reutilización

Web platform for filtering and organizing proposals from the Congress of Deputies according to party votes, with the ability to show how one or more parties voted collectively or individually.

As proposals may have several votes, the main vote for each proposal is extracted using a ChatGPT AI model. AI is also used to extract information on the different points of a proposal and generate an explanatory description of the proposal that is understandable to anyone.

The aim is to have a platform where the activity of the Congress of Deputies can be seen clearly and simply.

Open SDG Index is a platform for managing and visualising results and progress in the fulfilment of the Sustainable Development Goals and the 2030 Agenda. It allows reporting and systematizing the progress and effort made by public and private entities to meet the SDGs. On the one hand, it facilitates the self-evaluation of this progress and, on the other, it makes the results known to the general public. It is part of the SDG system and allows any entity to incorporate and update its profile. 

The portal includes advanced searches, sectoral and territorial filters and organisation profiles for open consultation. The information is verified by independent agents and presented geolocalized to facilitate comparison between organizations and territories.

For the deployment of the Open SDG Index, a proprietary methodology has been developed in collaboration with the UNDP (United Nations Development Programme). The project won the First Prize for Social Entrepreneurship "La Noria" from the Diputación de Málaga in 2020.

The reuse of open data makes it possible to generate innovative solutions that improve people's lives, boost citizen participation and strengthen public transparency. Proof of this are the competitions promoted this year by the Junta de Castilla y León and the Madrid City Council.

Being the IX edition of the Castilla y León Competition and the first edition of the Madrid Competition, both administrations have presented the prizes to the selected projects, recognising both students and startups as well as professionals and researchers who have been able to transform public data into useful tools and knowledge. In this post, we review the award-winning projects in each competition and the context that drives them.

Castilla y León: ninth edition of consolidated awards in a more open administration

At the awards ceremony of the IX Open Data Contest of the Junta de Castilla y León,  the budget reinforcement (+65%) in the General Directorate of Transparency and Good Governance, the expansion of active advertising content and a continuous improvement of the right of access to public information, which has reduced requests and rejection resolutions, were highlighted. The Open Data Portal of Castilla y León has 776 datasets that allow the development of services, applications and studies each year.

The Open Data Awards recognize initiatives in four categories: Ideas, Products and Services, Teaching Resources, Data Journalism.

Ideas

• First prize: CyL Rural Hub. Proposal to develop a comprehensive platform for the rural territory that centralises services, infrastructures, job opportunities and educational offer. Its objective is to provide families and professionals with useful information to plan a life project in the villages of the community.

• Second prize: Cultural App of Castilla y León. An idea aimed at boosting cultural activity through an application that centralises events, activities and locations, also offering an intuitive and close experience based on open data.

Products & Services

• First prize: CyL Bridge. Application designed to support the integration of migrants through personalized routes, an artificial intelligence assistant and a resource center powered by public data.

• Second prize: MuniCyL. A tool that brings together dispersed municipal information and presents it on a single clear, accessible and up-to-date platform.

• Third prize: Interactive map of Natural Spaces. A resource that allows citizens to explore the protected areas of the territory dynamically and in real time.

• Student awards: Info Salamanca. Platform that offers interactive maps, thematic filters and a conversational assistant to bring provincial information closer and facilitate the consultation of citizen data.

Teaching Resource

• First prize: Use of open data from the Junta de Castilla y León in web development. A project that introduces open data into the learning of web development, with practical exercises and an AI search engine to work directly with real data from the portal.

Data Journalism

• First prize: Heart attacks are no longer a matter of age, a report on the increase in heart attacks among young people.

• Second prize: Burgos maintains regional leadership with 79 wind farms: an analysis of the deployment of renewable energies in the region.

Madrid: first edition of awards that promote reuse in the urban environment

On the other hand, the Madrid City Council has held the first edition of the Open Data Reuse Awards 2025. The ceremony highlighted the quality and diversity of the 65 applications submitted, many of them driven by university students and startups.

The awards seek to promote the use of data  from the Madrid City Council's Open Data Portal, support the creation of services and studies that contribute to knowledge of the city and reinforce the role of the city council as a benchmark administration in transparency and accountability.

In this case, the awards are structured into four categories: Web Services and Applications, Visualizations, Studies and Ideas, and Portal Improvement.

