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In an increasingly digitised world, the creation, use and distribution of software and data have become essential activities for individuals, businesses and government organisations. However, behind these everyday practices lies a crucial aspect: licensingof both software and data.

Understanding what licences are, their types and their importance is essential to ensure legal and ethical use of digital resources. In this article, we will explore these concepts in a simple and accessible way, as well as discuss a valuable tool called Joinup Licensing Assistant, developed by the European Union.

What are licences and why are they important?

A licence is a legal agreement that grants specific permissions on the use of a digital product, be it software, data, multimedia content or other resources. This agreement sets out the conditions under which the product may be used, modified, distributed or marketed. Licences are essential because they protect the rights of creators, ensure that users understand their rights and obligations, and foster a safe and collaborative digital environment.

The following are some examples of the most popular ones, both for data and software.

Common types of licences

Copyright 

Copyright is an automatic protection which arises at the moment of the creation of an original work, be it literary, artistic or scientific. It is not necessary to formally register the work in order for it to be protected by copyright. This right grants the creator exclusive rights over the reproduction, distribution, public communication and transformation of his work.

Ejemplo: When a company creates a dataset on, for example, construction trends, it automatically owns the copyright on that data. This means that others may not use, modify or distribute such data without the explicit permission of the creator.

Public domain

When a work is not protected by copyright, it is considered to be in the public domain. This may occur because the rights have expired, the author has waived them or because the work does not meet the legal requirements for protection. For example, a work that lacks sufficient originality - such as a telephone list or a standard form - does not qualify for protection. Works in the public domain may be used freely by anyone, without the need to obtain permission.

Ejemplo: Many classic works of literature, such as those of William Shakespeare, are in the public domain and can be freely reproduced and adapted.

Creative commons

The Creative Commons licences offer aflexible way to grant permissions for the use of copyrighted works. These licences allow creators to specify which uses they do and do not allow, facilitating the dissemination and re-use of their works under clear conditions. The most common CC licences include:

• CC BY (Attribution): permits the use, distribution and creation of derivative works, provided credit is given to the original author.

• CC BY-SA (Attribution-Share Alike): in addition to attribution, requires that derivative works be distributed under the same licence.

• CC BY-ND (Attribution-No Derivative Works): permits redistribution, commercial and non-commercial, provided the work remains intact and credit is given to the author.

• CC0 (Public Domain): allows creators to waive all rights to their works, allowing them to be used freely without attribution.

These licences are especially useful for creators who wish to share their works while retaining certain rights over their use.

GNU General Public License (GPL)

The GNU General Public License (GPL) , created by the Free Software Foundation, guarantees that software licensed under its terms will always remain free and accessible to everyone. This licence is specifically designed for software, not data. It aims to ensure that the software remains free, accessible and modifiable by any user, protecting the freedoms related to its use and distribution.

This licence not only allows users to use, modify and distribute the software, but also requires that any derivative works retain the same terms of freedom. In other words, any software that is distributed or modified under the GPL must remain free for all its users. The GPL is designed to protect four essential freedoms:

• The freedom to use the software for any purpose.
• The freedom to study how the software works and adapt it to specific needs.
• The freedom to distribute copies of the software to help others.
• The freedom to improve the software and release the improvements for the benefit of the community.

One of the key features of the GPL is its "copyleft" clause, which requires that any derivative works be licensed under the same terms as the original software. This prevents free software from becoming proprietary and ensures that the original freedoms remain intact.

Ejemplo: Suppose a company develops a programme under the GPL and distributes it to its customers. If any of these customers decide to modify the source code to suit their needs, it is their right to do so. In addition, if the company or customer wishes to redistribute modified versions of the software, they must do so under the same GPL licence, ensuring that any new user also enjoys the original freedoms.

European Union Public Licence (EUPL)

The European Union Public License (EUPL) is a free and open source software licence developed by the European Commission. Designed to facilitate interoperability and cooperation between Europeansoftware, the EUPL allows the free use, modification and distribution of software, ensuring that derivative works are also kept open. In addition to covering software, the EUPL can be applied to ancillary documents such as specifications, user manuals and technical documentation.

Although the EUPL is used for software, in some cases it may be applicable to datasets or content (such as text, graphics, images, documentation or any other material not considered software or structured data),but its use in open data is less common than other specific licences such as Creative Commons or Open Data Commons.

Open Data Commons (ODC-BY)

The Open Data Commons Attribution License (ODC-BY) is a licence designed specifically for databases and datasets, developed by the Open Knowledge Foundation. It aims to allow free use of data, while requiring appropriate acknowledgement of the original creator. This licence is not designed for software, but for structured data, such as statistics, open catalogues or geospatial maps.

ODC-BY allows users to:

• Copy, Distribute and use the database.
• Create derivative works, such as visualisations, analyses or derivative products.
• Adapt data to new needs or combine them with other sources.

The only main condition is attribution: users must credit the original creator appropriately, including clear references to the source.

A notable feature of the ODC-BY is that does not impose a copyleft clause, meaning that derived data can be licensed under other terms, as long as attribution is maintained.

Ejemplo: Imagine that a city publishes its bicycle station database under ODC-BY. A company can download this data, create an app that recommends cycling routes and add new layers of information. As long as you clearly indicate that the original data comes from the municipality, you can offer your app under any licence you wish, even on a commercial basis.

A comparison of these most commonly used licences allows us to better understand their differences:

Figure 1. Comparative table. Source: own elaboration

Why is it necessary to use licences in the field of open data?

In the field of open data, these licences are essential to ensure that data is available for public use, promoting transparency, innovation and the development of data-driven solutions. In general, the advantages of using clear licences are:

1. Transparency and open access: clear licences allow citizens, researchers and developers to access and use public data without undue restrictions, fostering government transparency and accountability.

2. Fostering innovation: By enabling the free use of data, open data licences facilitate the creation of applications, services and analytics that can generate economic and social value.

3. Collaboration and reuse: licences that allow for the reuse and modification of data encourage collaboration between different entities and disciplines, fostering the development of more robust and complete solutions.

4. Improved data quality: The availability of open data encourages greater community participation and review, which can lead to an improvement in the quality and accuracy of the data available.

5. Legal certainty for the re-user: Clear licences provide confidence and certainty to those who re-use data, as they know they can do so legally and without fear of future conflicts.

Introduction to the Joinup Licensing Assistant?

In this complex licensing landscape, choosing the right one can be a daunting task, especially for those with no previous experience in licence management.  This is where the Joinup Licensing Assistant, a tool developed by the European Union and available at Joinup.europa.eu, comes in. This collaborative platform is designed to promote the exchange of solutions and best practices between public administrations, companies and citizens, and the Licensing Assistant is one of its star tools.

 For those working specifically with data, you may also find useful the report published by data.europa.eu, which provides more detailed recommendations on the selection of licences for open datasets in the European context.

