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The European open data portal (data.europa.eu) regularly organises virtual training sessions on topical issues in the open data sector, the regulations they affect and related technologies. In this post, we review the key takeaways from the latest webinar on High Value Datasets (HVD).

Among other issues, this seminar focused on transmitting best practices, as well as explaining the experiences of two countries, Finland and the Czech Republic, which were part of the report "High-value Datasets Best Practices in Europe", published by data.europa.eu, together with Denmark, Estonia, Italy, the Netherlands and Romania. The study was conducted immediately after the publication of the HVD implementation regulation in February 2023.

Best practices linked to the provision of high-value data

After an introduction explaining what high-value data are and what requirements they have to meet, the scope of the report was explained in detail during the webinar. In particular, challenges, good practices and recommendations from member states were identified, as detailed below.

Political and legal framework

• There is a need to foster a government culture that is primarily practical and focused on achievable goals, building on cultural values embedded in government systems, such as transparency.
• A strategic approach based on a broader regulatory perspective is recommended, building on previous efforts to implement far-reaching directives such as INSPIRE or DCAT as a standard for data publication. In this respect, it is appropriate to prioritise actions that overlap with these existing initiatives.
• The use of Creative Commons (CC) licences is recommended.
• On a cross-cutting level, another challenge is to combine compliance with the requirements of high-value datasets with the provisions of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), when dealing with sensitive or personal data.

Governance and processes

• Engaging in strategic partnerships and fostering collaboration at national level is encouraged. Among other issues, it is recommended to coordinate efforts between ministries, agencies responsible for different categories of HVD and other related actors, especially in Member States with decentralised governance structures. To this end, it is important to set up interdisciplinary working groups to facilitate a comprehensive data inventory and to clarify which agency is responsible for which dataset. These groups will enable knowledge sharing and foster a sense of community and shared responsibility, which contributes to the overall success of data governance efforts.
• It is recommended to engage in regular exchanges with other Member States, to share ideas and solutions to common challenges.
• There is a need to promote sustainability through the individual accountability of agencies for their respective datasets. Ensuring the sustainability of national data portals means making sure that metadata is maintained with the resources available.
• It is advisable to develop a comprehensive data governance framework by first assessing available resources, including technical expertise, data management tools and key stakeholder input. This assessment process allows for a clear understanding of the rules, processes and responsibilities necessary for an effective implementation of data governance.

Technical aspects, metadata quality and new requirements

• It is proposed to develop a comprehensive understanding of the specific requirements for HVD. This involves identifying existing datasets to determine their compliance with the standards described in the implementing regulation for HVD. There is a need to build a systemic basis for identifying, improving the quality and availability of data by enhancing the overall value of high-value datasets.
• It is recommended to improve the quality of metadata directly at the data source before publishing them in portals, following the DCAT-AP guidelines for publishing high-value datasets and the controlled vocabularies for the six HVD categories. There is also a need to improve the implementation of APIs and bulk downloads from each data source. Its implementation presents significant challenges due to the scarcity of resources and expertise, making capacity building and resourcing essential.
• It is suggested to strengthen the availability of high-value datasets through external funding or strategic planning. The regulation requires all HVD to be accessible free of charge, so some Member States diversify funding sources by seeking financial support through external channels, e.g. by tapping into European projects. In this respect, it is recommended to adapt business models progressively to offer free data.

Finally, the report highlights a suggested eight-step roadmap for compliance with the HVD implementation regulation:

Figure 1: Suggested roadmap for HVD implementation. Adapted from Figure 3 of the European Data Portal's "High-value Datasets Best Practices Report".

The example of the Czech Republic

In a second part of the webinar, the Czech Republic presented their implementation case, which they are approaching from four main tasks: motivation, regulatory implementation, responsibility of public data provider agencies and technical requirements.

• Motivation among the different actors is being articulated through the constitution of working groups.
• Regulatory implementation focuses on dataset analysis and consistency or inconsistency with INSPIRE.
• To boost the accountability of public agencies, knowledge-sharing seminars are being held on linking INSPIRE and HVD using the DCAT-AP standard as a publication pathway.
• Regarding technical requirements, DCAT-AP and INSPIRE requirements are being integrated into metadata practices adapted to their national context. The Czech Republic has developed specifications for local open data catalogues to ensure compatibility with the National Open Data Catalogue. However, its biggest challenge is a strong dependency due to a lack of technical capacities. 