Web Services & Applications

• First prize: Madriwa. Find your place in Madrid. A tool that facilitates the search for housing through data on neighbourhoods, services and prices, allowing an informed and simplified comparison.

• Second prize: The guardians of the air. Application developed by Tangible Data to check the city's air quality, especially designed to raise awareness among young people and educational centers.

Data viz

• First prize: Ramp. Routes for people with reduced mobility. It presents accessible itineraries based on geospatial and orography data, offering alternative routes adapted to people with reduced mobility.

• Second prize: AccesibiliMad. It shows public services available in each urban environment, with special attention to the specific needs of different groups.

Studies, Research and Ideas

• First prize: Fifteen-minute cities for children. Analysis of the availability of essential services for minors within a maximum radius of 15 minutes, providing an innovative vision of urban planning.

• Second prize: The impact of tourism in urban areas. This study delves into the relationship between tourist housing, the commercial fabric and labour dynamics, using urban and socio-economic data.

Improving Portal Quality

• First prize: Your Open Data. Improving harvesting in data.europa.eu. Proposal that improves the way data is provided, raising the quality of metadata and boosting European interoperability.

• Second prize: Discovery, observability and intelligent governance of open data. Solution that introduces an automated layer of intelligence and control over the municipal catalog.

Both Castilla y León, with a consolidated track record, and the Madrid City Council, which inaugurates its own recognition, contribute decisively to strengthening the Spanish open data ecosystem. Its calls are an example of how collaboration between administrations, citizens, academia and the private sector can transform public data into knowledge, participation and innovation at the service of society as a whole.

embalses.info is a web platform that provides up-to-date information on the status of Spain’s reservoirs and dams. The application offers real-time hydrological data with weekly updates, allowing citizens, researchers, and public managers to consult water levels, capacities, and historical trends for more than 400 reservoirs organized into 16 river basins.

The application includes an interactive dashboard showing the overall status of Spanish reservoirs, an interactive (coming soon) basin map with filling levels, and detailed pages for each reservoir with weekly trend charts, comparisons with previous years, and historical records dating back to the 1980s. It features a powerful search engine, data analysis with interactive charts, and a contact form for suggestions.

From a technical standpoint, the platform uses Next.js 14+ with TypeScript on the frontend, Prisma ORM for data access, and PostgreSQL/SQL Server as the database. It is SEO-optimized with a dynamic XML sitemap, optimized meta tags, structured data, and friendly URLs. The site is fully responsive, accessible, and includes automatic light/dark mode.

The public value of the application lies in providing transparency and accessible information on Spain’s water resources, enabling farmers, public administrations, researchers, and the media to make informed decisions based on reliable and up-to-date data.

Data science has become a pillar of evidence-based decision-making in the public and private sectors. In this context, there is a need for a practical and universal guide that transcends technological fads and provides solid and applicable principles. This guide offers a decalogue of good practices that accompanies the data scientist throughout the entire life cycle of a project, from the conceptualization of the problem to the ethical evaluation of the impact.

1. Understand the problem before looking at the data. The initial key is to clearly define the context, objectives, constraints, and indicators of success. A solid framing prevents later errors.
    
2. Know the data in depth. Beyond the variables, it involves analyzing their origin, traceability and possible biases. Data auditing is essential to ensure representativeness and reliability.
    
3. Ensure quality. Without clean data there is no science. EDA techniques, imputation, normalization and control of quality metrics allow to build solid and reproducible bases.
    
4. Document and version. Reproducibility is a scientific condition. Notebooks, pipelines, version control, and MLOps practices ensure traceability and replicability of processes and models.
    
5. Choose the right model. Sophistication does not always win: the decision must balance performance, interpretability, costs and operational constraints.
    
6. Measure meaningfully. Metrics should align with goals. Cross-validation, data drift control and rigorous separation of training, validation and test data are essential to ensure generalization.
    
7. Visualize to communicate. Visualization is not an ornament, but a language to understand and persuade. Data-driven storytelling and clear design are critical tools for connecting with diverse audiences.
    
8. Work as a team. Data science is collaborative: it requires data engineers, domain experts, and business leaders. The data scientist must act as a facilitator and translator between the technical and the strategic.
    
9. Stay up-to-date (and critical). The ecosystem is constantly evolving. It is necessary to combine continuous learning with selective criteria, prioritizing solid foundations over passing fads.
    

