Sector público

The Cabildo Insular de Tenerife has announced the II Open Data Contest: Development of APPs, an initiative that rewards the creation of web and mobile applications that take advantage of the datasets available on its datos.tenerife.es portal. This call represents a new opportunity for developers, entrepreneurs and innovative entities that want to transform public information into digital solutions of value for society. In this post, we tell you the details about the competition.

A growing ecosystem: from ideas to applications

This initiative is part of the Cabildo de Tenerife's Open Data project, which promotes transparency, citizen participation and the generation of economic and social value through the reuse of public information.

The Cabildo has designed a strategy in two phases:

• The I Open Data Contest: Reuse Ideas (already held) focused on identifying creative proposals.

• The II Contest: Development of PPPs (current call) that gives continuity to the process and seeks to materialize ideas in functional applications.

This progressive approach makes it possible to build an innovation ecosystem that accompanies participants from conceptualization to the complete development of digital solutions.

The objective is to promote the creation of digital products and services that generate social and economic impact, while identifying new opportunities for innovation and entrepreneurship in the field of open data.

Awards and financial endowment

This contest has a total endowment of 6,000 euros distributed in three prizes:

• First prize: 3,000 euros

• Second prize: 2,000 euros

• Third prize: 1,000 euros

Who can participate?

The call is open to:

• Natural persons: individual developers, designers, students, or anyone interested in the reuse of open data.

• Legal entities: startups, technology companies, cooperatives, associations or other entities.

As long as they present the development of an application based on open data from the Cabildo de Tenerife. The same person, natural or legal, can submit as many applications as they wish, both individually and jointly. 

What kind of applications can be submitted?

Proposals must be web or mobile applications that use at least one dataset from the datos.tenerife.es portal. Some ideas that can serve as inspiration are:

• Applications to optimize transport and mobility on the island.

• Tools for visualising tourism or environmental data.

• Real-time citizen information services.

• Solutions to improve accessibility and social participation.

• Economic or demographic data analysis platforms.

Evaluation criteria: what does the jury assess?

The jury will evaluate the proposals considering the following criteria:

• Use of open data: degree of exploitation and integration of the datasets available in the portal.

• Impact and usefulness: value that the application brings to society, ability to solve real problems or improve existing services.

• Innovation and creativity: originality of the proposal and innovative nature of the proposed solution.

• Technical quality: code robustness, good programming practices, scalability and maintainability of the application.

• Design and usability: user experience (UX), attractive and intuitive visual design, guarantee of digital accessibility on Android and iOS devices.

How to participate: deadlines and form of submission: 

Applications can be submitted until March 10, 2026, three months from the publication of the call in the Official Gazette of the Province.

Regarding the required documentation, proposals must be submitted in digital format and include:

• Detailed technical description of the application.

• Report justifying the use of open data.

• Specification of technological environments used.

• Video demonstration of how the application works.

• Complete source code.

• Technical summary sheet.

The organising institution recommends electronic submission through the Electronic Office of the Cabildo de Tenerife, although it is also possible to submit it in person at the official registers enabled. The complete bases and the official application form are available at the Cabildo's Electronic Office.

With this second call, the Cabildo de Tenerife consolidates its commitment to transparency, the reuse of public information and the creation of a digital innovation ecosystem. Initiatives like this demonstrate how open data can become a catalyst for entrepreneurship, citizen participation, and local economic development.

In the last six months, the open data ecosystem in Spain has experienced intense activity marked by regulatory and strategic advances, the implementation of new platforms and functionalities in data portals, or the launch of innovative solutions based on public information.

In this article, we review some of those advances, so you can stay up to date. We also invite you to review the article on the news of the first half of 2025 so that you can have an overview of what has happened this year in the national data ecosystem.

Cross-cutting strategic, regulatory and policy developments

Data quality, interoperability and governance have been placed at the heart of both the national and European agenda, with initiatives seeking to foster a robust framework for harnessing the value of data as a strategic asset.

One of the main developments has been the launch of a new digital package by the European Commission in order to consolidate a robust, secure and competitive European data ecosystem. This package includes a digital bus to simplify the application of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Regulation. In addition, it is complemented by the new Data Union Strategy,  which is structured around three pillars:

• Expand access to quality data to drive artificial intelligence and innovation.
• Simplify the existing regulatory framework to reduce barriers and bureaucracy.
• Protect European digital sovereignty from external dependencies.

Its implementation will take place gradually over the next few months. It will be then that we will be able to appreciate its effects on our country and the rest of the EU territories.

Activity in Spain has also been - and will be - marked by the V Open Government Plan 2025-2029, approved last October. This plan has more than 200 initiatives and contributions from both civil society and administrations, many of them related to the opening and reuse of data. Spain's commitment to open data has also been evident in its adherence to the International Open Data Charter, a global initiative that promotes the openness and reuse of public data as tools to improve transparency, citizen participation, innovation and accountability.