The example of Finland

Finland then took the floor. Having pre-existing legislation (INSPIRE and other specific rules on open data and information management inpublic bodies), Finland required only minor adjustments to align with the national transposition of the HVD directive. The challenge is to understand and make INSPIRE and HVD coexist.

Its main strategy is based on the roadmap on information management in public bodies, which ensures harmonisation, interoperability, high quality management and security to implement the principles of open data. In addition, they have established two working groups to address the implementation of HVD:

• The first group, which is a coordinating group of data promoters, focused on practical and technical issues. As legal experts, they also provided guidance on understanding HVD regulation from a legal perspective.
• The second group is an inter-ministerial coordination group, a working group that ensures that there is no conflict or overlap between HVD regulation and national legislation. This group manages the inventory, in spreadsheet format, containing all the elements necessary for an HVD catalogue. By identifying areas where datasets do not meet these requirements, organisations can establish a roadmap to address the gaps and ensure full compliance over time.

The secretariat of the groups is provided by a geospatial data committee. Both have a wide network of stakeholders to articulate discussion and feedback on the measures taken.

Looking to the future, they highlight as a challenge the need to gain more technical and executive level experience.

End of the session

The webinar continued with the participation of Compass Gruppe (Germany), which markets, among other things, data from the Austrian commercial register. They have a portal that offers this data via APIs through a freemium business model.  

In addition, it was recalled that Member States are obliged to report to Europe every two years on progress in HVD, an activity that is expected to boost the availability of harmonised federated metadata on the European data portal. The idea is that users will be able to find all HVD in the European Union, using the filtering available on the portal or through SPARQL queries.

The combination of the report's conclusions and the experiences of the rapporteur countries give us good clues to guide the implementation of HVD, in compliance with European regulations. In summary, the implementation of HVD poses the following challenges:

• Support the necessary funding to address the opening-up process.
• Overcoming technical challenges to develop efficient access APIs.
• Achieving a proper coexistence between INSPIRE and the HVD regulation
• Consolidate working groups that function as a robust mechanism for progress and convergence.
• Monitor progress and continuously follow up the process.
• Invest in technical training of staff.
• Create and maintain strong coordination in the face of the complex diversity of data holders.
• Potential quality assurance of high value datasets.
• Agree on a standardisation that is necessary from a business point of view.

By addressing these challenges, we will successfully open up high-value data, driving its re-use for the benefit of society as a whole.

You can re-watch the recording of the session here

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

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

New regulations to boost open data and its use

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

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

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

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

News on data platforms

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

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

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

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

Boosting the re-use of data

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

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

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

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

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

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

New reports and resources linked to open data

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

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

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

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

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

The 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.

31 May 2024 is the date chosen to celebrate the 3rd National Open Data Meeting organised once again this year by the Provincial Council of Castellón, with the collaboration of the Provincial Council of Barcelona and the Government of Aragon. Under the slogan "Data to boost the tourism sector", experts in the field will meet in a unique setting, Peñíscola Castle, to discuss the importance of the availability and reuse of open data in this sector.

Among other issues, during the event, the importance of open data as a resource for understanding and achieving relevant and sustainable tourismwill be disseminated. This will be done by sharing resources that can benefit different users. The value of open data for implementing innovative technological solutions, e.g. based on artificial intelligence, will also be discussed.

Who is it aimed at?

This is an open event, where any citizen interested in the subject is welcome. In particular, it may be of particular interest to:

• Technicians and professionals in the field of tourism. 
• Mayors' offices, councillors' offices, departments and departments of the state, territorial and local administration.
• Journalists and communication professionals.
• Tour operators.
• Responsible for data governance and open data portals of administrations.

What is the programme?

The event will start at 9:00 with the inauguration by María Tormo Casañ, representative of the Diputación de Castellón. It will be followed by the inaugural address by José Norberto Mazón López, professor of computer languages and systems at the University of Alicante.

This will be followed by a series of round tables and presentations:

• 10.00 Table 1. Tourism and the economy: a data space for growth and development.
• 11:30 Coffee break.
• 12:00 Table 2. How data can improve experiences and make tourism sustainable.
• 13.30 Presentation: conclusions of the technical challenges on open data.
• 14:15 Lunch.
• 15.45 Public management roundtable: data-driven public policies to improve tourism activity.  

The event will end at 17.30, after the presentation of the conclusions.

How can I register?

The event can only be followed in person, as there will be no live broadcast. As mentioned at the beginning, the event will take place on 31 May in the Gothic hall of Peñíscola Castle. To register you must complete the form available at this link.