The Joinup Licensing Assistant offers several features and benefits that simplify licence selection and management:

	Functionality		Benefits
	Customised advice: recommends suitable licences according to the type of project and your needs.		Simplifying the selection process: breaks down the choice of licence into clear steps, reducing complexity and time.
	Licence database: access to software licences, content and data, with clear descriptions.		Legal risk reduction: avoids legal problems by providing recommendations that are compatible with project requirements.
	Comparison of licences: allows you to easily see the differences between various licences.		Fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing: facilitates the exchange of experiences between users and public administrations.
	Legal update: provides information that is always up to date with current legislation.		Accessibility and usability: intuitive interface, useful even for those with no legal knowledge.
	Open data support: includes specific options to promote reuse and transparency.		Supporting the sustainability of free software and open data: promotes licences that drive innovation, openness and continuity of projects.

Figure 2. Table of functionality and benefits. Source: own elaboration

Various sectors can benefit from the use of the Joinup Licensing Assistant:.

1. Public administrations: to apply correct licences on software, content and open data, complying with European standards and encouraging re-use.
2. Software developers: to align licences with their business models and facilitate distribution and collaboration.
3. Content creators: to protect their rights and decide how their work can be used and shared.
4. Researchers and scientists: to publish reusable data to drive collaboration and scientific advances.

Conclusion

In an increasingly interconnected and regulated digital environment, using appropriate licences for software, content and especially open data is essential to ensure the legality, sustainability and impact of digital projects. Proper licence management facilitates collaboration, reuse and secure dissemination of resources, while reducing legal risks and promoting interoperability.

In this context, tools such as the Joinup Licensing Assistant offer valuable support for public administrations, companies and citizens, simplifying the choice of licences and adapting it to each case. Their use contributes to creating a more open, secure and efficient digital ecosystem.

Particularly in the field of open data, clear licences make data truly accessible and reusable, fostering institutional transparency, technological innovation and the creation of social value.

Content prepared by Mayte Toscano, Senior Consultant in Data Economy Technologies. The contents and points of view reflected in this publication are the sole responsibility of the author.

We live in an increasingly digitalised world where we work, study, inform ourselves and socialise through technologies. In this world, where technology and connectivity have become fundamental pillars of society, digital rights emerge as an essential component to guarantee freedom, privacy and equality in this new online facet of our lives.

Therefore, digital rights are nothing more than the extension of the fundamental rights and freedoms we already benefit from to the virtual environment. In this article we will explore what these rights are, why they are important and what are some of the benchmark initiatives in this area.

What are digital rights and why are they important?

As stated by Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, during the Internet Governance Forum in 2018:

"Humanity must be at the centre of technological evolution. Technology should not use people; we should use technology for the benefit of all".

Technology should be used to improve our lives, not to dominate them. For this to be possible, as has been the case with other transformative technologies in the past, we need to establish policies that prevent as far as possible the emergence of unintended effects or malicious uses. Therefore, digital rights seek to facilitate a humanist digital transformation, where technological innovation is accompanied by protection for people, through a set of guarantees and freedoms that allow citizens to exercise their fundamental rights also in the digital environment. These include, for example:

• Freedom of expression: for uncensored communication and exchange of ideas.
• Right to privacy and data protection: guaranteeing privacy and control over personal information.
• Access to information and transparency: ensuring that everyone has equal access to digital data and services.
• Online security: seeks to protect users from fraud, cyber-attacks and other risks in the digital world.

In a digital environment, where information circulates rapidly and technologies are constantly evolving, guaranteeing these rights is crucial to maintaining the integrity of our interactions, the way we access and consume information, and our participation in public life.

An international framework for digital rights

As technology advances, the concept of digital rights has become increasingly important globally in recent decades. While there is no single global charter of digital rights, there are many global and regional initiatives that point in the same direction: the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Originally, this declaration did not even mention the Internet, as it was proclaimed in 1948 and did not exist at that time, but today its principles are considered fully applicable to the digital world. Indeed, the international community agrees that the same rights that we proclaim for the offline world must also be respected online - "what is illegal offline must also be illegal online".

Furthermore, the United Nations has stressed that internet access is becoming a basic enabler of other rights, so connectivity should also be considered a new human right of the 21st century.

European and international benchmarking initiatives

In recent years, several initiatives have emerged with the aim of adapting and protecting fundamental rights also in the digital environment. For example, Europe has been a pioneer in establishing an explicit framework of digital principles. In January 2023, the European Union proclaimed the European Declaration on Digital Rights and Principles for the Digital Decade, a document that reflects the European vision of a people-centred technological transformation and sets out a common framework for safeguarding citizens' freedom, security and privacy in the digital age. This declaration, together with other international initiatives, underlines the need to harmonise traditional rights with the challenges and opportunities of the digital environment.

The Declaration, jointly agreed by the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission, defines a set of fundamental principles that should guide Europe's digital age (you can see a summary in this infographic):

• Focused on people and their rights: Technology must serve people and respect their rights and dignity, not the other way around.
• Solidarity and inclusion: promoting digital inclusion of all social groups, bridging the digital divide.
• Freedom of choice: ensure fair and safe online environments, where users have real choice and where net neutrality is respected.
• Participation in the digital public space: to encourage citizens to participate actively in democratic life at all levels, and to have control over their data.
• Safety and security: increase trust in digital interactions through greater security, privacy and user control, especially protecting minors.
• Sustainability: orienting the digital future towards sustainability, considering the environmental impact of technology.

The European Declaration on Digital Rights and Principles therefore sets out a clear roadmap for the European Union's digital laws and policies, guiding its digital transformation process. While this European Declaration does not itself create laws, it does establish a joint political commitment and a roadmap of values. Furthermore, it makes clear that Europe aims to promote these principles as a global standard.

In addition, the European Commission monitors implementation in all Member States and publishes an annual monitoring report, in conjunction with the State of the Digital Decade Report, to assess progress and stay on track. Furthermore, the Declaration serves as a reference in the EU's international relations, promoting a global digital transformation centred on people and human rights.

Outside Europe, several nations have also developed their own digital rights charters, such as the Ibero-American Charter of Principles and Rights in Digital Environments, and there are also international forums such as the Internet Governance Forum which regularly discusses how to protect human rights in cyberspace. The global trend is therefore to recognise that the digital age requires adapting and strengthening existing legal protections, not by creating "new" fundamental rights out of thin air, but by translating existing ones to the new environment.

Spain's Digital Bill of Rights

In line with all these international initiatives, Spain has also taken a decisive step by proposing its own Charter of Digital Rights. This ambitious project aims to define a set of specific principles and guarantees to ensure that all citizens enjoy adequate protection in the digital environment. Its goals include:

• Define privacy and security standards that respond to the needs of citizens in the digital age.
• Encourage transparency and accountability in both the public and private sectors.
• To promote digital inclusion, ensuring equitable access to technologies and information.

In short, this national initiative represents an effort to adapt regulations and public policies to the challenges of the digital world, strengthening citizens' confidence in the use of new technologies. Moreover, since it was published as early as July 2021, it has also contributed to subsequent reflection processes at European level, including the European Declaration mentioned above.