Along with the promotion of data openness, work has also been done on the development of data sharing spaces. In this regard, the UNE 0087 standard was presented, which is in addition to UNE specifications on data and defines for the first time in Spain the key principles and requirements for creating and operating in data spaces, improving their interoperability and governance.

More innovative data-driven solutions

Spanish bodies continue to harness the potential of data as a driver of solutions and policies that optimise the provision of services to citizens. Some examples are:

• The Ministry of Health and citizen science initiative, Mosquito Alert, are using artificial intelligence and automated image analysis to improve real-time detection and tracking of tiger mosquitoes and invasive species.
• The Valenciaport Foundation, together with other European organisations, has launched a free tool that allows the benefits of installing wind and photovoltaic energy systems in ports to be assessed.
• The Cabildo de la Palma opted for smart agriculture with the new Smart Agro website: farmers receive personalised irrigation recommendations according to climate and location. The Cabildo has also launched a viewer to monitor mobility on the island.
• The City Council of Segovia has implemented a digital twin that centralizes high-value applications and geographic data, allowing the city to be visualized and analyzed in an interactive three-dimensional environment. It improves municipal management and promotes transparency and citizen participation.
• Vila-real City Council has launched a digital application that integrates public transport, car parks and tourist spots in real time. The project seeks to optimize urban mobility and promote sustainability through smart technology.
• Sant Boi City Council has launched an interactive map made with open data that centralises information on urban transport, parking and sustainable options on a single platform, in order to improve urban mobility.
• The DataActive International Research Network has been inaugurated, an initiative funded by the Higher Sports Council that seeks to promote the design of active urban environments through the use of open data.

Not only public bodies reuse open data, universities are also working on projects linked to digital innovation based on public information:

• Students from the Universitat de València have designed projects that use AI and open data to prevent natural disasters.
• Researchers from the University of Castilla-La Mancha have shown that it is feasible to reuse air quality prediction models in different areas of Madrid using transfer learning.

In addition to solutions, open data can also be used to shape other types of products, including sculptures. This is the case of "The skeleton of climate change", a figure presented by the National Museum of Natural Sciences, based on data on changes in global temperature from 1880 to 2024.

New portals and functionalities to extract value from data

The solutions and innovations mentioned above are possible thanks to the existence of multiple platforms for opening or sharing data that do not stop incorporating new data sets and functionalities to extract value from them. Some of the developments we have seen in this regard in recent months are:

• The National Observatory of Technology and Society (ONTSI) has launched a new website. One of its new features is Ontsi Data, a tool for preparing reports with indicators from both its portal and third parties.
• The General Council of Notaries has launched a Housing Statistical Portal, an open tool with reliable and up-to-date data on the real estate market in Spain.
• The Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN) has inaugurated on its website an open data space with microdata on the composition of food and beverages marketed in Spain.
• The Centre for Sociological Research (CIS) launched a renewed website, adapted to any device and with a more powerful search engine to facilitate access to its studies and data.
• The National Geographic Institute (IGN) has presented a new website for SIOSE, the Information System on Land Occupation in Spain, with a more modern, intuitive and dynamic design. In addition, it has made available to the public a new version of the Geographic Reference Information of Transport Networks (IGR-RT), segmented by provinces and modes of transport, and available in Shapefile and GeoPackage.
• The AKIS Advisors Platform, promoted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, has launched a new open data API that allows registered users to download and reuse content related to the agri-food sector in Spain.
• The Government of Catalonia launched a new corporate website that centralises key aspects of European funds, public procurement, transparency and open data in a single point. It has also launched a website where it collects information on the AI systems it uses.
• PortCastelló has published its 2024 Proceedings in open data format. All the management, traffic, infrastructures and economic data of the port are now accessible and reusable by any citizen.
• Researchers from the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya and the Institute of Photonic Sciences have created an open library with data on 140 biomolecules. A pioneering resource that promotes open science and the use of open data in biomedicine.
• CitriData, a federated space for data, models and services in the Andalusian citrus value chain, was also presented. Its goal is to transform the sector through the intelligent and collaborative use of data.

Other organizations are immersed in the development of their novelties. For example, we will soon see the new Open Data Portal of Aguas de Alicante, which will allow public access to key information on water management, promoting the development of solutions based on Big Data and AI.

These months have also seen strategic advances linked to improving the quality and use of data, such as the Data Government Model of the Generalitat Valenciana or the Roadmap for the Provincial Strategy of artificial intelligence of the Provincial Council of Castellón.

Datos.gob.es also introduced a new platform aimed at optimizing both publishing and data access. If you want to know this and other news of the Aporta Initiative in 2025, we invite you to read this post.