The importance of open data in tourism

Open data on tourism allows us to understand the state of the sector so that both tourism businesses and public bodies can make informed decisions to help boost this important economic driver. At the same time, they can serve as a basis for implementing technological solutions that improve the travellers' experience and allow them to easily organise and enjoy their trip. This is the case of some of the applications with information on accommodation, restaurants, tourist sites, activities of interest, etc.

Public bodies are aware of this situation and therefore there are more and more spaces where data on this issue can be shared. In this sense, we find national initiatives, such as Dataestur or promoted by autonomous regional bodies, such as the asturias tourism data catalogue. For its part, the Castellón Provincial Council is currently developing a specific area on tourism in its Open Data Portal specific space on tourism in its Open Data Portal, which aims to bring together all the knowledge which aims to bring together all the knowledge generated around the 3rd National Open Data Meeting.

If you are interested in the subject, in the tourism sectorial of datos.gob.es you will find featured datasets, news and analysis articles, as well as examples of applications and companies reusers that base their activity on open data from the tourism sector.

Events such as the III National Open Data Meeting are another interesting opportunity to keep up to date with developments in the sector. Remember that you can sign up through this link.

There is never an end to opportunities to discuss, learn and share experiences on open data and related technologies. In this post, we select some of the upcoming ones, and tell you everything you need to know: what it's about, when and where it takes place and how you can register.

Don't miss this selection of events on cutting-edge topics such as geospatial data, accessible data reuse strategies and even innovative trends in data journalism. the best thing? All are free of charge.

Let's talk about data in Alicante

The National Association of Big Data and Analytics (ANBAN) is organising an open and free event in Alicante to debate and exchange views on data and artificial intelligence. During the meeting, not only will use cases that relate data with AI be presented, but also a part of the event will be dedicated to encourage networking among the attendees.

• What is it about? let's talk about data' will start with two talks on artificial intelligence projects that are already making an impact. Afterwards, the course on AI organised by the University of Alicante together with ANBAN will be explained. The final part of the event will be more relaxed to encourage attendees to make valuable connections.
• When and where? Thursday 29 February at 20.30h at ULAB (Pza. San Cristóbal, 14) in Alicante.
• How do I register? Book your place by signing up here: https://www.eventbrite.es/e/entradas-hablemos-del-dato-beers-alicante-823931670807?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm_source=rrss&utm_medium=colaborador&utm_campaign=HDD-ALC-2902

Open Data Day in Barcelona: Re-using data to improve the city

Open Data Day is an international event that brings together open data activities around the world. Within this framework, the barcelona Open Data initiative initiative has organised an event to discuss projects and strategies for the publication and reuse of open data to make a clean, safe, friendly and accessible city possible.

• What is it about? Through open data projects and data-driven strategies, the challenge of security, coexistence of uses and maintenance of shared spaces in municipalities will be addressed. The aim is to generate dialogue between organisations that publish and reuse data to add value and develop strategies together.
• When and where? On 6 March from 5 to 7.30 p.m. at Ca l'Alier (C/ de Pere IV, 362).
• How do I register? Through this link: https://www.eventbrite.es/e/entradas-open-data-day-2024-819879711287?aff=oddtdtcreator

Presentation of the "Good Practice Guide for Data Journalists"

The Valencian Observatory of Open Data and Transparency of the Universitat Politècnica de València has created a guide for journalists and data professionals with practical advice on how to turn data into attractive and relevant journalistic stories for society. The author of this reference material will talk to a data journalist about the challenges and opportunities that data offers in journalism.

• What is it about? It is an event that will address key concepts of the Good Practice Guide for Data Journalists through practical examples and cases to analyse and visualise data correctly. Ethics will also be a theme of the presentation.
• When and where? Friday 8th March from 12h to 13h in the Assembly Hall of the Faculty of ADE of the UPV (Avda. Tarongers s/n) in Valencia.
• How do I register? More information and registration here: https://www.eventbrite.es/e/entradas-presentacion-de-la-guia-de-buenas-practicas-para-periodistas-de-datos-835947741197

Geodata Conference of the Madrid City Council Geoportal

Madrid hosts the sixth edition of this event which brings together heads of institutions and benchmark companies in cartography, geographic information systems, digital twin, BIM, Big Data and artificial intelligence. The event will also be used as an opportunity to award the prizes of the Geodata Stand.