10. Be ethical. Models have a real impact. It is essential to assess bias, protect privacy, ensure explainability and anticipate misuse. Ethics is a compass and a condition of legitimacy.

    

Finally, the report includes a bonus-track on Python and R, highlighting that both languages are complementary allies: Python dominates in production and deployment, while R offers statistical rigor and advanced visualization. Knowing both multiplies the versatility of the data scientist.

The Data Scientist's Decalogue is a practical, timeless and cross-cutting guide that helps professionals and organizations turn data into informed, reliable and responsible decisions. Its objective is to strengthen technical quality, collaboration and ethics in a discipline in full expansion and with great social impact.

Listen to the podcast (only available in Spanish)

Podcast video

Download the infographic

Content prepared by Alejandro Alija, expert in Digital Transformation and Innovation. The contents and points of view reflected in this publication are the sole responsibility of the author.

Spain's open data initiative, datos.gob.es, is revamped to offer a more accessible, intuitive and efficient experience. The change responds to the desire to improve access to data and facilitate its use by citizens, researchers, companies and administrations. With an updated design and new functionalities, the platform will continue to act as a meeting point for all those who seek to innovate based on data.

Focus on high-value datasets and web services

The new website reinforces its central axis, the National Open Data Catalogue, an access point to nearly 100,000 datasets, which group more than 500,000 files, and which the Spanish Public Administration makes available to companies, researchers and citizens for reuse. In it you can find datasets published by bodies of the General State Administration, regional, local, universities, etc.

One of the most relevant advances is the improvement in the possibilities for data publishers to describe in a more precise and structured way the data collections they wish to make available to the public. A more detailed description of the sources makes it easier for users to locate data of interest.

Specifically, the platform incorporates a new metadata model aligned with the latest versions of European standards, the national application profile DCAT-AP-ES, which adapts guidelines from the European metadata exchange scheme DCAT-AP (Data Catalog Vocabulary – Application Profile). This profile improves interoperability at national and European level, facilitates compliance with EU regulations, favors the federation of catalogues and the localization of datasets, and contributes to improving the quality of metadata through validation mechanisms, among other advantages.

In addition, the new version of datos.gob.es introduces significant improvements to the Catalog view, highlighting high-value data (HVD) and data offered through web services. To improve their identification, distinctive symbols have been added that allow you to differentiate the types of resources immediately.

Likewise, the number of documented metadata has been expanded, which is shown to users through a clearer structure. Metadata provided by publishers can now be categorized into general information, data sheet, contact and quality aspects. This new organization provides users with a more complete and accessible view of each dataset.

It is also worth noting that the data request process has been optimized  to offer a more intuitive and fluid experience.

A new information architecture to improve usability

The new datos.gob.es platform has also adapted its information architecture to make it more intuitive and improve navigation and access to relevant information. The new settings make it easier to locate datasets and editorial content, while contributing to accessibility, ensuring that all users, regardless of their technical knowledge or device type, can interact with the website without difficulties.

Among other issues, the menu has been simplified, grouping the information into five large sections:

• Data: includes access to the National Catalogue, along with forms to request new data to be published as open. Information on data spaces and safe environments can also be found in this section, along with a section on resources for publisher support.
• Community: designed to learn more about open data initiatives in Spain and be inspired by examples of reuse through various use cases, organized into companies and applications. It should be noted that the map of initiatives has been updated with revised and improved files, with the option of filtering by the category of data offered, making it easier to consult. In this section we also find information on the challenges and the subsection of sectors, which has been considerably expanded, incorporating all those defined by the Technical Standard for Interoperability of Reuse of Information Resources, which allows a more complete view of both the data and its potential for use according to each area.
• News: users will be able to keep up to date with the latest developments in the data ecosystem through news and information on events related to the subject.
• Knowledge: one of the main novelties of the new platform is that all the resources that seek to promote data-based innovation have been unified under a single heading, making it easier to organize. Through this section, users will be able to access: blog articles, written by experts in various fields (data science, data governance, legal aspects, etc.), where trends in the sector are explained and analyzed; data exercises to learn step by step how to process and work with data; infographics that graphically summarize complex use cases or concepts; interviews with experts in podcast, video or written formats; and guides and reports, aimed at both publishers and reusers of data. Also included is the link to the GitHub repository, whose visibility has been strengthened in order to promote access and collaboration of the data community in the development of open tools and resources.
• About us: in addition to information about the project, FAQs, contact, platform technology, etc., in this section you can access the new dashboard, which now provides more detailed metrics on the catalog, content, and outreach actions.