Encouraging the use of data through events, resources and citizen actions

The second half of 2025 was the time chosen by a large number of public bodies to launch tenders aimed at promoting the reuse of the data they publish. This was the case of the Junta de Castilla y León, the Madrid City Council, the Valencia City Council and the Provincial Council of Bizkaia. Our country has also participated in international events such as the NASA Space Apps Challenge.

Among the events where the power of open data has been disseminated, the Open Government Partnership (OGP) Global Summit, the Iberian Conference on Spatial Data Infrastructures (JIIDE), the International Congress on Transparency and Open Government or the 17th International Conference on the Reuse of Public Sector Information of ASEDIE stand out.  although there were many more.

Work has also been done on reports that highlight the impact of data on specific sectors, such as the DATAGRI Chair 2025 Report of the University of Cordoba, focused on the agri-food sector. Other published documents seek to help improve data management, such as "Fundamentals of Data Governance in the context of data spaces", led by DAMA Spain, in collaboration with Gaia-X Spain.

Citizen participation is also critical to the success of data-driven innovation. In this sense, we have seen both activities aimed at promoting the publication of data and improving those already published or their reuse:

• The Barcelona Open Data Initiative requested citizen help to draw up a ranking of digital solutions based on open data to promote healthy ageing. They also organized a participatory activity to improve the iCuida app, aimed at domestic and care workers. This app allows you to search for public toilets, climate shelters and other points of interest for the day-to-day life of caregivers.
• The Spanish Space Agency launched a survey to find out the needs and uses of Earth Observation images and data within the framework of strategic projects such as the Atlantic Constellation.

In conclusion, the activities carried out in the second half of 2025 highlight the consolidation of the open data ecosystem in Spain as a driver of innovation, transparency and citizen participation. Regulatory and strategic advances, together with the creation of new platforms and solutions based on data, show a firm commitment on the part of institutions and society to take advantage of public information as a key resource for sustainable development, the improvement of services and the generation of knowledge.

As always, this article is just a small sample of the activities carried out. We invite you to share other activities that you know about through the comments.

The recent Meeting Forum between the Government of Spain and the Autonomous Communities has marked a turning point in how public administrations approach digital transformation. For the first time, the debate has not focused on convincing about the importance of data or the need to modernize processes, but on executing a coherent strategy that allows the deployment of AI to take advantage of its full potential. All this highlighting the importance of having a solid database of well-governed data that is useful for citizens.

The conclusions of the meeting, articulated in specialized working groups, outline a roadmap that confirms the maturity reached. Far from focusing solely on technological aspects, the forum has focused on where the challenge really lies: on the cultural, organisational and governance obstacles that will determine the success or failure of this transformation in the coming years. The debate took place in three working tables:

• Table 1: Unlocking the data, from the Standard to the Practice

• Table 2: Orchestration of Data, Symphony or Cacophony of Roles?

• Table 3: Sectoral Data Spaces, the Public Boost to Market Value

In this post we tell you the main conclusions.

Data as a strategic asset: from theory to practice

The starting point of the first table of the forum was to understand that the main challenge to turn data into a strategic asset is no longer technological. Administrations today have robust, stable and capable solutions. The real obstacle is cultural: overcoming the vision of data as a burden and consolidating it as an engine of innovation and public service.

Breaking this inertia, according to the participants in the forum, requires decisive leadership capable of aligning regulatory framework and technological capabilities. And, in this change, artificial intelligence is emerging as the catalyst because it highlights the hidden value of data and, above all, because it cannot function without overcoming the traditional administrative silos that still fragment public information.

One of the most repeated messages at this table was the still widespread fear of sharing information between organizations. The fear of taking responsibility creates barriers that limit the potential of public data. To reverse this situation, the need to combine clear mandates with strong incentives was underlined. It is not enough to order; you have to convince by showing real profits. Attractive  and mutually beneficial use cases are thus revealed as a fundamental tool to foster collaboration.

In relation to this, legal certainty also occupied a large part of the debate. Although it is often used as a reason to stop projects, participants stressed that it should not become an excuse for paralysis. The way forward is to clarify, simplify and harmonise the rules, evolving from an excessively legalistic approach to a model based on trust and the social value generated by the responsible use of data.

In addition, the key role of public-private collaboration was highlighted. Companies don't just bring technology, they can also accelerate innovation if they feel part of a stable and trusted ecosystem. To this end, administrations can offer guarantees of sovereignty and utility, and, in the event of a lack of reciprocity, resort to public procurement regulation to ensure participation.

Coordinating roles so that the orchestra does not go out of tune

On the other hand, the second table addressed one of the great challenges of the Public Administration: coordinating the multiple profiles necessary to manage, protect and exploit data in a context that is increasingly oriented towards AI. Nowadays, any administration can hire the same cloud  platforms or analysis tools. Technology has been democratized. What really sets one organization apart from another is the richness, quality, and governance of its data.