• What is it about? Followingin the footsteps of previous years, the Madrid Geodata Conference will present case studies and new developments in cartography, digital twinning, reuse of georeferenced data, as well as the best papers presented at the Geodata Stand.
• When and where? The event starts on 12 March at 9am in the Auditorio de La Nave in Madrid and will last until 2pm. The following day, 13 March, the session will be virtual and will present the projects and new developments in geo-information production and distribution via the Madrid Geoportal.
• How do I register? Through the event portal. Places are limited https://geojornadas.madrid.es/

3rd URJC Free Culture Conference

The Free Culture Conference of the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos is a meeting point, learning and exchange of experiences about free culture in the university. Topics such as open publishing of teaching and research materials, open science, open data, and free software will be addressed.

• What is it about? The two-day event will feature presentations by experts, workshops on specific topics and an opportunity for the university community to present papers. In addition, there will be an exhibition space where tools and news related to culture and free software will be shared, as well as a poster exhibition area
• When and where? 20 and 21 March at the Fuenlabrada Campus of the URJC
• How do I register? Registration is free of charge via this link: https://eventos.urjc.es/109643/tickets/iii-jornadas-de-cultura-libre-de-la-urjc.html

These are some of the upcoming events. In any case, don't forget to follow us on social media so you don't miss any news about innovation and open data. We are on Twitter y LinkedIn you can also write to us at dinamizacion@datos.gob.es if you would like us to add another event to the list or if you need extra information.

Navarra has been the chosen venue to bring together, for the first time, representatives of the Data Offices of the autonomous communities around the centrality of data in public management. The meeting, promoted by the Secretary of State for Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence (SEDIA) and the Government of Navarra, was aimed at sharing the advances in the world of data at the regional level, as well as the assumption of commitments to lay the foundations for a digital future linked to data and its transformative power.  

Focus on the transformative power of data  

The Councilor for University, Innovation and Digital Transformation of the Government of Navarra, Juan Cruz Cigudosa García, was in charge of opening the conference, emphasizing the need to strengthen the response to social challenges and stimulate innovation and economic development through data, highlighting the unavoidable commitment to innovation through the use of disruptive technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, always under an ethical prism and respect for European values and principles. In this last line of action, the launching of an Ethics Committee for the Navarra Data Office was announced. This committee, framed in the Digital Spain Strategy and the Navarra Digital Strategy 2030, is aligned with the active policies and the national and international leadership of SEDIA, reflected in its charter of digital rights.   

Next, the Chief Data Officer of the Government of Spain, Alberto Palomo, highlighted the strategy that had been designed at European level in relation to data and its sovereign management. He also pointed out the transformative power of data, a key element in the digital transformation and in the entry of technologies such as artificial intelligence. He also reported on the recent statement published as a result of the current Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, which was signed at the beginning of November during the Gaia-X Summit meeting under the name "The Trinity of Trusted Cloud, Data and AI as Gateway to EU's competitiveness". This document is a declaration that shows the commitment of the participants in this meeting to boost data spaces in Europe through strategic autonomy in the cloud, data and artificial intelligence. It agrees, among other points, to expand and improve coordination in the development of European cloud and data initiatives, advocating interoperability as a backbone element and advocating the development of Artificial Intelligence based on high quality data and with solid governance. It also highlights the need to homogenize data sources to better model relationships, optimize processes and innovate and create new business models.   

The day continued as a communication forum, in which, as an example, direct experiences of the participants could be shared, thus creating a space for reflection and dialogue. The day was structured through three thematic blocks, about the who, the how and the what for, with each block being contextualized, before the specific presentations, by SEDIA's Data Office and grounded in practice by the Government of Navarra. 

1. The first thematic block was "The data ecosystem: who". It addressed some of the strategies around data from the Generalitat de Catalunya and from the Basque Government.  

2. This was followed by presentations in a second block entitled "Governance model, ethics and culture: how". The governments of Aragon, Andalusia, the Canary Islands, Valencia and the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces made presentations of their success stories in this area.  

3. In a final block entitled "Citizen service, innovation and data spaces: what for", presentations were given by Andalusia, the National Institute of Statistics, Castilla-la Mancha and the General Secretariat of Digital Administration, and Red.es, the latter presenting the services offered to the autonomous communities from the datos.gob.es platform. 

Seven key principles to drive the data economy forward  

 The meeting culminated with the presentation of seven principles to advance the joint formulation of strategies and policies related to data management and the digital future. These are:  

• Establish effective data governance by setting policies, standards and procedures for the effective management, exploitation and sharing of data, while implementing controls and evaluations to ensure compliance.  

• Perform an ethical treatment of data, assessing the lawfulness and legitimacy of all data practices, seeking to minimize any adverse impact on individuals and society. 