The new version of datos.gob.es also introduces key improvements to the way content and datasets are located. The platform has been optimized with an intelligent search, which allows a guided search and a greater number of filters, making it easier to find information faster and more accurately.

Improved internal functionalities

The new version of datos.gob.es also brings with it internal improvements that will facilitate management for data publishers, optimizing processes. The private part accessed by agencies has been revamped to offer a more intuitive and functional interface. The console has been redesigned to streamline data management and administration, allowing for more efficient and structured control.

In addition, the content manager has been updated to its latest version, which guarantees better performance.

These enhancements reinforce datos.gob.es's commitment to the continuous evolution and optimization of its platform, ensuring a more accessible and efficient environment for all actors involved in the publication and management of open data. The new platform not only improves the user experience, but also drives data reuse across multiple industries.

We invite you to explore what's new and reap the benefits of data as a driver of innovation!

Once again, the Junta de Castilla y León has launched its open data contest to reward the innovative use of public information.

In this post, we summarize the details to participate in the IX edition of this event, which is an opportunity for both professionals and students, creative people or multidisciplinary teams who wish to give visibility to their talent through the reuse of public data.

What does the competition consist of?

The aim of the competition is to recognize projects that use open datasets from the Junta de Castilla y León. These datasets can be combined, if the participants wish, with other public or private sources, at any level of administration.

Projects can be submitted in four categories:

• Ideas category: aimed at people or teams who want to submit a proposal to create a service, studio, application, website or any other type of development. The project does not need to be completed; the important thing is that the idea is original, viable and has a potential positive impact.
• Products and services category: designed for projects already developed and accessible to citizens, such as online services, mobile applications or websites. All developments must be available via a public URL. This category includes a specific award for students enrolled in official education during the 2024/2025 or 2025/2026 school years.
• Didactic resource category: aimed at educational projects that use open data as a support tool in the classroom. The aim is to promote innovative teaching through Creative Commons licensed resources, which can be shared and reused by teachers and students.
• Data journalism category: it will reward journalistic works published or updated in a relevant way, in written or audiovisual format, that make use of open data to inform, contextualize or analyze topics of interest to citizens. The journalistic pieces must have been published in a printed or digital media since September 24, 2024, the day following the end date of the deadline for submission of candidacies of the immediately preceding call for awards.

In all categories, it is essential that at least one dataset from the open data portal of the Junta de Castilla y León is used. This platform has hundreds of datasets on different sectors such as the environment, economy, society, public administration, culture, education, etc. that can be used as a basis to develop useful, informative and transformative ideas.

Who can participate?

The competition is open to any natural or legal person, who can be presented individually or in a group. In addition, you can submit more than one application even for different categories. Although the same project may not receive more than one award, this flexibility allows the same idea to be explored from different approaches: educational, journalistic, technical or conceptual.

What prizes are awarded?

The 2025 edition of the contest includes prizes with a financial endowment, accrediting diploma and institutional dissemination through the open data portal and other communication channels of the Board.

The distribution and amount of the prizes by category is:

• Ideas category
  
  • First prize: €1,500
  • Second prize: €500
• Category products & services
  
  • First prize: €2,500
  • Second prize: €1,500
  • Third prize: €500
  • Special Student Prize: €1,500
• Category teaching resource
  
  • First prize: €1,500
• Data journalism category
  
  • First prize: €1,500
  • Second prize: €1,000

Under what criteria are the prizes awarded? The jury will assess the candidatures considering different evaluation criteria, as set out in the rules and the order of call, including their originality, social utility, technical quality, feasibility, impact, economic value and degree of innovation.

How to participate?

As in other editions, candidacies can be submitted in two ways:

• In person, at the General Registry of the Ministry of the Presidency, at the registry assistance offices of the Junta de Castilla y León or at the places established in article 16.4 of Law 39/2015.
• Electronics, through the electronic headquarters of the Junta de Castilla y León

Each application must include:

• Identification data of the author(s).
• Title of the project.
• Category or categories to which it is submitted.
• An explanatory report of the project, with a maximum length of 1,000 words, providing all the information that can be assessed by the jury according to the established scale.
• In the case of submitting an application to the Products and Services category, the URL to access the project will be specified

The deadline to submit proposals is September 22, 2025

With this contest, the Junta de Castilla y León reaffirms its commitment to the open data policy and the culture of reuse. The competition not only recognizes the creativity, innovation and usefulness of the projects presented, but also contributes to disseminating the transformative potential of open data in areas such as education, journalism, technology or social entrepreneurship.