Therefore, for the organization to function as a fine-tuned orchestra, the synchronization of roles is essential. In this sense, the table underlined the need for superior strategic leadership from the figure of the CDO (Chief Data Officer) capable of establishing business priorities and coordinating the team. Its legitimacy must come from the highest levels of the organization, because without this support it is difficult to promote the required organizational and cultural changes. The CDO is not a merely technical role because, in addition, it plays a key role in guiding data governance from the perspective of usefulness and impact.

 The roles traditionally associated with regulatory compliance must also evolve. The Data Protection Officer (DPO) must become a strategic partner, co-responsible for risk and an active participant in decision-making. Only in this way will it be able to accompany the deployment of innovative projects based on data.

One of the most relevant consensuses was the central role of data quality. Although it is often perceived as a barrier that slows down innovation, the reality is just the opposite: quality is a non-negotiable requirement for developing ethical, robust and valid algorithms. AI cannot be built on opaque, inconsistent, or untraceable data without putting public trust at risk.

In addition, the value provided by historically consolidated disciplines within the Administration, such as statistics, cartography or open data, was highlighted. Far from being an anchor that slows down modernization, these specialties are a driver: their integration from the origin of the processes ensures that AI systems are fed with verified, traceable and top-quality data.

In conclusion, the table proposed moving towards multidisciplinary teams where engineers, business experts and legal managers work together throughout the data life cycle, avoiding the traditional compartmentalizations that weigh down digital projects so much.

Sectoral Data Spaces: from public impetus to the real market

The third table focused its analysis on a key element for the European data economy: the Sectoral Data Spaces. The Spanish public administrations showed a firm commitment to these developments, betting on a role of  promoters, facilitators and guarantors of trust.

The message was direct: these spaces must evolve towards sustainable business models. Public subsidies can serve as an initial impetus, but they cannot sustain projects that do not generate real value for the market. Demand, and not just the supply of funding, must validate the viability of these initiatives in the medium term.

One of the challenges identified is the scaling up of projects that are born in regional areas to national dimensions. To achieve a significant impact, a shared vision and close collaboration between Autonomous Communities (ACs) is essential, something that the Forum has reinforced precisely with this type of meeting. One of the key objectives of the Artificial Intelligence Strategy 2024 and the recent Data Union Strategy is for SMEs to be actively involved. To do this, you need to simplify technical barriers and communicate the value proposition clearly, in a business-oriented language rather than a technicality.

Finally, an optimistic message was delivered about talent. Although there is concern about the ability of the public sector to attract and retain specialized profiles in competition with the private sector, the table rejected the idea of resignation. The Administration is not condemned to a secondary role if it is able to strengthen and enhance its internal talent. Digital transformation requires leadership from the public sphere, and this leadership is possible with the right structures, opportunities for growth, and a shared vision.

Conclusion: a qualitative leap towards maturity

The 2025 Autonomous Communities Forum has served to consolidate a collective and mature vision of the role of data in the Administration. Overcoming silos, coordinating roles, simplifying standards, guaranteeing data quality and generating sustainable business models are essential steps for AI and the data economy to generate real value for citizens.

Spain is moving towards a model in which administrations stop focusing on the tool, to focus on utility; A model where collaboration – between agencies, with the private sector and between territories – is the key to unlocking the true potential of public data.

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.

Last October, Spain hosted the OGP 2025 Global Summit, an international benchmark event on open government. More than 2,000 representatives of governments, civil society organisations and public policy experts from around the world met in Vitoria-Gasteiz to discuss the importance of maintaining open, participatory and transparent governments as pillars of society.

The location chosen for this meeting was no coincidence: Spain has been building an open government model for more than a decade  that has positioned it as an international benchmark. In this article we are going to review some of the projects that have been launched in our country to transform its public administration and bring it closer to citizens.

The strategic framework: action plans and international commitments

Open government is a culture of governance that promotes the principles of transparency, integrity, accountability, and stakeholder participation in support of democracy and inclusive growth.

Spain's commitment to open government has a consolidated track record. Since Spain joined the Open Government Partnership in 2011, the country has developed five consecutive action plans that have been broadening and deepening government openness initiatives. Each plan has been an advance over the previous one, incorporating new commitments and responding to the emerging challenges of the digital society.

The V Open Government Plan (2024-2028) represents the evolution of this strategy. Its development process incorporated a co-creation methodology that involved multiple actors from civil society, public administrations at all levels and experts in the field. This participatory approach made it easier for the plan to respond to real needs and to have the support of all the sectors involved.

Justice 2030: the biggest transformation of the judicial system in decades

Under the slogan "The greatest transformation of Justice in decades", the Justice 2030 programme  is proposed as a roadmap to modernise the Spanish judicial system. Its objective is to build a more accessible, efficient, sustainable and people-centred justice system, through a co-governance model  that involves public administrations, legal operators and citizens.