• Prioritize reliable administrative processing centered on data, prioritizing the transition from document to data, capable of enabling and catalyzing the use of advanced technologies and tools for descriptive, predictive and prescriptive analytics (BI, big data, machine learning, deep learning), generative algorithms (LLM, GPT) and process automation (RPA).  

• Deployment of sovereign data sharing as a resource whose value increases with its dissemination, establishing who can access what data and under what conditions of use, security and trust.  

• Encourage the open dissemination of information, promoting its effective reuse and publication in accordance with FAIR principles, i.e., ensuring that data is findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable.  

• Designing and analyzing public policies based on evidence, in order to make informed decisions that lead to effective services and public innovation.   

• Fostering data culture, promoting the creation of new profiles, positions and responsibilities related to working with data, without neglecting the training and transmission of knowledge around data. 

The success of the participation, the interventions and reflections raised show the consensus on advancing towards the achievement of a data-oriented Administration, capable of taking advantage, through the use of innovative technological means, of the potential of data, enabling the design, implementation and evaluation of public policies focused on the citizen, generating a data-oriented, sustainable, inclusive and social value-generating economy.   

The Forum has thus become a meeting point and a place to generate synergies between the different public administrations. Interoperability between the various public sector agencies and between the different levels of government in the processing and exchange of information boosts territorial cohesion and enables the effective use of available technologies in the quest to satisfy the common good.

Alicante will host the Gaia-X Summit 2023 on November 9 and 10, which will review the latest progress made by this initiative in promoting data sovereignty in Europe. Interoperability, transparency and regulatory compliance acquire a practical dimension through the exchange and exploitation of data articulated under a reliable cloud environment.

It will also address the relationships established with industry leaders, experts, companies, governments, academic institutions and various organisations, facilitating the exchange of ideas and experiences between the various stakeholders involved in the European digital transformation. The event will feature keynotes, interactive workshops and panel discussions, exploring the limitless possibilities of cooperative digital ecosystems, and a near future where data has become a high value-added asset.

This event is organised by the european association Gaia-X, in collaboration with the  Spanish Gaia-X Hub. It also counts with the participation of the Data Office the project is being developed under the auspices of the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The project is being developed under the auspices of the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

The Gaia-X initiative aims to ensure that data is stored and processed in a secure and sovereign manner, respecting European regulations, and to foster collaboration between different and heterogeneous actors, such as companies, governments and organisations. Thus, Gaia-X promotes innovation promotes innovation and data-driven economic development in Europe. The open and collaborative relationship with the European Union is therefore essential for the achievement of its objectives.

Digital sovereignty: a Europe fit for the data age

As for Gaia-X, one of the major objectives of the European Union is to to promote digital sovereignty throughout the European Union. To this end, it promotes the development of key industries and technologies for its competitiveness and security, strengthens its trade relations and supply chains, and mitigates external dependencies, focusing on the reindustrialisation of its territory and on ensuring its strategic digital autonomy.

The concept of digital sovereignty encompasses different dimensions: technological, regulatory and socio-economic. The technology dimension refers to the hardware, software, cloud and network infrastructure used to access, process and store data. Meanwhile, the regulatory dimension refers to the rules that provide legal certainty to citizens, businesses and institutions operating in a digital environment. Finally, the socio-economic dimension focuses on entrepreneurship and individual rights in the new global digital environment. To make progress in all these dimensions, the EU relies on projects such as Gaia-X.

The initiative seeks to create federated, open, secure and transparent open, secure and transparent ecosystems, where data sets and services comply with a minimum set of common rules, thus allowing them to be reusable under environments of trust and transparency. In turn, this enables the creation of reliable, high-quality data ecosystems, with which European organisations will be able to drive their digitisation process, enhancing value chains across different industrial sectors. These value chains, digitally deployed on federated and trusted cloud environments ("Trusted Cloud"), are traceable and transparent, and thus serve to drive regulatory compliance and digital sovereignty efforts.

In short, this approach is based on building on and reinforcing values reflected in a developing regulatory framework that seeks to embed concepts such as trust and governance in data environments. This seeks to make the EU a leader in a society and economy where digitalisation is a vector for re-industrialisation and prosperity, but always within the framework of our defining values.

The full programme of the Summit is available on the official website of the European association: https://gaia-x.eu/summit-2023/agenda/.

On November 9, Valencia will host the DataBeersVLC no29 event, jointly organized by the DataBeersVLC collective and the Open Government area of the Valencia City Council, which can also be followed live on the Internet. The program includes four talks on data, three of which will focus on open data. 

