels in the air you breathe every day are evolving or whether recycling in your city is working well. All this information exists in your municipality's databases, but it sits in spreadsheets and technical documents that only experts know how to interpret.

This is where open data visualisation initiativescome in: they transform those seemingly cold numbers into stories that anyone can understand at a glance.  A colourful graph showing the evolution of traffic on your street, an interactive map showing the green areas of your city, or an infographic explaining how the municipal budget is spent. These tools make public information accessible, useful and, moreover, comprehensible to all citizens.

Moreover, the advantages of this type of solution are not only for the citizens, but also benefit the Administration that carries out the exercise, because it allows:

• Detect and correct data errors.
• Add new sets to the portal.
• Reduce the number of questions from citizens.
• Generate more trust on the part of society.

Therefore, visualising open data brings government closer to citizens, facilitates informed decision-making, helps public administrations to improve their open data offer and creates a more participatory society where we can all better understand how the public sector works. In this post, we present some examples of open data visualisation initiatives in regional and municipal open data portals.

Visualiza Madrid: bringing data closer to the public

Madrid City Council's open data portal has developed the initiative "Visualiza Madrid", a project born with the specific objective of making open data and its potential reach the general public , transcending specialised technical profiles. As Ascensión Hidalgo Bellota, Deputy Director General for Transparency of Madrid City Council, explained during the IV National Meeting on Open Data, "this initiative responds to the need to democratise access to public information".

Visualiza Madrid currently has 29 visualisations that cover different topics of interest to citizens, from information on hotel and restaurant terraces to waste management and urban traffic analysis. This thematic diversity demonstrates the versatility of visualisations as a tool for communicating information from very diverse sectors of public administration.

 In addition, the initiative has received external recognition this year through the Audaz 2,025 Awards, an initiative of the Spanish chapter of the Open Government Academic Network (RAGA Spain).The initiative has also received external recognition through the Audaz 2,025 Awards.

Castilla y León: comprehensive analysis of regional data

 The Junta de Castilla y León has also developed a portal specialised in analysis and visualisations that stands out for its comprehensive approach to the presentation of regional data. Its visualisation platform offers a systematic approach to the analysis of regional information, allowing users to explore different dimensions of the reality of Castilla y Leónthrough interactive and dynamic tools.

This initiative allows complex information to be presented in a structured and understandable way, facilitating both academic analysis and citizen use of the data. The platform integrates different sources of regional information, creating a coherent ecosystem of visualisations that provides a panoramic view of different aspects of regional management. Among the topics it offers are data on tourism, the labour market and budget execution. All the visualisations are made with open data sets from the regional portal of Castilla y León .

The Castilla y León approach demonstrates how visualisations can serve as a tool for territorial analysis, providing valuable insights on economic, social and demographic dynamics that are fundamental for the planning and evaluation of regional public policies.

Canary Islands: technological integration with interactive widgets .

On the other hand, the Government of the Canary Islands has opted for an innovative strategy through the implementation of widgets that allow the integration of open data visualisations of the Instituto Canario de Estadística (ISTAC) in different platforms and contexts. This technological approach represents a qualitative leap in the distribution and reuse of public data visualisations.

The widgets developed by the Canary Islands make it easier for third parties to embed official visualisations in their own applications, websites or analyses, exponentially expanding the scope and usefulness of Canary Islands open data. This strategy not only multiplies the points of access to public information, but also fosters the creation of a collaborative ecosystem where different actors can benefit from and contribute to the value of open data.

The Canarian initiative illustrates how technology can be used to create scalable and flexible solutions that maximise the impact of investments in open data visualisation, establishing a replicable model for other administrations seeking to amplify the reach of their transparency initiatives.

Lessons learned and best practices

By way of example, the cases analysed reveal common patterns that can serve as a guide for future initiatives. The orientation towards the general public, beyond specialised technical users, emerges as an opportunity factor for the success of these platforms. To maintain the interest and relevance of the visualisations, it is important to offer thematic diversity and to update the data regularly.