The Spanish Digital Bill of Rights is structured in six broad categories covering the areas of greatest risk and uncertainty in the digital world:

1. Freedom rights: includes classic freedoms in their digital dimension, such as freedom of expression and information on the Internet, ideological freedom in networks, the right to secrecy of digital communications, as well as the right to pseudonymity.
2. Equality rights: aimed at avoiding any form of discrimination in the digital environment, including equal access to technology (digital inclusion of the elderly, people with disabilities or in rural areas), and preventing bias or unequal treatment in algorithmic systems.
3. Participation rights and shaping of public space: this refers to ensuring citizen and democratic participation through digital media. It includes electoral rights in online environments, protection from disinformation and the promotion of diverse and respectful online public debate.
4. Rights in the work and business environment: encompasses the digital rights of workers and entrepreneurs. A concrete example here is the right to digital disconnection of the worker. It also includes the protection of employee privacy from digital surveillance systems at work and guarantees in teleworking, among others.
5. Digital rights in specific environments: this addresses particular areas that pose their own challenges, for example the rights of children and adolescents in the digital environment (protection from harmful content, parental control, right to digital education); digital inheritance (what happens to our data and accounts on the Internet after our death); digital identity (being able to manage and protect our online identity); or rights in the emerging world of artificial intelligence, the metaverse and neurotechnologies.
6. Effectiveness and safeguards: this last category focuses on how to ensure that all these rightsare actually fulfilled. The Charter seeks to ensure that people have clear ways to complain in case of violations of their digital rights and that the authorities have the tools to enforce their rights on the internet.

As the government pointed out in its presentation, the aim is to "reinforce and extend citizens' rights, generate certainty in this new digital reality and increase people's confidence in the face of technological disruption". In other words, no new fundamental rights are created, but emerging areas (such as artificial intelligence or digital identity) are recognised where it is necessary to clarify how existing rights are applied and guaranteed.

The Digital Rights Observatory

The creation of a Digital Rights Observatory in Spain has recently been announced, a strategic tool aimed at continuously monitoring, promoting and evaluating the state and evolution of these rights in the country with the objective of contributing to making them effective. The Observatory is conceived as an open, inclusive and participatory space to bring digital rights closer to citizens, and its main functions include:

• To push for the implementation of the Digital Bill of Rights, so that the ideas initially set out in 2021 do not remain theoretical, but are translated into concrete actions, laws and effective policies.
• To monitor compliance with the regulations and recommendations set out in the Digital Bill of Rights.
• Fighting inequality and discrimination online, helping to reduce digital divides so that technological transformation does not leave vulnerable groups behind.
• Identify areas for improvement and propose measures for the protection of rights in the digital environment.
• Detect whether the current legal framework is lagging behind in the face of new challenges from disruptive technologies such as advanced artificial intelligence that pose risks not covered by current laws.
• Encourage transparency and dialogue between government, institutions and civil society to adapt policies to technological change.

Announced in February 2025, the Observatory is part of the Digital Rights Programme, a public-private initiative led by the Government, with the participation of four ministries, and financed by the European NextGenerationEU funds within the Recovery Plan. This programme involves the collaboration of experts in the field, public institutions, technology companies, universities and civil society organisations. In total more than 150 entities and 360 professionals have been involved in its development.

This Observatory is therefore emerging as an essential resource to ensure that the protection of digital rights is kept up to date and responds effectively to the emerging challenges of the digital age.

Conclusion

Digital rights are a fundamental pillar of 21st century societyand their consolidation is a complex task that requires the coordination of initiatives at international, European and national levels. Initiatives such as the European Digital Rights Declaration and other global efforts have laid the groundwork, but it is the implementation of specific measures such as the Spanish Digital Rights Charter and the new Digital Rights Observatory that will make the difference in ensuring a free, safe and equitable digital environment for all.

In short, the protection of digital rights is not only a legislative necessity, but an indispensable condition for the full exercise of citizenship in an increasingly interconnected world. Active participation and engagement of both citizens and institutions will be key to building a fair and sustainable digital future. If we can realise these rights, the Internet and new technologies will continue to be synonymous with opportunity and freedom, not threat. After all, digital rights are simply our old rights adapted to modern times, and protecting them is the same as protecting ourselves in this new digital age.

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.

Geospatial data has driven improvements in a number of sectors, and energy is no exception. This data allows us to better understand our environment in order to promote sustainability, innovation and informed decision-making.

One of the main providers of open geospatial data is Copernicus, the European Union's Earth observation programme. Through a network of satellites called Sentinel and data from ground, sea and airborne sources, Copernicus provides geospatial information freely accessible through various platforms.

Although Copernicus data is useful in many areas, such as fighting climate change, urban planning or agriculture, in this article we will focus on its role in driving sustainability and energy efficiency. The availability of high quality open data fosters innovation in this sector by promoting the development of new tools and applications that improve energy management and use. Here are some examples.

Climate prediction to improve production

Geospatial data provide detailed information on weather conditions, air quality and other factors, which are essential for understanding and predicting environmental phenomena, such as storms or droughts, that affect energy production and distribution.

One example is this project which provides high-resolution wind forecasts to serve the oil and gas, aviation, shipping and defence sectors. It uses data from satellite observations and numerical models, including information on ocean currents, waves and sea surface temperature from the "Copernicus Marine Service". Thanks to its granularity, it can provide an accurate weather forecasting system at a very local scale, allowing a higher level of accuracy in the behaviour of extreme weather and climate phenomena.

Optimisation of resources

The data provided by Copernicus also allows the identification of the best locations for the installation of energy generation centres, such as solar and wind farms, by facilitating the analysis of factors such as solar radiation and wind speed. In addition, they help monitor the efficiency of these facilities, ensuring that they are operating at maximum capacity.

In this regard, a project has been developed to find the best site for a combined floating wind and wave energy system (i.e. based on wave motion). By obtaining both energies with a single platform, this solution saves space and reduces the impact on the ground, while improving efficiency. Wind and waves arrive at different times at the platform, so capturing both elements helps reduce variability and smoothes overall electricity production. Thanks to the Copernicus data (obtained from the Atlantic Service - Biscay Iberia Ireland - Ocean Wave Reanalysis), the provider of this situation was able to obtain separate components of wind and wave waves, which allowed a more complete understanding of the directionality of both elements. This work led to the selection of Biscay Marine Energy Platform (BiMEP). for the deployment of the device.

Another example is Mon Toit Solaire, an integrated web-based decision support system for the development of rooftop photovoltaic power generation. This tool simulates and calculates the energy potential of a PV project and provides users with reliable technical and financial information. It uses solar radiation data produced by the "Copernicus Atmospheric Monitoring Service", together with three-dimensional urban topographic data and simulations of tax incentives, energy costs and prices, allowing the return on investment to be calculated.

Environmental monitoring and impact assessment.

Geospatial information allows for improved environmental monitoring and accurate impact assessments in the energy sector. This data allows energy companies to identify environmental risks associated with their operations, design strategies to mitigate their impact and optimise their processes towards greater sustainability. In addition, they support environmental compliance by providing objective data-driven reporting, encouraging more responsible and environmentally friendly energy development.