In previous editions, solutions to improve mobility, interactive maps on forest fires, tools for the analysis of public expenditure or educational resources on the rural environment, among many other examples, have been awarded. You can read more about last year's winning proposals and others on our website. In addition, all these projects can be consulted in the history of winners available on the community's open data portal.

We encourage you to participate in the contest and get the most out of open data in Castilla y León!

Madrid City Council has launched an initiative to demonstrate the potential of open data: the first edition of the Open Data Reuse Awards 2025. With a total budget of 15,000 euros, this competition seeks to promote the reuse of the data shared by the council on its open data portal, demonstrating that they can be a driver of social innovation and citizen participation.

The challenge is clear: to turn data into useful, original and impactful ideas. If you think you can do it, below, we summarize the information you must consider to compete.

Who can participate?

The competition is open to practically everyone: from individuals to companies or groups of any kind. The only condition is to submit a project carried out between September 10, 2022 and September 9, 2025 and that uses at least one dataset  from the Madrid City Council's open data portal as a base. Data from other public and private sources can also be used, as long as the  Madrid City Council datasets are a key part of the project.

Of course, projects that have already been awarded, contracted or financed by the City Council itself are not accepted, nor are works submitted after the deadline or without the required documentation.

What projects can be submitted?

There are four main areas in which you can participate:

• Web services and applications: refers to projects that provide services, studios, web applications, or mobile apps.
• Studies, research and ideas: refers to projects of exploration, analysis or description of ideas aimed at the creation of services, studies, visualizations, web applications or mobile apps. Bachelor's and master's degree final university projects can also participate in this category.
• Proposals to improve the quality of the open data portal: includes projects, services, applications or initiatives that contribute to boosting the quality of the datasets published on the Madrid City Council's open data portal.
• Data visualizations: you can participate in this category with various content, such as maps, graphs, tables, 3D models, digital art, web applications and animations. Representations can be static, such as infographics, posters, or figures in publications, or dynamic, including videos, interactive dashboards, and stories.

What are the prizes?

For each category, two prizes for different economic endowments are awarded:

Figure 1. Prize money for the first edition of the 2025 Open Data Reuse Awards. Source: Madrid City Council.

Beyond the economic prize, this call is a great opportunity to give visibility to ideas that take advantage of the transparency and potential of open data. In addition, if the proposal improves public services, solves a real problem or helps to better understand the city, it will have great value that goes far beyond recognition.

How are projects valued?

A jury will evaluate each project by assigning a maximum score of 50 points, which will take into account aspects such as originality, social benefit, technical quality, accessibility, ease of use, or even design, in the case of visualizations. If deemed necessary, the jury may request further information submitted to the participants.

The two projects with the highest score will win, although to be considered, the proposals must reach at least 25 points out of a possible 50. If none of them meets this requirement, the category will be declared void.

The jury will be made up of representatives from different areas of the City Council, with experience in innovation, transparency, technology and data. A representative of ASEDIE (Multisectoral Association of Information), the association that promotes the reuse and distribution of information in Spain, will also participate.

How do I participate?

The deadline to register is September 9, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. In the case of natural people, the application can be submitted:

• Online through the City Council's Electronic Office. This procedure requires identification and electronic signature.
• In person at municipal service offices.

In the case of legal people, they may only submit their candidacy electronically.

In any case, the official form must be completed and accompanied by a report explaining the project, its operation, its benefits, the use of the data, and if possible, including screenshots, links or prototypes.

You can see the complete rules here.

More than 90,000 people from all over the world participated in the latest edition of the Space App Challenge. This annual two-day event, organized by the US space agency, NASA, is an opportunity to innovate and learn about the advantages that open space data can offer.

This year the competition will be held on October 4 and 5. Through a hackathon, participants will engage first-hand with NASA's most relevant missions and research. It's an opportunity to learn how to launch and lead projects through hands-on use of NASA data in the real world. In addition, it is a free activity open to anyone (those under 18 years of age must be accompanied by a legal guardian).