The plan is structured around three strategic axes:

1. Accessibility and people-centred justice

This axis seeks to ensure that justice reaches all citizens, reducing territorial, social and digital gaps. Among the main measures are:

• Face-to-face and digital access and attention: promotion of more accessible judicial headquarters, both physically and technologically, with services adapted to vulnerable groups.
• Basic legal education: legal literacy initiatives for the general population, promoting understanding of the judicial system.
• Inclusive justice: mediation and restorative justice programmes, with special attention to victims and groups in vulnerable situations.
• New social realities: adaptation of the judicial system to contemporary challenges (digital violence, environmental crimes, digital rights, etc.).

2. Efficiency of the public justice service

The programme argues that technological and organisational transformation is key to a more agile and efficient justice. This second axis incorporates advances aimed at modern management and digitalization:

• Justice offices in the municipalities: creation of access points to justice in small towns, bringing judicial services closer to the territory.
• Procedural and organisational reform: updating the Criminal Procedure Law and the procedural framework to improve coordination between courts.
• Electronic judicial file: consolidation of the digital file and interoperable tools between institutions.
• Artificial intelligence and judicial data: responsible use of advanced technologies to improve file management and workload prediction.

3. Sustainable and territorially cohesive justice

The third axis seeks to ensure that judicial modernisation contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and territorial cohesion.

The main lines are:

• Environmental and climate justice: promotion of legal mechanisms that favor environmental protection and the fight against climate change.
• Territorial cohesion: coordination with autonomous communities to guarantee equal access to justice throughout the country.
• Institutional collaboration: strengthening cooperation between public authorities, local entities and civil society.

The Transparency Portal: the heart of the right to know

If Justice 2030 represents the transformation of access to justice, the Transparency Portal is designed to guarantee the citizen's right to public information. This digital platform, operational since 2014, centralises information on administrative organisations and allows citizens to exercise their right of access to public information in a simple and direct way. Its main functions are:

• Proactive publication of information on government activities, budgets, contracts, grants, agreements and administrative decisions, without the need for citizens to request it.
• Information request system to access documentation that is not publicly available, with legally established deadlines for the administrative response.
• Participatory processes that allow citizens to actively participate in the design and evaluation of public policies.
• Transparency indicators that objectively measure compliance with the obligations of the different administrations, allowing comparisons and encouraging continuous improvement.

This portal is based on three fundamental rights:

1. Right to know: every citizen can access public information, either through direct consultation on the portal or by formally exercising their right of access when the information is not available.
2. Right to understand: information must be presented in a clear, understandable way and adapted to different audiences, avoiding unnecessary technicalities and facilitating interpretation.
3. Right to participate: citizens can intervene in the management of public affairs through the citizen participation mechanisms enabled on the platform.

The platform complies with Law 19/2013, of 9 December, on transparency, access to public information and good governance, a regulation that represented a paradigm shift, recognising access to information as a fundamental right of the citizen and not as a gracious concession of the administration.

Consensus for Open Government: National Open Government Strategy

Another project advocating for open government is the "Consensus for Open Administration." According to this reference document, it is not only a matter of opening data or creating transparency portals, but of radically transforming the way in which public policies are designed and implemented. This consensus replaces the traditional vertical model, where administrations decide unilaterally, with a permanent dialogue between administrations, legal operators and citizens. The document is structured in four strategic axes:

1. Administration Open to the capacities of the public sector

• Development of proactive, innovative and inclusive public employment.
• Responsible implementation of artificial intelligence systems.
• Creating secure and ethical shared data spaces.

2. Administration Open to evidence-informed public policies and participation:

• Development of interactive maps of public policies.
• Systematic evaluation based on data and evidence.
• Incorporation of the citizen voice in all phases of the public policy cycle.

3. Administration Open to citizens:

• Evolution of "My Citizen Folder" towards more personalized services.
• Implementation of digital tools such as SomosGob.
• Radical simplification of administrative procedures and procedures.

4. Administration Open to Transparency, Participation and Accountability:

• Complete renovation of the Transparency Portal.
• Improvement of the transparency mechanisms of the General State Administration.
• Strengthening accountability systems.

Figure 1: Consensus on open government a. Source: own elaboration

The Open Government Forum: a space for permanent dialogue

All these projects and commitments need an institutional space where they can be continuously discussed, evaluated and adjusted. That is precisely the function of the Open Government Forum,  which functions as a body for participation and dialogue made up of representatives of the central, regional and local administration. And it is made up of 32 members of civil society carefully selected to ensure diversity of perspectives.

This balanced composition ensures that all voices are heard in the design and implementation of open government policies. The Forum meets regularly to assess the progress of commitments, identify obstacles and propose new initiatives that respond to emerging challenges.

Its transparent and participatory operation, with public minutes and open consultation processes, makes it an international benchmark for good practices in collaborative governance. The Forum is not simply a consultative body, but a space of co-decision where consensus is built that is later translated into concrete public policies.