Technological integration and interoperability, as demonstrated in the case of the Canary Islands, open up new possibilities to maximise the impact of public investments in data visualisation. Likewise, external recognition and participation in professional networks, as evidenced in the case of Madrid, contribute to continuous improvement and the exchange of best practices between administrations.

In general terms, open data visualisation initiatives represent a very valuable opportunity in the transparency and open government strategy of Spanish public administrations. The cases of Madrid, Castilla y León, as well as the Canary Islands, are examples of the enormous potential for transforming public data into tools for citizen empowerment and improved public management.

The success of these initiatives lies in their ability to connect government information with the real needs of citizens, creating bridges of understanding that strengthen the relationship between administration and society. As these experiences mature and consolidate, it will be crucial to keep the focus on the usability, accessibility and relevance of visualisations, ensuring that open data truly delivers on its promise to contribute to a more informed, participatory and democratic society.

Open data visualisation is not just a technical issue, but a strategic opportunity to redefine public communication and strengthen the foundations of a truly open and transparent administration.

On 16 May, Lanzarote became the epicentre of open culture and open data in Spain with the celebration of the IV Encuentro Nacional de Datos Abiertos (ENDA). Under the slogan "Data in the culture of open knowledge", this edition brought together more than a hundred experts, professionals and open data enthusiasts to reflect on how to boost the development and progress of our society through free access to information.

The event, held in the emblematic Jameos del Agua Auditorium, was organised by the Government of the Canary Islands, through the Directorate General for the Digital Transformation of Public Services, the Directorate General for Transparency and Citizen Participation, the Canary Islands Institute of Statistics and the Island Council of Lanzarote under the brand "Canarias Datos Abiertos".

The transformation to data-driven organisations

The day began with the inauguration by Antonio Llorens de la Cruz, Vice Councillor for Administrations and Transparency of the Government of the Canary Islands, and Miguel Ángel Jiménez Cabrera, Councillor of the Area of Presidency, Human Resources, New Technologies, Energy, Housing, Transport, Mobility and Accessibility of the Island Council of Lanzarote.

This was followed by a talk by Óscar Corcho García, Professor at the Polytechnic University of Madrid, who addressed the " Challenges in the transformation of an organisation to be data-centric, using knowledge graphs. The case of the European Railway Agency ". Corcho presented the case study of the European Railway Agency (ERA).

In his presentation, Corcho insisted that the transformation from a traditional to a data-driven organisation goes far beyond technology implementation. This transformation process requires strengthening the legal framework, harmonising processes, vocabularies and master data, establishing governance of the ontology model and creating a community of users to further enrich the model.

In this process, metadata, data catalogues and reference data are key elements. In addition, knowledge graphs are essential tools for connecting and integrating data from proprietary systems.

Open data for science in the service of public decisions

The first of the roundtables addressed how open data can serve science to improve public decisions. Participants highlighted the need to strengthen the data economy, move towards technological sovereignty and promote effective citizen participation.

Diego Ramiro Fariñas, Director of the Institute of Economics, Geography and Demography of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), highlighted:

• The importance of longitudinal data infrastructures, i.e. data that are collected over time for the same units.
• The value of linked data in breaking down information silos.
• The need to preserve statistical heritage.
•  The project Es_Datalab, which allows cross-referencing data such as those of the Tax Agency with those of Health.
•  The potential of synthetic data to reduce bias in AI applications.

Ramiro Fariñas also emphasised that the National Statistics Institute has transformed its entire statistical production towards data mining, and that leading institutes such as the Canary Islands and Andalusia are improving the publication of data to improve public policies. He pointed out two fundamental aspects: the need for greater interlocution between data producers and the training of administration staff to overcome the main barriers to putting science at the service of public decisions.

Izaskun Lacunza Aguirrebengoa, Director of the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT), stressed the importance of transforming the model of science, making it easier for scientific institutions to protect and share research information. He explained the concept of open science in contrast to some of the current practices, where knowledge generated with public funds ends up being controlled by private oligopolies that subsequently sell this processed information to the very institutions that generated it. Lacunza advocated public-public collaboration through initiatives such as the Office of Science and Technology in Congress.