DataBeers is a non-profit initiative that is present all over the world. This organization aims to create a worldwide community of data lovers and for this purpose organizes events open to the general public, where they share the most advanced results and methods in Data Science in an understandable way in an informal environment. DataBeers was born in Madrid in 2014 but has already spread around the world and is currently present in 25 cities in different countries. 

In Spain it has presence in Madrid, Barcelona, Málaga o Valencia, among other locations. In the latter, the DataBeersVLC community that was born in 2016, organizes the fourth edition of AI & Dataviz on November 9 at 19:00h at the Centro de Cultura Contemporánea Octubre. In line with its goal of bringing data closer to all types of audiences, the meeting will be streamed live through its Youtube channel. In addition, all talks will be recorded and can be viewed later through the same medium. 

Open data in the fight against climate change, the improvement of tourism and agriculture

The day's program includes four talks. As usual in DataBeers events, the talks will be short, around ten minutes, in a language that can be understood by all kinds of audiences. The relaxed atmosphere created and the didactic tone of the speakers make it possible to bring the world of data closer to the attendees. 

On this occasion, the first talk will deal with 'Air quality in Valencia' and will be given by Inmaculada Coma, professor of the Department of Computer Science at the University of Valencia and director of the Chair of Artificial Intelligence and Information Visualization of this academic institution. 

This talk will present the data from the different monitoring network stations of the city of Valencia that are available in tne open data portal of the City Council and will review the evolution of pollution in the city thanks to the analysis and visualization of this information. This is an example of how open data can help to raise public awareness in a context of climate change and energy transition.

Another of the topics to be addressed at this meeting is tourism, where open data is playing a key role in the sector's transition towards sustainability and digitalization. Laya Targa, data scientist, will present a 'Visualization and optimization of tourist routes in the city of Valencia'. Targa is a member of the Data Interaction and Augmentation Research Group (DINA) and a technician in the ClioViz project at the Institute of Robotics and Information and Communication Technologies (IRTIC) at the University of Valencia. The talk will address some of the innovative data-driven strategies that serve to improve the planning and enjoyment of routes through different monuments in the city. It will explore visualization techniques and demonstrate how routes can be optimized thanks to data and achieve a better experience for tourists that is at the same time respectful of the city and its inhabitants. 

Ferran Fernandez will address a talk on data farming, specifically on 'Saving water with predictive irrigation models'. Fernandez, a specialist in AgTech, will start from the fact that agriculture consumes the largest amount of fresh water in the world, with emphasis on the increasingly frequent episodes of extreme droughts. Thus, he will delve into the need to establish strategies that enable more efficient, sustainable and profitable agriculture. 

In this area, we cannot forget that the digital transformation is enabling the agricultural sector to modernize and move towards what is known as precision agriculture. In this process, data is a fundamental tool for farmers to know exactly what is happening in their crops and to be able to make more efficient decisions in terms of production and more environmentally sustainable. Water resource management is a key part of this process and this talk will explore in depth the new possibilities that open data offers in this area. 

In addition to the applications of open data in different sectors, during the conference Ricard Martínez, director of the Microsoft Chair of Privacy and Digital Transformation at the University of Valencia, will talk about data protection, a topic that usually arouses great interest among citizens. In the era of artificial intelligence that we are beginning, privacy is one of the main concerns and for this, it is necessary to maintain the balance between open access to information and the protection of personal data to ensure the privacy of individuals. The talk will discuss how to protect them from the design and traceability, fleeing from radical solutions such as prohibiting the processing of data. 

In short, the program of the fourth edition of AI & Dataviz organized by DataBeersVLC will show the use of open data in areas with a direct and very visible impact on society. The dissemination of the use of open data is essential to promote trust in data and digital infrastructures, as well as to raise public awareness of some of the challenges we face today, such as climate change. 

To attend the event in person, all you need to do is register here. It is also possible to follow the live webcast by connecting to the DataBeersVLC channel on YouTube. 

On September 14th, the II National Open Data Meeting took place under the theme "Urgent Call to Action for the Environment" at the Pignatelli building, the headquarters of the Government of Zaragoza. The event, held in person in the Crown Room, allowed attendees to participate and exchange ideas in real-time.