Among the challenges posed by the conservation of ocean biodiversity, man-made underwater noise is recognised as a serious threat and is regulated at European level. In order to assess the impact on marine life of wind farms along the southern coast of France, this project uses high-resolution statistical sound maps, which provide a detailed view of coastal processes, with an hourly time frequency and a high spatial resolution of up to 1.8 km. In particular, they use information from the "Mediterranean Sea Physics Analysis and Forecasting" and "World Ocean Hourly Sea Surface Wind and Stress" services.

Emergency and environmental disaster management.

In disaster situations or extreme weather events, geospatial data can help quickly assess damage and coordinate emergency responses more efficiently.

They can also predict how spills will behave. This is the aim of the Marine Research Institute of the University of Klaipeda, which has developed a system for monitoring and forecasting chemical and microbiological pollution episodes using a high-resolution 3D operational hydrodynamic model. They use the Copernicus "Physical Analysis and Forecasts of the Baltic Sea". The model provides real-time, five-day forecasts of water currents, addressing the challenges posed by shallow waters and port areas. It aims to help manage pollution incidents, particularly in pollution-prone regions such as ports and oil terminals.

These examples highlight the usefulness of geospatial data, especially those provided by programmes such as Copernicus. The fact that companies and institutions can freely access this data is revolutionising the energy sector, contributing to a more efficient, sustainable and resilient system.

The value of open satellite data in Europe

Satellites have become essential tools for understanding the planet and managing resources efficiently. The European Union (EU) has developed an advanced space infrastructure with the aim of providing real-time data on the environment, navigation and meteorology.

This satellite network is driven by four key programmes:.

• Copernicus: Earth observation, environmental monitoring and climate change.
• Galileo: high-precision satellite navigation, alternative to GPS.
• EGNOS: improved positioning accuracy, key to aviation and navigation.
• Meteosat: padvanced meteorological prediction and atmospheric monitoring.

Through these programmes, Europe not only ensures its technological independence, but also obtains data that is made available to citizens to drive strategic applications in agriculture, security, disaster management and urban planning.

In this article we will explore each programme, its satellites and their impact on society, including Spain''s role in each of them.

Copernicus: Europe''s Earth observation network

Copernicus is the EU Earth observation programme, managed by the European Commission with the technical support of the European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT).. It aims to provide free and open data about the planet to monitor climate change, manage natural resources and respond to emergencies.

The programme is structured into three main components:

1. Space component: consists of a series of satellites called Sentinel, developed specifically for the needs of Copernicus. These satellites provide high quality data for various applications, such as land, sea and atmospheric monitoring.
2. Component in situ: includes data collected through ground, air and sea stations. These data are essential to calibrate and validate the information obtained by the satellites, ensuring its accuracy and reliability.
3. Operational Services: offers six thematic services that transform collected data into useful information for users:
   • Atmospheric monitoring
   • Marine monitoring
   • Terrestrial monitoring
   • Climate change
   • Emergency management
   • Safety

These services provide information in areas such as air quality, ocean status, land use, climate trends, disaster response and security, supporting informed decision-making in Europe.

Spain has played a key role in the manufacture of components for the Sentinel satellites. Spanish companies have developed critical structures and sensors, and have contributed to the development of data processing software.  Spain is also leading projects such as the Atlantic Constellation, which will develop small satellites for climate and oceanic monitoring.

Sentinel satellite

Figure 1. Table satellites Sentinel. Source: own elaboration

Galileo: the european GPS

Galileo is the global navigation satellite system developed by the European Union, managed by the European Space Agency (ESA) and operated by the European Union Space Programme Agency (EUSPA). It aims to provide a reliable and highly accurate global positioning service, independent of other systems such as the US GPS, China''s Beidou or Russia''s GLONASS. Galileo is designed for civilian use and offers free and paid services for various sectors, including transport, telecommunications, energy and finance.

Spain has played a leading role in the Galileo programme. The European GNSS Service Centre (GSC), located in Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, acts as the main contact point for users of the Galileo system. In addition, Spanish industry has contributed to the development and manufacture of components for satellites and ground infrastructure, strengthening Spain''s position in the European aerospace sector.

Figure 2. Satellite Galileo. Source: own elaboration

EGNOS: improving the accuracy of GPS and Galileo

 The European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) is the European satellite-based augmentation system (Satellite Based Augmentation System or SBAS) designed to improve the accuracy and reliability of global navigation satellite systems ( Global Navigation Satellite System, GNSS), such as GPS and, in the future, Galileo. EGNOS provides corrections and integrity data that allow users in Europe to determine their position with an accuracy of up to 1.5 metres, making it suitable for safety-critical applications such as aviation and maritime navigation.

Spain has played a leading role in the development and operation of EGNOS. Through ENAIRE, Spain hosts five RIMS Reference Stations located in Santiago, Palma, Malaga, Gran Canaria and La Palma. In addition, the Madrid Air Traffic Control Centre, located in Torrejón de Ardoz, hosts one of the EGNOS Mission Control Centres (MCC), operated by ENAIRE. The Spanish space industry has contributed significantly to the development of the system, with companies participating in studies for the next generation of EGNOS.

Figure 3. Table satellite EGNOS. Source: own elaboration

Meteosat: high precision weather forecasting

The Meteosat programme consists of a series of geostationary meteorological satellites initially developed by the European Space Agency (ESA) and currently operated by the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT). These satellites are positioned in geostationary orbit above the Earth''s equator, allowing continuous monitoring of weather conditions over Europe, Africa and the Atlantic Ocean. Its main function is to provide images and data to facilitate weather prediction and climate monitoring.

Spain has been an active participant in the Meteosat programme since its inception. Through the Agencia Estatal de Meteorología (AEMET), Spain contributes financially to EUMETSAT and participates in the programme''s decision-making and operations. In addition, the Spanish space industry has played a key role in the development of the Meteosat satellites. Spanish companies have been responsible for the design and supply of critical components for third-generation satellites, including scanning and calibration mechanisms.

Figure 4. Metosat satellite. Source: own elaboration

Access to the data of each programme

Each programme has different conditions and distribution platforms in terms of access to data:

• Copernicus: provides free and open data through various platforms.  Users can access satellite imagery and products through the Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem, which offers search, download and processing tools. Data can also be obtained through APIs for integration into automated systems.
• Galileo: its open service (Open Service - OS) allows free use of the navigation signals for any user with a compatible receiver, free of charge. However, direct access to raw satellite data is not provided. For information on services and documentation, access is via the European GNSS Services Centre (GSC):
  • Galileo Portal.
  • Registration for access to the High Accuracy Service (HAS) (registration required).
• EGNOS: This system improves navigation accuracy with GNSS correction signals.  Data on service availability and status can be found on the EGNOS User Support platform..
• Meteosat: Meteosat satellite data are available through the EUMETSAT platform. There are different levels of access, including some free data and some subject to registration or payment.  For imagery and meteorological products you can access the EUMETSAT Data Centre..