In this post, we tell you some of the keys you need to know about this global benchmark event.

Where is it held?

Under the banner of the Space Apps Challenge, virtual and face-to-face events take place all over the world. Specifically, in Spain, meetings are held in several cities:

• Barcelona
  
  • Where: in person, at 42 Barcelona (Carrer D'Albert Einstein 11).
• Madrid
  
  • Where: face-to-face, at the School of Digital Competences – San Blas Digital (Calle Amposta, 34).
• Murcia
  
  • Where: in person at UCAM HITECH (Av. Andrés Hernandez Ros, 1, Guadalupe).
• Malaga
  
  • Where: Face-to-face, at a location to be determined (you can contact the event organizer through the link).
• Pamplona
  
  • Where: face-to-face and virtual, in a location to be determined (you can contact the event organization through the link)
• San Vicente del Raspeig (Alicante)
  
  • Where: in person, at the Alicante Science Park (University of Alicante, San Vicente del Raspeig).
• Seville
  
  • Where: Face-to-face, at a location yet to be determined (you can contact the event organizer via the link).
• Valencia
  
  • Where: in person, at the UPV Student House, Polytechnic University of Valencia (Camino de Vera, s/n Building 4K).
• Zaragoza
  
  • Where: in person, at the Betancourt Building, Río Ebro Campus (EINA) Calle María de Luna, 1.

All of them will have a welcome ceremony on Friday, October 3 at 5:30 p.m . in which the details of the competition will be presented, the teams and the themes of each challenge will be organized.

To participate in any of the events, you can register individually and the organization will help you find a team. You can also register your team directly (of a maximum of 6 people).

If you can't find any in-person events near you, you can sign up for the universal event that will be online.

Are there any prizes?

Yes! Each event will award its own prizes. In addition, NASA recognizes, each year, ten global awards divided into different categories:

• Best Use of Science Award: recognizes the project that makes the most valid and outstanding use of science and/or the scientific method.

• Best Data Use Award: awarded to the project that makes spatial data more accessible or uses it in a unique way.

• Best Use of Technology Award: distinguishes the project that represents the most innovative use of technology.

• Galactic Impact Award: awarded to the project with the greatest potential to improve life on Earth or in the universe.

• Best Mission Concept Award: recognizes the project with the most plausible concept and design.

• Most Inspiring Award: It is awarded to the project that manages to move and inspire the public.

• Best Narrative Award: Highlights the project that most creatively communicates the potential of open data through the art of storytelling.

• Global Connection Award: awarded to the project that best connects people around the world through technology.

• Art and Technology Award: recognizes the project that most effectively combines technical and creative skills.

• Local Impact Award: awarded to the project that demonstrates the greatest potential to generate impact at the local level.

Figure 1. Space App Challenge Awards. Source: https://www.spaceappschallenge.org/brand/

From Gijón to the world: the Spanish project awarded in 2024

In last year's edition, a Spanish project, specifically from Gijón, won the global award for best mission concept with its Landsat Connect application proposal. The AsturExplorer team developed a web application designed to provide a fast, simple and intuitive way to track the path of Landsat satellites and access surface reflectance data. Their project fostered interdisciplinary and scientific learning capacities, and empowered citizens.

The Landsat program consists of a series of Earth observation satellite missions, jointly managed by NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), providing images and data about our planet since 1972.

End users of the app developed by AsturExplorer can set a destination location and receive notifications in advance to know when the Landsat satellite will pass over each area. This allows users to prepare and take their own measurements on the ground and obtain pixel data without the need to constantly monitor satellite schedules.

The AsturExplorer team used open Landsat data from NASA and Earth Explorer. They also made use of artificial intelligence to understand the technical problem and compare multiple alternatives. You can read more about this use case here.

How do I register?

The Space App Challenge website offers a section of frequently asked questions and a video tutorial to facilitate registration. The process is simple:

1. Create an account
2. Register for the Hackathon
3. Choose a local event
4. Join a team and form your own
5. Submit a project (before 11.59am on 5 October)
6. Complete the Engagement Survey

We encourage you to be part of this global benchmark event where you will reuse open datasets. A great opportunity!

March is approaching and with it a new edition of the Open Data Day. It is an annual worldwide celebration that has been organised for 12 years, promoted by the Open Knowledge Foundation through the Open Knowledge Network. It aims to promote the use of open data in all countries and cultures.