The event continued the tradition started in 2022 in Barcelona, establishing itself as one of the main gatherings in Spain in the field of public sector data reuse. María Ángeles Rincón, Director-General of Electronic Administration and Corporate Applications of the Government of Aragon, inaugurated the event, emphasizing the importance of open data in terms of transparency, reuse, economic development, and social development. She highlighted that high-quality and neutral data available on open data portals are crucial for driving artificial intelligence and understanding our environmental surroundings.

The day continued with a presentation by María Jesús Fernández Ruiz, Head of the Technical Office of Open Government of the City of Zaragoza, titled "Why Implement Data Governance in Our Institutions?" In her presentation, she stressed the need to manage data as a strategic asset and a public good, integrating them into governance and management policies. She also emphasized the importance of interoperability and the reuse of large volumes of data to turn them into knowledge, as well as the formation of interdisciplinary teams for data management and analysis.

The event included three panel discussions with the participation of professionals, experts, and scientists related to the management, publication, and use of open data, focusing on environmental data.

The first panel discussion highlighted the value of open data for understanding the environment we live in. In this video, you can revisit the panel discussion moderated by Borja Carvajal of the Diputación de Castellón: II National Open Data Meeting, Zaragoza, September 14, 2023 (morning session).

Secondly, Magda Lorente from the Diputación de Barcelona moderated the discussion "Open Data, Algorithms, and Artificial Intelligence: How to Combat Environmental Disinformation?" This second panel featured professionals from data journalism, science, and the public sector who discussed the opportunities and challenges of disseminating environmental information through open data.

Conclusions from Challenges 1 and 2 on Open Data: Interadministrative Collaboration and Professional Competencies

After the second panel discussion, the conclusions of Challenges 1 and 2 on open data were presented, two lines of work defined at the I National Open Data Meeting held in 2022.

In last year's conference, several challenges were identified in the field of open data. The first of them (Challenge 1) involved promoting collaboration between administrations to facilitate the opening of data sets and generate valuable exchanges for both parties. To address this challenge, annual work was carried out to establish the appropriate lines of action.

You can download the document summarizing the conclusions of Challenge 1 here: https://opendata.aragon.es/documents/90029301/115623550/Reto_1_encuentro_datos_Reto_1.pptx

On the other hand, Challenge 2 aimed to identify the need to define professional roles, as well as essential knowledge and competencies that public employees who take on tasks related to data opening should have.

To address this second challenge, a working group of professionals with expertise in the sector was also established, all pursuing the same goal: to promote the dissemination of open data and thus improve public policies by involving citizens and businesses throughout the opening process.

To resolve the key issues raised, the group addressed two related lines of work:

1. Defining competencies and basic knowledge in the field of open data for different public professional profiles involved in data opening and use.
2. Identifying and compiling existing training materials and pathways to provide workers with a starting point.

Key Professional Competencies for Data Opening

To specify the set of actions and attitudes that a worker should have to complete their work with open data, it was considered necessary to identify the main profiles in the administration needed, as well as the specific needs of each position. In this regard, the working group has based its analysis on the following roles:

• Open Data Manager role: responsible for technical leadership in promoting open data policies, data policy definition, and data model activities.
• Technical role in data opening (IT profile): encourages execution activities more related to system management, data extraction processes, data cleaning, etc., among others.
• Functional role in data opening (service technician): carries out execution activities more related to selecting data to be published, quality, promotion of open data, visualization, data analytics, for example.
• Use of data by public workers: performs activities involving data use for decision-making, basic data analytics, among others. Analyzing the functions of each of these roles, the team has established the necessary competencies and knowledge for performing the functions defined in each of these roles.

You can download the document with conclusions about professional capabilities for data opening here: https://opendata.aragon.es/documents/90029301/115623550/reto+2_+trabajadores+p%C3%BAblicos+capacitados+para+el+uso+y+la+apertura+de+datos.docx

Training Materials and Pathways on Open Data

In line with the second line of work, the team of professionals has developed an inventory of online training resources in the field of open data, which can be accessed for free. This list includes courses and materials in Spanish, co-official languages, and English, covering topics such as open data, their processing, analysis, and application.

You can download the document listing training materials, the result of the work of Challenge 2's group, here: [https://opendata.aragon.es/datos/catalogo/dataset/listado-de-materiales-formativos-sobre-datos-abiertos-fruto-del-trabajo-del-grupo-del-reto-2

In conclusion, the working group considered that the progress made during this first year marks a solid start, which will serve as a basis for administrations to design training and development plans aimed at the different roles involved in data opening. This, in turn, will contribute to strengthening and improving data policies in these entities.