In terms of open access, Copernicus is the only programme that offers open and unrestricted data. In contrast, Galileo and EGNOS provide free services, but not access to raw satellite data, while Meteosat requires registration and in some cases payment for access to specific data.

Conclusions

The Copernicus, Galileo, EGNOS and Meteosat programmes not only reinforce Europe''s space sovereignty, but also ensure access to strategic data essential for the management of the planet. Through them, Europe can monitor climate change, optimise global navigation, improve the accuracy of its positioning systems and strengthen its weather predictioncapabilities, ensuring more effective responses to environmental crises and emergencies.

Spain plays a fundamental role in this space infrastructure, not only with its aerospace industry, but also with its control centres and reference stations, consolidating itself as a key player in the development and operation of these systems.

Satellite imagery and data have evolved from scientific tools to become essential resources for security, environmental management and sustainable growth. In a world increasingly dependent on real-time information, access to this data is critical for climate resilience, spatial planning, sustainable agriculture and ecosystem protection.

The future of Earth observation and satellite navigation is constantly evolving, and Europe, with its advanced space programmes, is positioning itself as a leader in the exploration, analysis and management of the planet from space.

Access to this data allows researchers, businesses and governments to make more informed and effective decisions. With these systems, Europe and Spain guarantee their technological independence and strengthen their leadership in the space sector.

Ready to explore more? Access the links for each programme and discover how this data can transform our world.

Figure 5. Source: own elaboration

Content prepared by Mayte Toscano, Senior Consultant in Data Economy Technologies. The contents and points of view reflected in this publication are the sole responsibility of the author.

The European Green Deal (Green Deal) is the European Union's (EU) sustainable growth strategy, designed to drive a green transition that transforms Europe into a just and prosperous society with a modern and competitive economy. Within this strategy, initiatives such as Target 55 (Fit for 55), which aims to reduce EU emissions by at least 55% by 2030, stand out, and the Nature Restoration Regulation(, which sets binding targets to restore ecosystems, habitats and species.

 The European Data Strategy positions the EU as a leader in data-driven economies, promoting fundamental values such as privacy and sustainability.  This strategy envisages the creation of data spaces sectoral spaces to encourage the availability and sharing of data, promoting its re-use for the benefit of society and various sectors, including the environment.

This article looks at how environmental data spaces, driven by the European Data Strategy, play a key role in achieving the goals of the European Green Pact by fostering the innovative and collaborative use of data.

Green Pact data space from the European Data Strategy

In this context, the EU is promoting the Green Deal Data Space, designed to support the objectives of the Green Deal through the use of data. This data space will allow sharing data and using its full potential to address key environmental challenges in several areas: preservation of biodiversity, sustainable water management, the fight against climate change and the efficient use of natural resources, among others.

In this regard, the European Data Strategy highlights two initiatives:

• On the one hand, the GreenData4all initiative which carries out an update of the INSPIRE directive to enable greater exchange of environmental geospatial data between the public and private sectors, and their effective re-use, including open access to the general public.
•  On the other hand, the Destination Earth project proposes the creation of a digital twin of the Earth, using, among others, satellite data, which will allow the simulation of scenarios related to climate change, the management of natural resources and the prevention of natural disasters.

Preparatory actions for the development of the Green Pact data space

As part of its strategy for funding preparatory actions for the development of data spaces, the EU is funding the GREAT project (The Green Deal Data Space Foundation and its Community of Practice). This project focuses on laying the foundations for the development of the Green Deal data space through three strategic use cases: climate change mitigation and adaptation, zero pollution and biodiversity. A key aspect of GREAT is the identification and definition of a prioritised set of high-value environmental data (minimum but scalable set).  This approach directly connects this project to the concept of high-value data defined in the European Open Data Directive (i.e. data whose re-use generates not only a positive economic impact, but also social and environmental benefits)..  The high-value data defined in the Implementing Regulation include data related to Earth observation and the environment, including data obtained from satellites, ground sensors and in situ data.. These packages cover issues such as air quality, climate, emissions, biodiversity, noise, waste and water, all of which are related to the European Green Pact.

Differentiating aspects of the Green Pact data space

At this point, three differentiating aspects of the Green Pact data space can be highlighted.

• Firstly, its clearly multi-sectoral nature requires consideration of data from a wide variety of domains, each with their own specific regulatory frameworks and models.
• Secondly, its development is deeply linked to the territory, which implies the need to adopt a bottom-up approach (bottom-up) starting from concrete and local scenarios.
• Finally, it includes high-value data, which highlights the importance of active involvement of public administrations, as well as the collaboration of the private and third sectors to ensure its success and sustainability.

Therefore, the potential of environmental data will be significantly increased through European data spaces that are multi-sectoral, territorialised and with strong public sector involvement.

Development of environmental data spaces in HORIZON programme

In order to develop environmental data spaces taking into account the above considerations of both the European Data Strategy and the preparatory actions under the Horizon Europe (HORIZON) programme, the EU is funding four projects:

• Urban Data Spaces for Green dEal (USAGE).. This project develops solutions to ensure that environmental data at the local level is useful for mitigating the effects of climate change. This includes the development of mechanisms to enable cities to generate data that meets the FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) enabling its use for environmentally informed decision-making.
• All Data for Green Deal (AD4GD).. This project aims to propose a set of mechanisms to ensure that biodiversity, water quality and air quality data comply with the FAIR principles. They consider data from a variety of sources (satellite remote sensing, observation networks in situ, IoT-connected sensors, citizen science or socio-economic data).
• F.A.I.R. information cube (FAIRiCUBE). The purpose of this project is to create a platform that enables the reuse of biodiversity and climate data through the use of machine learning techniques. The aim is to enable public institutions that currently do not have easy access to these resources to improve their environmental policies and evidence-based decision-making (e.g. for the adaptation of cities to climate change).
• Biodiversity Building Blocks for Policy (B-Cubed).. This project aims to transform biodiversity monitoring into an agile process that generates more interoperable data. Biodiversity data from different sources, such as citizen science, museums, herbaria or research, are considered; as well as their consumption through business intelligence models, such as OLAP cubes, for informed decision-making in the generation of adequate public policies to counteract the global biodiversity crisis.

Environmental data spaces and research data

Finally, one source of data that can play a crucial role in achieving the objectives of the European Green Pact is scientific data emanating from research results.  In this context, the European Union's European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) initiativeis an essential tool. EOSC is an open, federated digital infrastructure designed to provide the European scientific community with access to high quality scientific data and services, i.e. a true research data space. This initiative aims to facilitate interoperability and data exchange in all fields of research by promoting the adoption of FAIR principles, and its federation with the Green Pact data space is therefore essential.

Conclusions

The EU Open Data Days 2025 is an essential event for all those interested in the world of open data and innovation in Europe and the world. This meeting, to be held on 19-20 March 2025, will bring together experts, practitioners, developers, researchers and policy makers to share knowledge, explore new opportunities and address the challenges facing the open data community.

The event, organised by the European Commission through data.europa.eu, aims to promote the re-use of open data. Participants will have the opportunity to learn about the latest trends in the use of open data, discover new tools and discuss the policies and regulations that are shaping the digital landscape in Europe.