Another participant in this round table was Tania Gullón Muñoz-Repiso, Coordinator of the Innovation and Geospatial Analysis Area of the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, who shared how data is crucial for the management of emergencies such as the DANA. The Ministry's mobility data has hundreds of reusers, drives new businesses and enables predictive modelling. Gullón insisted that it is key that the data provided by citizens include an explanation of how it has been used, considering this feedback fundamental to give value to open science.

Open culture: removing barriers to knowledge

The round table "Open culture: how data brings us closer to knowledge" discussed how to remove barriers to access, study and transformation of knowledge so that it can be returned to society and its potential can be harnessed.

In this thematic block, Florencia Claes, Academic Director of Free Culture at the Office of Free Knowledge and Culture (OfiLibre) of the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos (URJC), defined open culture as the current that seeks access to knowledge without barriers and the possibility of being able to appropriate that knowledge, study it and share it again with society. He highlighted interesting ideas such as that publishing content on the internet does not automatically mean that it is open, as open content must meet certain standards and conditions that are not always met.

 Claes explained the value of Open Educational Resources (OER) and how the URJC has a specific office to disseminate open culture, open science and open data. He pointed out that there is a deficiency in the training of university teaching staff on licensing and OER, considering this training as a key element to advance in the culture of openness.

In addition, he stressed that mass access to data facilitates its control, error detection and improvement. For this, initiatives such as Wikimedia or OpenStreetMap are very interesting, both projects accept voluntary participation and your contribution is essential to building and maintaining online open environments.

At the same table, Julio Cordal Elviro, Head of the Area of Library Projects and responsible for relations with Europeana at the Ministry of Culture, explained the evolution of Europeana from simple harvester to digital library, with projects based on semantic metadata, highlighting the challenges of standardisation and digital preservation of more than 60 million cultural works. He explained that the emergence of Google Books acted as a catalyst to "get the ball rolling" in this area.

Cordal also presented the Hispanaproject, which compiles information on digitised collections throughout Spain and federates with Europeana, and mentioned that they have begun to generate OER. He underlined how the use of technologies such as OCR (rOptical Character Recognition) and the online availability of funds makes it easier for researchers to save infinite time in their work. "When you make data open and free, you are opening up new opportunities," he concluded.

On the other hand, José Luis Bueren Gómez-Acebo, Technical Directorof the National Library of Spain (BNE), shared the digital transformation process of the institution, its commitment to open licences and the importance of the emotional component that drives citizen participation in cultural projects.

Bueren explained how the BNE continues its work of compiling and digitising all the bibliographic works produced in Spain, keeping connected with Wikidata and other international libraries in a standardised way. Through initiatives such as BNE Data, they offer a more practical and didactic vision of the information they publish.

He stressed the importance of citizens re-appropriating the cultural content, feeling that it is theirs, recalling that the BNE is indebted to the scientific community and to all citizens. Among the innovative projects they are promoting, he mentioned the automatic transcription of manuscripts. As challenges for the future, he pointed to sustainability, the management of intellectual property and the need for cultural institutions to be able to adapt to new trends.

Prioritisation of public data openness

As in each edition, ENDA presented a specific challenge. This year, Casey Abernethy, Technical Manager of the Asociación Multisectorial de la Información (ASEDIE), and José de León Rojas, Head of the Negociado de Modernización del Cabildo Insular de Lanzarote, presented a methodology and tool to help public administrations decide what datasets they should publish and in what order of priority, based on:

• Data sets recommended by the FEMP.
• Priority sets defined in the UNE Standard on Smart Cities and Open Data.
• High-value assemblies according to European standards.
• Sets requested by ASEDIE (Top 10 ASEDIE).
• Sets derived from transparency indices or regulations.

The proposed methodology considers three fundamental indices: organisational maturity, technical difficulty and strategic relevance. The 4th challenge in the context of the Encuentro was specifically aimed at choosing the key datasets to be published in a public administration according to its open data maturity. This methodology has been implemented in an operational tool that can be found on the Meetings website.