Hazlab: innovation laboratory for citizen participation

Promoted by the General Directorate of Public Governance of the Ministry for Digital Transformation and Public Function, HazLab is part of the Plan for the Improvement of Citizen Participation in Public Affairs, included in Commitment 3 of the IV Open Government Plan of Spain (2020-2024).

HazLab is a virtual space designed to promote collaboration between the Administration, citizens, academia, professionals and social groups. Its purpose is to promote a new way of building public policies based on innovation, dialogue and cooperation. Specifically, there are three areas of work:

• Virtual spaces for collaboration, which facilitate joint work between administrations, experts and citizens.
• Projects for the design and prototyping of public services, based on participatory and innovative methodologies.
• Resource Library, a repository with audiovisual materials, articles, reports and guides on open government, participation, integrity and transparency.

Registration in HazLab is free and allows you to participate in projects, events and communities of practice. In addition, the platform offers a user manual and a code of conduct to facilitate responsible participation.

In conclusion, the open government projects that Spain is promoting represent much more than isolated initiatives of administrative modernization or technological updates. They constitute a profound cultural change in the very conception of public service, where citizens cease to be mere passive recipients of services to become active co-creators of public policies.

The Provincial Council of Bizkaia has launched the Data Journalism Challenge, a competition aimed at rewarding creativity, rigour and talent in the use of open data. This initiative seeks to promote journalistic projects that use the public data available on the Open Data Bizkaia platform  to create informative content with a strong visual component. Whether through interactive graphics, maps, animated videos or in-depth reports, the goal is  to transform data into narratives that connect with citizens.

Who can participate?

The call is open to individuals over 18 years of age, both individually and in teams of up to four members. Each participant may submit proposals in one or more of the available categories.

It is an opportunity of special relevance for students, entrepreneurs, developers, design professionals or journalists with an interest in open data.

Three categories to boost the use of open data

The competition is divided into three categories, each with its own approach and evaluation criteria:

1. Dynamic data representation: Projects that present data in an interactive, clear, and visually appealing way.

2. Data storytelling through animated video: audiovisual narratives that explain phenomena or trends using public data.

3. Reporting + Data: journalistic articles that integrate data analysis with research and depth of information.

As we have previously mentioned, all projects must be based on the public data available on the Open Data Bizkaia platform, which offers information on multiple areas: economy, environment, mobility, health, culture, etc. It is a rich and accessible source for building relevant and well-grounded stories.

Up to 4,500 euros in prizes

For each category, the following prizes will be awarded:

• First place: 1,500 euros

• Second place: 750 euros

The prizes will be subject to the corresponding tax withholdings. Since the same person can submit proposals to several categories, and these will be evaluated independently, it is possible for a single participant to win more than one prize. Therefore, a single participant will be able to win up to 4,500 euros, if they win in all three categories.

What are the evaluation criteria?

The awards will be made through the competitive concurrence procedure. All the projects received in the period enabled for this will be evaluated by the jury, according to a series of specific criteria for each category:

1. Dynamic data representation:

• Communicative clarity (30%)

• Interactivity (25%)

• Design and usability (20%)

• Originality in representation (15%)

• Rigor and fidelity of data (10%)

2. Data storytelling in animation video

• Narrative and script (30%)

• Visual creativity and technical innovation (25%)

• Informational clarity (20%)

• Emotional and aesthetic impact (15%)

• Rigorous and honest use of data (10%)

3. Feature + Data

• Journalistic quality and analytical depth (30%)

• Narrative integration of data (25%)

• Originality in approach and format (20%)

• Design and user experience (15%)

• Transparency and traceability of sources (10%)

How are applications submitted?

The deadline for submitting projects began on November 3 and will be open until December 3, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. Applications may be submitted in a variety of ways:

• Electronically, through the electronic office of Bizkaia, using the procedure code 2899.

• In person, at the General Registry of the Laguntza Office (c/ Diputación, 7, Bilbao), at any other public registry or at the Post Office.

In the case of group projects, a single application signed by a representative must be submitted. This person will assume the dialogue with the organizing General Directorate, taking care of the procedures and the fulfillment of the corresponding obligations.

The documentation that must be submitted is:

• The project to be evaluated.

• The certificate of being up to date with tax obligations.

• The certificate of being up to date with Social Security obligations.

• The direct debit form, only in the event that the applicant objects to this Administration checking the bank details by its own means.

Contact Information

For queries or additional information, please contact the Provincial Council of Bizkaia. Specifically, with the Department of Public Administration and Institutional Relations, Technical Advisory Section c/ Gran Vía, 2 (48009) in the city of Bilbao. Doubts will also be answered by calling 944 068 000 and by email SAT@bizkaia.eus.

This competition represents an opportunity to explore the potential of data journalism and contribute to more transparent and accessible communication. The projects presented will be able to highlight the potential of open data to facilitate the understanding of issues of public interest, in a clear and simple way.