Where and when does it take place?

El evento se celebrará en el Centro Europeo de Convenciones de Luxemburgo, aunque también se podrá seguir online, con el siguiente horario:

• Wednesday 19 March 2025, from 13:30 to 18:30.
• Thursday 20 March 2025, from 9:00 to 15:30.

What issues will be addressed?

The agenda of the event is already available, where we find different themes, such as, for example:

• Success stories and best practices: the event will be attended by professionals working at the frontline of European data policy to share their experience. Among other issues, these experts will provide practical guidance on how to inventory and open up a country's public sector data, address the work involved in compiling high-value datasets or analyse perspectives on data reuse in business models. Good practices for quality metadata or improved data governance and interoperability will also be explained.
• Focus on the use of artificial intelligence (AI): open data offers an invaluable source for the development and advancement of AI. In addition, AI can optimise the location, management and use of this data, offering tools to help streamline processes and extract greater insight. In this regard, the event will address the potential of AI to transform open government data ecosystems, fostering innovation, improving governance and enhancing citizen participation. The managers of Norway's national data portal will tell how they use an AI-based search engine to improve data localisation. In addition, the advances in linguistic data spaces and their use in language modelling will be explained, and how to creatively combine open data for social impact will be explored.
• Learning about data visualisation: event attendees will be able to explore how data visualisation is transforming communication, policy making and citizen engagement. Through various cases (such as the family tree of 3,000 European royals or UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage relationships) it will show how iterative design processes can uncover hidden patterns in complex networks, providing insights into storytelling and data communication. It will also address how design elements such as colour, scale and focus influence the perception of data.
• Examples and use cases: multiple examples of concrete projects based on the reuse of data will be shown, in fields such as energy, urban development or the environment. Among the experiences that will be shared is a Spanish company, Tangible Data, which will tell how physical data sculptures turn complex datasets into accessible and engaging experiences.

These are just some of the topics to be addressed, but there will also be discussions on open science, the role of open data in transparency and accountability, etc.

Why are EU Open Data Days so important?

Access to open data has proven to be a powerful tool for improving decision-making, driving innovation and research, and improving the efficiency of organisations. At a time when digitisation is advancing rapidly, the importance of sharing and reusing data is becoming increasingly crucial to address global challenges such as climate change, public health or social justice.

The EU Open Data Days 2025 are an opportunity to explore how open data can be harnessed to build a more connected, innovative and participatory Europe.

In addition, for those who choose to attend in person, the event will also be an opportunity to establish contacts with other professionals and organisations in the sector, creating new collaborations that can lead to innovative projects.

How can I attend?

To attend in person, it is necessary to register through this link. However, registration is not required to attend the event online.

If you have any queries, an e-mail address has been set up to answer any questions you may have about the event: EU-Open-Data-Days@ec.europa.eu.

More information on the event website.

In February 2024, the European geospatial community took a major step forward with the first major update of the INSPIRE implementation schemes in almost a decade. This update, which generates version 5.0 of the schemas, introduces changes that affect the way spatial data are harmonised, transformed and published in Europe. For implementers, policy makers and data users, these changes present both challenges and opportunities.

In this article, we will explain what these changes entail, how they impact on data validation and what steps need to be taken to adapt to this new scenario.

What is INSPIRE and why does it matter?

The INSPIRE Directive (Infrastructure for Spatial Information in Europe) determines the general rules for the establishment of an Infrastructure for Spatial Information in the European Community based on the Member States'' Infrastructures. Adopted by the European Parliament and the Council on March 14, 2007 (Directive 2007/2/EC), it is designed to achieve these objectives by ensuring that spatial information is consistent and accessible across EU member countries.

What changes with the 5.0 upgrade?

The transition to version 5.0 brings significant modifications, some of which are not backwards compatible. Among the most notable changes are:

• Removal of mandatory properties: this simplifies data models, but requires implementers to review their previous configurations and adjust the data to comply with the new rules.
• Renaming of types and properties: with the update of the INSPIRE schemas to version 5.0, some element names and definitions have changed. This means that data that were harmonised following the 4.x schemas no longer exactly match the new specifications. In order to keep these data compliant with current standards, it is necessary to re-transform them using up-to-date tools. This re-transformation ensures that data continues to comply with INSPIRE standards and can be shared and used seamlessly across Europe. The complete table with these updates is as follows: 

Figure 1. Latest INSPIRE updates.

• Major changes in version 4.0: although normally a major change in a schema would lead to a new major version (e.g. from 4.0 to 5.0), some INSPIRE schemas in version 4.0 have received significant updates without changing version number. A notable example of this is the Planned Land Use (PLU) scheme. These updates imply that projects and services using the PLU scheme in version 4.0 must be reviewed and modified to adapt to the new specifications. This is particularly relevant for those working with XPlanung, a standard used in urban and land use planning in some European countries. The changes made to the PLU scheme oblige implementers to update their transformation projects and republish data to ensure that they comply with the new INSPIRE rules.

Impact on validation and monitoring

Updating affects not only how data is structured, but also how it is validated. The official INSPIRE tools, such as the Validador, have incorporated the new versions of the schemas, which generates different validation scenarios:

• Data conforming to previous versions: data harmonised to version 4.x can still pass basic validation tests, but may fail specific tests requiring the use of the updated schemas.
• Specific tests for updated themes: some themes, such as Protected Sites, require data to follow the most recent versions of the schemas to pass all compliance tests.

In addition, the Joint Research Center (JRC) has indicated that these updated versions will be used in official INSPIRE monitoring from 2025 onwards, underlining the importance of adapting as soon as possible.

What does this mean for consumers?

To ensure that data conforms to the latest versions of the schemas and can be used in European systems, it is essential to take concrete steps:

• If you are publishing new datasets: use the updated versions of the schemas from the beginning.
• If you are working with existing data: update the schemas of your datasets to reflect the changes you have made. This may involve adjusting types of features and making new transformations.
• Publishing services: If your data is already published, you will need to re-transform and republish it to ensure it conforms to the new specifications.

These actions are essential not only to comply with INSPIRE standards, but also to ensure long-term data interoperability.

Conclusion

The update to version 5.0 of the INSPIRE schemas represents a technical challenge, but also an opportunity to improve the interoperability and usability of spatial data in Europe. Adopting these modifications not only ensures regulatory compliance, but also positions implementers as leaders in the modernisation of spatial data infrastructure.

Although the updates may seem complex, they have a clear purpose: to strengthen the interoperability of spatial data in Europe. With better harmonised data and updated tools, it will be easier for governments, businesses and organisations to collaborate and make informed decisions on crucial issues such as sustainability, land management and climate change.

Furthermore, these improvements reinforce INSPIRE''s commitment to technological innovation, making European spatial data more accessible, useful and relevant in an increasingly interconnected world.

Content prepared by Mayte Toscano, Senior Consultant in Data Economy Technologies. The contents and points of view reflected in this publication are the sole responsibility of its author.