The power of free software and open communities

During the afternoon, the panel "Unlocking the potential of open data" highlighted how free software and open communities drive the use and exploitation of open data:

• Emilio López Cano, Professor at the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos and president of the Hispanic R Community, showed how the R community facilitates the use of open data through specific packages.
• Miguel Sevilla Callejo, Research Assistant at the Pyrenean Institute of Ecology of the CSIC and vice-president of the OpenStreetMap Spain association, presented OpenStreetMap as an invaluable source of open spatial data and highlighted its importance in emergency situations.
• Patricio del Boca, Technical Lead and member of the Open Knowledge Foundation (OKFN) CKAN technical team, explained the advantages of CKAN as an open source platform for implementing open data portals and presented the new Open Data Editor tool.

Open administrations at the service of citizens

The last round table addressed how administrations can bring data and its value closer to citizens:

• Ascensión Hidalgo Bellota, Deputy Director General for Transparency of Madrid City Council, presented "View Madrid with Open Data". Hidalgo stressed that the project has significantly reduced the number of citizen consultations thanks to its clarifying nature, thus demonstrating a double benefit: bringing data closer to the population and optimising the administration's resources.
• Carlos Alonso Peña, Director of the Design, Innovation and Exploitation Division at the Directorate General for Data, highlighted the cultural change that the Administration is undergoing, moving from data protection to responsible openness. He presented the Data Directorate General's initiatives to move beyond open data towards a single data market: the data spaces, where concrete solutions are being developed to demonstrate the business potential in this area. He also pointed to the growing importance of private data in the wake of the General Data Regulation and the obligations it establishes.
• Joseba Asiain Albisu, Director General of the Directorate General of the Presidency, Open Government and Relations with the Parliament of Navarre of the Government of Navarre, explained Navarre's strategy to improve data quality, centralise information and promote continuous evaluation. He commented on how the Government of Navarra seeks to balance quantity and quality in the publication of data, centralising data from the entire region and submitting metadata to external evaluation, with the collaboration of, among others, datos.gob.es.

The value of open data meetings

The IV ENDA has demonstrated, once again, the importance of these spaces for reflection and debate for:

• Sharing good practices and experiences between public administrations.
• Encourage collaboration between institutions, academia and the private sector.
• Promote the culture of open data as a tool for social innovation.
• Promote the development of skills in public administration staff.
• Improving public policies through information sharing.

After four consecutive editions, the National Open Data Meeting has established itself as a must-attend event for all the people and entities involved in the open data ecosystem in Spain. This event contributes significantly to building a more informed, participatory and transparent society.

ENDA will continue in 2026 with its fifth edition, committed to continue promoting the culture of open data as a driver of economic and social development in our country.  The organisation has already announced that the next edition of the event will be held in Navarre in 2026.. Follow us on social media to keep up to date with events on open data and related technologies. You can read us on Twitter (X), LinkedIn and Instagram.

Once again this year, the IV National Open Data Meeting (ENDA) is presented as an essential event for professionals, public administrations and citizens interested in the transformative potential of open data in our society. Under the slogan "Data in the culture of open knowledge", this event will focus on the fundamental role of open culture in the digital society of the 21st century.

Open culture promotes the creation and exchange of content without licence restrictions, allowing its free accessibility and reuse. Open, publicly available data is a fundamental pillar of this concept, as it can be used by any person or entity to develop new applications, analyses and services, thus fostering innovation and collaborative work.

The event will take place on 16 May 2025 at the Auditorio Jameos del Agua, Lanzarote, from 9:30 to 17:00. It is important to note that this is an exclusively face-to-face event, without live broadcasting, with a capacity limited to 100 people.

ENDA's trajectory: a journey through open data

Today, the National Open Data Meeting has established itself as a space of reference for reflection and debate on the use of open data as an engine for development and social progress. Since its first edition in 2022, each meeting has addressed specific themes of great relevance:

• 2022: use of open data to promote territorial cohesion and combat depopulation.
• 2023: Dissemination and re-use of data to address the environmental challenge.
• 2024: boosting the tourism sector through open data.
• 2025: the culture of open knowledge in the digital society of the 21st century.