This year's central theme is "Open data to address the polycrisis". The term polycrisis refers to a situation where different risks exist in the same time period. This theme aims to focus on open data as a tool to address, through its reuse, global challenges such as poverty and multiple inequalities, violence and conflict, climate risks and natural disasters.

If several years ago the activities were limited to a single day, from 2023 we have a week to enjoy various conferences, seminars, workshops, etc. centred on this theme. Specifically, in 2025, Open Data Day activities will take place from 1 to 7 March.

Through its website you can see the various activities that will take place throughout the week all over the world. In this article we review some of those that you can follow from Spain, either because they take place in Spain or because they can be followed online.

Open Data Day 2025: Women Leading Open Data for Equality

Iniciativa Barcelona Open Data is organising a session on the afternoon of 6 March focusing on how open data can help address equality challenges. The event will bring together women experts in data technologies and open data, to share knowledge, experiences and best practices in both the publication and reuse of open data in this field.

The event will start at 17:30 with a welcome and introduction. This will be followed by two panel discussions and an interview:

• Round Table 1. Publishing institutions. Gender-sensitive data strategy to address the feminist agenda.
• DIALOGUE Data lab. Building feminist Tech Data practice.
• Round Table 2. Re-users. Projects based on the use of open data to address the feminist agenda.

The day will end at 19:40 with a cocktail and the opportunity for attendees to discuss the topics discussed and expand their network through networking.

How can you follow the event? This is an in-person event, which will be held at Ca l'Alier, Carrer de Pere IV, 362 (Barcelona).

Registration

Open access scientific and scholarly publishing as a tool to face the 21st century polycrisis: the key role of publishers

Organised by a private individual, Professor Damián Molgaray, this conference looks at the key role of editors in open access scientific and scholarly publishing. The idea is for participants to reflect on how open knowledge is positioned as a fundamental tool to face the challenges of the 21st century polycrisis, with a focus on Latin America.

The event will take place on 4 March at 11:00 in Argentina (15:00 in mainland Spain).

How can you follow the event? This is an online event through Google Meet.

Registration

WhoFundsThem

The organisation mySociety will show the results of its latest project. Over the last few months, a team of volunteers has collected data on the financial interests of the 650 MPs in the UK House of Commons, using sources such as the official Register of Interests, Companies House, MPs' attendance at debates etc. This data, checked and verified with MPs themselves through a 'right of reply' system, has been transformed into an easily accessible format, so that anyone can easily understand it, and will be published on the parliamentary tracking website TheyWorkForYou.

At this event, the project will be presented and the conclusions will be discussed. It takes place on Tuesday 4 at 14:00 London time (15:00 in Spain peninsular).

How can you follow the event? The session can be followed online, but registration is required. The event will be in English.

Registration

Science on the 7th: A conversation on Open Data & Air Quality

El viernes 7 a las 9:00 EST – (15:00 en España peninsular) se podrá seguir online una conferencia sobre datos abiertos y calidad del aire. La sesión reunirá a diversos expertos para debatir los temas de actualidad en materia de calidad del aire y salud mundial, y se examinará la contaminación atmosférica procedente de fuentes clave, como las partículas, el ozono y la contaminación relacionada con el tráfico.

Esta iniciativa está organizada por Health Effects Institute, una corporación sin ánimo de lucro que proporciona datos científicos sobre los efectos de la contaminación atmosférica en la salud.

A conference on open data and air quality will be available online on Friday 7 at 9:00 EST (15:00 in mainland Spain). The session will bring together a range of experts to discuss topical issues in air quality and global health, and will examine air pollution from key sources such as particulate matter, ozone and traffic-related pollution.

This initiative is organised by Health Effects Institute, a non-profit corporation that provides scientific data on the health effects of air pollution.

How can you follow the event? The conference, which will be in English, can be viewed on YouTube. No registration is required.

Watch the event online

Deadline open for new event proposals

The above events are just a few examples of the activities that are part of this global celebration, but, as mentioned above, you can see all the actions on the initiative's website.

In addition, the deadline for registering new events is still open. If you have a proposal, you can register it via this link.

From datos.gob.es we invite you to join this week of celebration, which serves to vindicate the power of open data to generate positive changes in our society. Don't miss it!