For more details, it is recommended to read the information 

On October 6, the V Open Government Plan was approved, an initiative that gives continuity to the commitment of public administrations to transparency, citizen participation and accountability. This new plan, which will be in force until 2029, includes 218 measures grouped into 10 commitments that affect the various levels of the Administration.

In this article we are going to review the key points of the Plan, focusing on those commitments related to data and access to public information.

A document resulting from collaboration

The process of preparing the V Open Government Plan has been developed in  a participatory and collaborative way, with the aim of collecting proposals from different social actors. To this end, a public consultation was opened in which citizens, civil society organizations and institutional representatives were able to contribute ideas and suggestions. A series of deliberative workshops were also held. In total, 620 contributions were received from civil society and more than 300 proposals from ministries, autonomous communities and cities, and representatives of local entities.

These contributions were analysed and integrated into the plan's commitments, which were subsequently validated by the Open Government Forum. The result is a document that reflects a shared vision on how to advance transparency, participation and accountability in the public administrations as a whole.

10 main lines of action with a prominent role for open data

As a result of this collaborative work, 10 lines of action have been established. The first nine commitments include initiatives from the General State Administration (AGE), while the tenth groups together the contributions of autonomous communities and local entities:

1. Participation and civic space.
2. Transparency and access to information.
3. Integrity and accountability.
4. Open administration.
5. Digital governance and artificial intelligence.
6. Fiscal openness: clear and open accounts.
7. Truthful information / information ecosystem.
8. Dissemination, training and promotion of open government.
9. Open Government Observatory.
10. Open state.

Figure 1. 10 lines of action of the V Open Government Plan. Source: Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration.

Data and public information are a key element in all of them. However, most of the measures related to this field are found within line of action 2, where there is a specific section on opening and reusing public information data. Among the measures envisaged, the following are contemplated:

• Data governance model: it is proposed to create a regulatory framework that facilitates the responsible and efficient use of public data in the AGE. It includes the regulation of collegiate bodies for the exchange of data, the application of European regulations and the creation of institutional spaces to design public policies based on data.
• Data strategy for a citizen-centred administration: it seeks to establish a strategic framework for the ethical and transparent use of data in the Administration.
• Publication of microdata from electoral surveys: the Electoral Law will be amended to include the obligation to publish anonymized microdata from electoral surveys. This improves the reliability of studies and facilitates open access to individual data for analysis.
• Support for local entities in the opening of data: a grant program has been launched to promote the opening of homogeneous and quality data in local entities through calls and/or collaboration agreements. In addition, its reuse will be promoted through awareness-raising actions, development of demonstrator solutions and inter-administrative collaboration to promote public innovation.
• Openness of data in the Administration of Justice: official data on justice will continue to be published on public portals, with the aim of making the Administration of Justice more transparent and accessible.
• Access and integration of high-value geospatial information: the aim is to facilitate the reuse of high-value spatial data in categories such as geospatial, environment and mobility. The measure includes the development of digital maps, topographic bases and an API to improve access to this information by citizens, administrations and companies.
• Open data of the BORME: work will be done to promote the publication of the content of the Official Gazette of the Mercantile Registry, especially the section on entrepreneurs, as open data in machine-readable formats and accessible through APIs.
• Databases of the Central Archive of the Treasury:  the public availability of the records of the Central Archive of the Ministry of Finance that do not contain personal data or are not subject to legal restrictions is promoted.
• Secure access to confidential public data for research and innovation: the aim is to establish a governance framework and controlled environments that allow researchers to securely and ethically access public data subject to confidentiality.
• Promotion of the secondary use of health data: work will continue on the National Health Data Space (ENDS), aligned with European regulations, to facilitate the use of health data for research, innovation and public policy purposes. The measure includes the promotion of technical infrastructures, regulatory frameworks and ethical guarantees to protect the privacy of citizens.
• Promotion of data ecosystems for social progress: it seeks to promote collaborative data spaces between public and private entities, under clear governance rules. These ecosystems will help develop innovative solutions that respond to social needs, fostering trust, transparency and the fair return of benefits to citizens.
• Enhancement of quality public data for citizens and companies: the generation of quality data will continue to be promoted in the different ministries and agencies, so that they can be integrated into the AGE's centralised catalogue of reusable information.
• Evolution of the datos.gob.es platform: work continues on the optimization of datos.gob.es. This measure is part of a continuous enrichment to address changing citizen needs and emerging trends.

In addition to this specific heading, measures related to open data are also included in other sections. For example, measure 3.5.5 proposes to transform the Public Sector Procurement Platform into an advanced tool that uses Big Data and Artificial Intelligence to strengthen transparency and prevent corruption. Open data plays a central role here, as it allows massive audits and statistical analyses to be carried out to detect irregular patterns in procurement processes. In addition, by facilitating citizen access to this information, social oversight and democratic control over the use of public funds are promoted.