One of the main requirements of the digital transformation of the public sector concerns the existence of optimal interoperability conditions for data sharing. This is an essential premise from a number of points of view, in particular as regards multi-entity actions and procedures. In particular, interoperability allows:

• The interconnection of the electronic registers powers and the filing of documents with public entities. 
• The exchange of data, documents and files in the exercise of the respective competences, which is essential for administrative simplification and, in particular, to guarantee the right not to submit documents already in the possession of the public administrations;
• The development of advanced and personalised services based on the exchange of information, such as the citizen folder.

Interoperability also plays an important role in facilitating the integration of different open data sources for re-use, hence there is even a specific technical standard. It aims to establish common conditions to "facilitate and guarantee the process of re-use of public information from public administrations, ensuring the persistence of the information, the use of formats, as well as the appropriate terms and conditions of use".

Interoperability at European level

Interoperability is therefore a premise for facilitating relations between different entities, which is of particular importance in the European context if we take into account that legal relations will often be between different states. This is therefore a great challenge for the promotion of cross-border digital public services and, consequently, for the enforcement of essential rights and values in the European Union linked to the free movement of persons.

For this reason, the adoption of a regulatory framework to facilitate cross-border data exchange has been promoted to ensure the proper functioning of digital public services at European level. This is Regulation (EU) 2024/903 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 March 2024 laying down measures for a high level of public sector interoperability across the Union (known as the Interoperable Europe Act), which is directly applicable across the European Union from 12 July 2024.

This regulation aims to provide the right conditions to facilitate cross-border interoperability, which requires an advanced approach to the establishment and management of legal, organisational, semantic and technical requirements. In particular, trans-European digital public services, i.e. those requiring interaction across Member States' borders through their network and information systems, will be affected. This would be the case, for example, for the change of residence to work or study in another Member State, the recognition of academic diplomas or professional qualifications, access to health and social security data or, as regards legal persons, the exchange of tax data or information necessary to participate in a tendering procedure in the field of public procurement. In short, "all those services that apply the "once-only" principle for accessing and exchanging cross-border data".

What are the main measures it envisages?

• Interoperability assessment: prior to decisions on conditions for trans-European digital public services by EU entities or public sector bodies of States, the Regulation requires them to carry out an interoperability assessment, although this will only be mandatory from January 2025. The result of this evaluation shall be published on an official website in a machine-readable format that allows for automatic translation.
• Sharing of interoperability solutions: the above mentioned entities shall be obliged to share interoperability solutions supporting a trans-European digital public service, including technical documentation and source code, as well as references to open standards or technical specifications used. However, there are some limits to this obligation, such as in cases where there are intellectual property rights in favour of third parties. In addition, these solutions will be published on the Interoperable Europe Portal, which will replace the current Joinup portal.
• Enabling of sandboxes: one of the main novelties consists of enabling public bodies to proceed with the creation of sandboxes or controlled interoperability test areas which, in the case of processing personal data, will be managed under the supervision of the corresponding supervisory authority competent to do so. The aim of this figure is to encourage innovation and facilitate cooperation based on the requirements of legal certainty, thereby promoting the development of interoperability solutions based on a better understanding of the opportunities and obstacles that may arise.
• Creation of a governance committee: as regards governance, it is envisaged that a committee will be set up comprising representatives of each of the States and of the Commission, which will be responsible for chairing it. Its main functions include establishing the criteria for interoperability assessment, facilitating the sharing of interoperability solutions, supervising their consistency and developing the European Interoperability Framework, among others. For their part, Member States will have to designate at least one competent authority for the implementation of the Regulation by 12 January 2025, which will act as a single point of contact in case there are several. Its main tasks will be to coordinate the implementation of the Act, to support public bodies in carrying out the assessment and, inter alia, to promote the re-use of interoperability solutions.

The exchange of data between public bodies throughout the European Union and its Member States with full legal guarantees is an essential priority for the effective exercise of their competences and, therefore, for ensuring efficiency in carrying out formalities from the point of view of good administration. The new Interoperable European Regulation is an important step forward in the regulatory framework to further this objective, but the regulation needs to be complemented by a paradigm shift in administrative practice. In this respect, it is essential to make a firm commitment to a document management model based mainly on data, which also makes it easier to deal with regulatory compliance with the regulation on personal data protection, and is also fully coherent with the approach and solutions promoted by the Data Governance Regulation when promoting the re-use of the information generated by public entities in the exercise of their functions.

Content prepared by Julián Valero, Professor at the University of Murcia and Coordinator of the Research Group "Innovation, Law and Technology" (iDerTec). The contents and points of view reflected in this publication are the sole responsibility of its author.

Today's climate crisis and environmental challenges demand innovative and effective responses. In this context, the European Commission's Destination Earth (DestinE) initiative is a pioneering project that aims to develop a highly accurate digital model of our planet.

Through this digital twin of the Earth it will be possible to monitor and prevent potential natural disasters, adapt sustainability strategies and coordinate humanitarian efforts, among other functions. In this post, we analyse what the project consists of and the state of development of the project.

Features and components of Destination Earth

Aligned with the European Green Pact and the Digital Europe Strategy, Destination Earth integrates digital modeling and climate science to provide a tool that is useful in addressing environmental challenges. To this end, it has a focus on accuracy, local detail and speed of access to information.

In general, the tool allows:

• Monitor and simulate Earth system developments, including land, sea, atmosphere and biosphere, as well as human interventions.
• To anticipate environmental disasters and socio-economic crises, thus enabling the safeguarding of lives and the prevention of significant economic downturns.
• Generate and test scenarios that promote more sustainable development in the future.

To do this, DestinE is subdivided into three main components :

• Data lake:
  
  • What is it? A centralised repository to store data from a variety of sources, such as the European Space Agency (ESA), EUMETSAT and Copernicus, as well as from the new digital twins.
  • What does it provide? This infrastructure enables the discovery and access to data, as well as the processing of large volumes of information in the cloud.

·The DestinE Platform:.

• What is it? A digital ecosystem that integrates services, data-driven decision-making tools and an open, flexible and secure cloud computing infrastructure.
• What does it provide? Users have access to thematic information, models, simulations, forecasts and visualisations that will facilitate a deeper understanding of the Earth system.

• Digital cufflinks and engineering:
  
  • What are they? There are several digital replicas covering different aspects of the Earth system. The first two are already developed, one on climate change adaptation and the other on extreme weather events.
  • WHAT DOES IT PROVIDE? These twins offer multi-decadal simulations (temperature variation) and high-resolution forecasts.

Discover the services and contribute to improve DestinE

The DestinE platform offers a collection of applications and use cases developed within the framework of the initiative, for example:

• Digital twin of tourism (Beta): it allows to review and anticipate the viability of tourism activities according to the environmental and meteorological conditions of its territory.
• VizLab: offers an intuitive graphical user interface and advanced 3D rendering technologies to provide a storytelling experience by making complex datasets accessible and understandable to a wide audience..
• miniDEA: is an interactive and easy-to-use DEA-based web visualisation app for previewing DestinE data.
• GeoAI: is a geospatial AI platform for Earth observation use cases.
• Global Fish Tracking System (GFTS): is a project to help obtain accurate information on fish stocks in order to develop evidence-based conservation policies.
• More resilient urban planning: is a solution that provides a heat stress index that allows urban planners to understand best practices for adapting to extreme temperatures in urban environments..
• Danube Delta Water Reserve Monitoring: is a comprehensive and accurate analysis based on the DestinE data lake to inform conservation efforts in the Danube Delta, one of the most biodiverse regions in Europe.