Furthermore, it was noted that the effort invested in these months to identify training resources will be key in facilitating the acquisition of essential knowledge by public workers. On the other hand, it has been highlighted that there is a large number of free and open training resources with a basic level of specialization. However, the need to develop more advanced materials to train the professionals that the administration needs today has been identified.

The third panel discussion, moderated by Vicente Rubio from the Diputación de Castellón, focused on public policies based on data to improve the living environment of its inhabitants.

At the end of the meeting, it was emphasized how important it is to continue working on and shaping different challenges related to the functions and services of open data portals and data opening processes. In the III National Open Data Meeting to be held next year in the Province of Castellón, progress in this area will be presented.

Sign up for SEMIC 2023 and discover the interoperable Europe in the era of artificial intelligence. According to the forecasts of the European Commission, by 2025, the global volume of data will have increased by 530%, and in this context, it is crucial to ensure data interoperability and reuse. Thus, the European Union is working on creating a digital model that promotes data sharing while ensuring people's privacy and data interoperability.

The European Data Strategy includes the launch of common and interoperable data spaces in strategic sectors. In this context, various initiatives have emerged to discuss the processes, standards, and tools suitable for data management and exchange, which also serve to promote a culture of information and reuse. One of these initiatives is SEMIC, the most important interoperability conference in Europe, whose 2023 edition will take place on October 18th in Madrid, organized by the European Commission in collaboration with the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

SEMIC 2023, which can also be attended virtually, focuses on 'Interoperable Europe in the AI era.' The sessions will address data spaces, digital governance, data quality assurance, generative artificial intelligence, and code as law, among other aspects. Information about the proposal for an Interoperable Europe Law will also be presented.

Pre-Workshops

Attendees will have the opportunity to learn about specific use cases where public sector interoperability and artificial intelligence have mutually benefited. Although SEMIC 2023 will take place on October 18th, the day before, three interesting workshops will also be held, which can be attended both in-person and virtually:

• Artificial Intelligence in Policy Design for the Digital Age and in Legal Text Writing: This workshop will explore how AI-driven tools can assist policymakers in public policy formulation. Different tools, such as the Policy Analysis Prototype (SeTA) or intelligent functionalities for legal drafting (LEOS), will be discussed.
• Large Language Models in Support of Interoperability: This session will explore the methods and approaches proposed for using large language models and AI technology in the context of semantic interoperability. It will focus on the state of LLM and its application to semantic clustering, data discovery, and terminology expansion, among other applications supporting semantic interoperability.
• European Register of Public Sector Semantic Models: This workshop will define actions to create an entry point for connecting national collections of semantic assets.

Interactions Between Artificial Intelligence, Interoperability, and Semantics

The main SEMIC 2023 conference program includes roundtable discussions and various working sessions that will run in parallel. The first session will address Estonia's experience as one of the first European countries to implement AI in the public sector and its pioneering role in interoperability.

In the morning, an interesting roundtable will be held on the potential of artificial intelligence to support interoperability. Speakers from different EU Member States will present success stories and challenges related to deploying AI in the public sector.

In the second half of the morning, three parallel sessions will take place:

• Crafting Policies for the Digital Age and Code as Law: This session will identify the main challenges and opportunities in the field of AI and interoperability, focusing on 'code as law' as a paradigm. Special attention will be given to semantic annotation in legislation.
• Interconnecting Data Spaces: This session will address the main challenges and opportunities in the development of data spaces, with a special focus on interoperability solutions. It will also discuss synergies between the Data Spaces Support Center (DSSC) and the European Commission's DIGIT specifications and tools.
• Automated Public Services: This session will provide an approach to automating access to public services with the help of AI and chatbots.

In the afternoon, three more parallel sessions will be held:

• Knowledge Graphs, Semantics, and AI: This session will demonstrate how traditional semantics benefit from AI.
• Data Quality in Generative and General-Purpose AI: This session will review the main data quality issues in the EU and discuss strategies to overcome them.
• Trustworthy AI for Public Sector Interoperability: This session will discuss the opportunities for using AI for interoperability in the public sector and the transparency and reliability challenges of AI systems.

In the afternoon, there will also be a roundtable discussion on the upcoming challenges, addressing the technological, social, and political implications of advances in AI and interoperability from the perspective of policy actions. Following this panel, the closing sessions will take place.

The previous edition, held in Brussels, brought together over 1,000 professionals from 60 countries, both in-person and virtually. Therefore, SEMIC 2023 presents an excellent opportunity to learn about the latest trends in interoperability in the era of artificial intelligence.

You can register here: https://semic2023.eu/registration/