Objectives and key data of the IV ENDA

This year's event is organised under the brand Canarias Datos Abiertos by the following institutions: Cabildo Insular de Lanzarote, and these three institutions of the Canary Islands Government: Directorate General for the Digital Transformation of Public Services, Directorate General for Transparency and Citizen Participation and the Canary Islands Statistics Institute.

This year, the main purpose of this meeting is to generate a space for reflection and debate on how open data can contribute to the development and progress of our society, especially in the context of public administrations. In addition, two complementary objectives are pursued:

1. Competence development: promoting skills and knowledge among public administration staff to maximise the use of open data.
2. Improving public policies: enriching decision-making thanks to the information generated and shared through these meetings.

Programme: a journey through open knowledge

The Meeting, presented by Marc Garriga Portolà (CEO of DesideDatum Data Company), is structured to offer a complete vision of open culture and data as a catalyst for knowledge:.

Morning

• 10:00 - Official opening by representatives of the Cabildo de Lanzarote and the Canary Islands Government.
• 10:20 - Presentation on transforming data-centric organisations using knowledge networks, with the case of the European Railway Agency as a practical example.
• 11:00 - Round table "Open data for a science at the service of public decisions", with representatives from CSIC, FECYT and the Ministry of Transport.
• 11:45 - Round table: "Open culture: how data brings us closer to knowledge", with experts from the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, the Ministry of Culture and the National Library.

Afternoon

• 14:00 - Presentation of the IV ENDA challenge.
•  14:30 - Roundtable: "Unlocking the potential of open data", with specialists from the R Hispano community, OpenStreetMap Spain and the Open Knowledge Foundation..
• 15:15 - Round table: "Open administrations at the service of citizens", with representatives from different levels of public administration.
• 16:00 - Conclusions.
• 16:30 - Official closing.

Who is it aimed at?

The IV ENDA is specially designed for:

• Data governance managers and managers of open data portals in public administrations.
• Technical staff and professionals involved in open data management, both in the public sector and in other organisations.
• Administration staff at state, territorial and local level.
• Journalists and communication professionals interested in the potential of open data.
• General public with an interest in transparency and open knowledge.

This meeting offers a unique opportunity to:

1. Connect with experts in open data and open knowledge culture.
2. To learn about case studies of data-driven organisational transformation.
3. Discover tools and methodologies for the efficient management of open data.
4. Participate in discussions on the application of open data in different areas.
5. To contribute to the reflection on the future of administrations open to citizen service.

How to participate: registration

Registration will be open from today, 7 April, until 30 April (provisional date). To secure your place in this limited capacity event, you must access the registration form that will be available from today.

The culture of open knowledge is an approach full of opportunities, discover them at the 4th National Open Data Meeting. This meeting aims to be a space for the exchange of ideas, experiences and best practices. Stay tuned to our social networks so you don't miss anything. You can also follow the networks of the Canary Islands Statistics Institute (ISTAC) which will be disseminating all the information related to the event both on Twitter and LinkedIn.

 More information about the event: https://encuentrosdatosabiertos.es/

On 28 November, the 2nd Forum for the Government and the Autonomous Communities to meet around data was held in Seville, organised by the State Secretariat for Digitalisation and Artificial Intelligence (SEDIA), in collaboration with the Andalusian Institute of Statistics and Cartography (IECA) and the Digital Agency of Andalusia (ADA). Almost all the autonomous communities participated, reflecting their commitment to data as a strategic driver of digital transformation.

The programme addressed key issues, such as the lessons learned in the implementation of data governance, the impact of its ethical use, and the potential of public-private collaboration in the deployment of sectoral data spaces, with emphasis on the Plan for the Promotion of Sectoral Data Spaces recently presented by the Ministry for Digital Transformation on 21 November.

Here is a summary of the key points of the meeting.

A space to exchange experiences, success stories and lessons learned.