Since October this year, the DestinE platform has been accepting registrations, a possibility that allows you to explore the full potential of the tool and access exclusive resources. This option serves to record feedback and improve the project system.

To become a user and be able to generate services, you must follow these steps..

Project roadmap:

The European Union sets out a series of time-bound milestones that will mark the development of the initiative:

• 2022 - Official launch of the project.
• 2023 - Start of development of the main components.
• 2024 - Development of all system components. Implementation of the DestinE platform and data lake. Demonstration.
• 2026 - Enhancement of the DestinE system, integration of additional digital twins and related services.
• 2030 - Full digital replica of the Earth.

Destination Earth not only represents a technological breakthrough, but is also a powerful tool for sustainability and resilience in the face of climate challenges. By providing accurate and accessible data, DestinE enables data-driven decision-making and the creation of effective adaptation and mitigation strategies.

The 2024 Best Cases Awards of the Public Sector Tech Watch observatory now have finalists. These awards seek to highlight solutions that use emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence or blockchain, in public administrations, through two categories:

• Solutions to improve the public services offered to citizens (Government-to-Citizen or G2C).
• Solutions to improve the internal processes of the administrations themselves (Government-to-Government or G2G).

The awards are intended to create a mechanism for sharing the best experiences on the use of emerging technologies in the public sector and thus give visibility to the most innovative administrations in Europe.

Almost 60% of the finalist solutions are Spanish.

In total, 32 proposals have been received, 14 of which have been pre-selected in a preliminary evaluation. Of these, more than half are solutions from Spanish organisations. Specifically, nine finalists have been shortlisted for the G2G category -five of them Spanish- and five for G2C -three of them linked to our country-.The following is a summary of what these Spanish solutions consist of.

Solutions to improve the internal processes of the administrations themselves.

• Innovation in local government: digital transformation and GeoAI for data management (Alicante Provincial Council).

Suma Gestión Tributaria, of the Diputación de Alicante, is the agency in charge of managing and collecting the municipal taxes of the city councils of its province. To optimise this task, they have developed a solution that combines geographic information systems and artificial intelligence (machine learning and deep learning) to improve training in detection of properties that do not pay taxes. This solution collects data from multiple administrations and entities in order to avoid delays in the collection of municipalities.

• Regional inspector of public infrastructures: monitoring of construction sites (Provincial Council of Bizkaia and Interbiak).

The autonomous road inspector and autonomous urban inspector help public administrations to automatically monitor roads. These solutions, which can be installed in any vehicle, use artificial or computer vision techniques along with information from sensors to automatically check the condition of traffic signs, road markings, protective barriers, etc. They also perform early forecasting of pavement degradation, monitor construction sites and generate alerts for hazards such as possible landslides.

• Application of drones for the transport of biological samples (Centre for Telecommunications and Information Technologies -CTTI-, Generalitat de Catalunya).

This pilot project implements and evaluates a health transport route in the Girona health region. Its aim is to transport biological samples (blood and urine) between a primary health centre and a hospital using drones. As a result, the journey time has been reduced from 20 minutes with ground transport to seven minutes with the use of drones. This has improved the quality of the samples transported, increased flexibility in scheduling transport times and reduced environmental impact.

• Robotic automation of processes in the administration of justice (Ministry of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Courts).

Ministry of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Courts has implemented a solution for the robotisation of administrative processes in order to streamline routine, repetitive and low-risk work. To date, more than 25 process automation lines have been implemented, including the automatic cancellation of criminal records, nationality applications, automatic issuance of life insurance certificates, etc. As a result, it is estimated that more than 500,000 working hourshave been saved.

• Artificial intelligence in the processing of official publications (Official Gazette of the Province of Barcelona and Official Documentation and Publications Service, Barcelona Provincial Council).

CIDO (Official Information and Documentation Search Engine) has implemented an AI system that automatically generates summaries of official publications of the public administrations of Barcelona. Using supervised machine learning and neural networkstechniques, the system generates summaries of up to 100 words for publications in Catalan or Spanish. The tool allows the recording of manual modifications to improve accuracy.

Solutions to improve the public services offered to citizens

• Virtual Desk of Digital Immediacy: bringing Justice closer to citizens through digitalisation (Ministry of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Courts).

The Virtual Digital Immediacy Desktop (EVID) allows remote hearings with full guarantees of legal certainty using blockchain technologies. The solution integrates the convening of the hearing, the provision of documentation, the identification of the participants, the acceptance of consents, the generation of the document justifying the action carried out, the signing of the document and the recording of the session. In this way, legal acts can be carried out from anywhere, without the need to travel and in a simple way, making justice more inclusive, accessible and environmentally friendly. By the end of June 2024, more than 370,000 virtual sessions had been held through EVID.

• Application of Generative AI to make it easier for citizens to understand legal texts (Entitat Autònoma del Diari Oficial i Publicacions -EADOP-, Generalitat de Catalunya).

Legal language is often a barrier that prevents citizens from easily understanding legal texts. To remove this obstacle, the Government is making available to users of the Legal Portal of Catalonia and to the general public the summaries of Catalan law in simple language obtained from generative artificial intelligence. The aim is to have summaries of the more than 14,000 14,000 existing regulatory provisions adapted to clear communication available by the end of the year. The abstracts will be published in Catalan and Spanish, with the prospect of also offering a version in Aranesein the future.

• Emi - Intelligent Employment (Consellería de Emprego, Comercio e Emigración de la Xunta de Galicia).

Emi, Intelligent Employment is an artificial intelligence and big data tool that helps the offices of the Public Employment Service of Galicia to orient unemployed people towards the skills required by the labour market, according to their abilities. AI models make six-month projections of contracts for a particular occupation for a chosen geographical area. In addition, they allow estimating the probability of finding employment for individuals in the coming months.

You can see all the solutions presented here. The winners will be announced at the final event on 28 November. The ceremony takes place in Brussels, but can also be followed online. To do so, you need to register here.

Public Sector Tech Watch: an observatory to inspire new projects

Public Sector Tech Watch (PSTW), managed by the European Commission, is positioned as a "one-stop shop" for all those interested - public sector, policy makers, private companies, academia, etc. - in the latest technological developments to improve public sector performance and service delivery. For this purpose, it has several sections where the following information of interest is displayed:

• Cases: contains examples of how innovative technologies and their associated data are used by public sector organisations in Europe.
• Stories: presents testimonials to show the challenges faced by European administrations in implementing technological solutions.

If you know of a case of interest that is not currently monitored by PSTW, you can register it here. Successful cases are reviewed and evaluated before being included in the database.