The event brought together more than 70 experts from units of the General State Administration and 15 autonomous communities and the Autonomous City of Melilla, which are active in the use and management of data in their organisations. El objetivo era poner en común las experiencias en este ámbito y compartir los casos de éxito y los aprendizajes derivados de la implantación de iniciativas de gobierno del dato, promoviendo la colaboración entre administraciones para mejorar la competitividad y la eficiencia digital futura.

The forum was opened by the Regional Minister of Presidency, Interior, Social Dialogue and Administrative Simplification of the Andalusian Regional Government, and the Director General of Data of the Ministry for Digital Transformation and Public Administration, and was closed by the Director of IECA.

The day was structured around three round tables with 15 speakers. The attendees were also able to answer various questions related to the subject matter of each of these roundtables, in order to ascertain their perceptions in this regard. This format facilitated a fruitful and enriching exchange of ideas that allowed attendees to explore key issues.

• Table 1 "Experiences of implementing Data Governance: Lessons learnt. The first round table focused on different experiences in data governance. The speakers shared the challenges faced and the practical lessons learned, with the aim of serving as an example and point of reflection for similar initiatives that participants might undertake in the future. The importance of support at the highest level and the use of existing frameworks, such as UNE specifications or the DAMA methodology, was stressed. The need to focus not only on technology, but also to respond to cultural and organisational changes, and to establish processes and structures that will last over time was also emphasised.
• Table 2 "Data with purpose: Success stories of ethical and reliable use of data". The second roundtable focused on presenting concrete results obtained through the ethical and reliable use of data. The speakers shared their backgrounds and achievements, illustrating the wide possibilities that a well governed and managed data can generate in terms of citizen service and improvement of public administration. The work to be done on the quantity and quality of datawas highlighted, without losing focus on the future goal, which is to solve today's problems through sustainable projects.
• Table 3 "Data spaces from the perspective of public-private collaboration and the enhancement of public data". The third and final roundtable explored the paradigm of data spaces. Special emphasis was placed on public-private partnerships and how to enhance the value of public data. A highlight of this session was the presentation by the Directorate General for Data of the Plan for the Promotion of Sectoral Data Spaces. This plan seeks to deploy data spaces across the different productive sectors, underlining the fundamental value that quality public data can have in their effective implementation.

Overall, these roundtables not only provided a platform for the exchange of knowledge and experiences, but also laid the groundwork for future collaborations and innovative projects in the field of data management and governance in the Spanish public administration.

Attendees were very appreciative of the wide variety of roles involved, giving different views on something as complex as data governance, which includes many different approaches and competencies. The general perception is that shared experiences help others to try to circumvent the barriers that others have previously had to overcome and to reach the final goal faster, which is to provide better service and implement better public policies for citizens through a data-driven government.

Conclusions of the Forum

Some of the conclusions reached were:

• It is necessary to focus on data quality. Without quality data, well governed and managed, it will be difficult to achieve valuable solutions, for example in the field of artificial intelligence.
• Invest in data governance by ensuring sustainable projects. Data governance is not just about technology, but about business and services. It requires considerable effort on the part of organisations to create data that reflect reality and are truly useful for decision-making, breaking down silos and implementing citizen-oriented services. To this end, it is recommended to build on existing conceptual frameworks, oriented towards processes and organisational structures that are sustainable over time.
• The Autonomous Communities can help the deployment of the Plan for the Promotion of Data Spaces from a public-private partnership perspective and benefit from its actions.
• We need to influence the data culture in organisations. The objective is to incorporate data governance into the different business areas, supporting organisational objectives, ensuring that the data culture permeates the organisation and is perceived as something transversal that contributes value to the different sectors as well as to the administration and society as a whole.

Upcoming performances

After the success of the first edition, held in Navarre in 2023, the forum has been consolidated as a reference space for the exchange of experiences and good practices in data management, essential for those seeking to lead the future of data management in public administrations.

Theday concluded with a proposal for continuity, highlighting the need to create a community of knowledge exchange between editions. Furthermore, the Principality of Asturias has applied to host the third edition of the forum, to be held in 2025, which demonstrates the growing interest in further consolidating this space for inter-institutional cooperation on data.

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.