Another example can be found in measure 4.1.1, where it is proposed to develop a digital tool for the General State Administration that incorporates the principles of transparency and open data from its design. The system would allow the traceability, conservation, access and reuse of public documents, integrating archival criteria, clear language and document standardization. In addition, it would be linked to the National Open Data Catalog to ensure that information is available in open and reusable formats.

The document not only highlights the possibilities of open data: it also highlights the opportunities offered by Artificial Intelligence both in improving access to public information and in the generation of open data useful for collective decision-making.

Promotion of open data in the Autonomous Communities and Cities

As mentioned above, the IV Open Government Plan also includes commitments made by regional bodies, which are detailed in line of action 10 on Open State, many of them focused on the availability of public data. 

For example, the Government of Catalonia reports its interest in optimising the resources available for the management of requests for access to public information, as well as in publishing disaggregated data on public budgets in areas related to children or climate change. For its part, the Junta de Andalucía wants to promote access to information on scientific personnel and scientific production, and develop a Data Observatory of Andalusian public universities, among other measures. Another example can be found in the Autonomous City of Melilla, which is working on an Open Data Portal.

With regard to the local administration, the commitments have been set through the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP). The Network of Local Entities for Transparency and Citizen Participation of the FEMP proposes that local public administrations publish, at least, to choose from the following fields: street; budgets and budget execution; subsidies; public contracting and bidding; municipal register; vehicle census; waste and recycling containers; register of associations; cultural agenda; tourist accommodation; business areas and Industrial; Census of companies or economic agents.

All these measures highlight the interest in open data in Spanish institutions as a key tool to promote open government, promote services and products aligned with citizen needs and optimize decision-making.

A tracking system

The follow-up of the V Open Government Plan is based on a strengthened system of accountability and the strategic use of the HazLab digital platform, where five working groups are hosted, one of them focused on transparency and access to information.

Each initiative of the Plan also has a monitoring file with information on its execution, schedule and results, periodically updated by the responsible units and published on the Transparency Portal.

Conclusions

Overall, the V Open Government Plan seeks a more transparent, participatory Administration oriented to the responsible use of public data. Many of the measures included aim to strengthen the openness of information, improve document management and promote the reuse of data in key sectors such as health, justice or public procurement. This approach not only facilitates citizen access to information, but also promotes innovation, accountability, and a more open and collaborative culture of governance.

Spain has taken another step towards consolidating a public policy based on transparency and digital innovation. Through the General State Administration, the Government of Spain has signed its adhesion to the International Open Data Charter, within the framework of the IX Global Summit of the Open Government Partnership that is being held these days in Vitoria-Gasteiz.

With this adhesion, data is recognized as a strategic asset for the design of public policies and the improvement of services. In addition, the importance of its openness and reuse, together with the ethical use of artificial intelligence, as key drivers for digital transformation and the generation of social and economic value is underlined.

What is the International Open Data Charter?

The International Open Data Charter (ODC) is a global initiative that promotes the openness and reuse of public data as tools to improve transparency, citizen participation, innovation, and accountability. This initiative was launched in 2015 and is backed by governments, organizations and experts. Its objective is to guide public entities in the adoption of responsible, sustainable open data policies focused on social impact, respecting the fundamental rights of people and communities. To this end, it promotes six principles:

• Open data by default: data must be published proactively, unless there are legitimate reasons to restrict it (such as privacy or security).

• Timely and comprehensive data: data should be published in a complete, understandable and agile manner, as often as necessary to be useful. Its original format should also be respected whenever possible.

• Accessible and usable data: data should be available in open, machine-readable formats and without technical or legal barriers to reuse. They should also be easy to find.

• Comparable and interoperable data: institutions should work to ensure that data are accurate, relevant, and reliable, promoting common standards that facilitate interoperability and the joint use of different sources.

• Data for improved governance and citizen engagement: open data should strengthen transparency, accountability, and enable informed participation of civil society.

• Data for inclusive development and innovation: open access to data can drive innovative solutions, improve public services, and foster inclusive economic development.

The Open Data Charter also offers resources, guides and practical reports to support governments and organizations in applying its principles, adapting them to each context. Open data will thus be able to drive concrete reforms with a real impact. 

Spain: a consolidated open data policy that places us as a reference model

Adherence to the International Open Data Charter is not a starting point, but a step forward in a consolidated strategy that places data as a fundamental asset for the country's progress. For years, Spain has already had a solid framework of policies and strategies that have promoted the opening of data as a fundamental part of digital transformation:

• Regulatory framework: Spain has a legal basis that guarantees the openness of data as a general rule, including Law 37/2007 on the reuse of public sector information, Law 19/2013 on transparency and the application of Regulation (EU) 2022/868 on European data governance. This framework establishes clear obligations to facilitate the access, sharing and reuse of public data throughout the state.
• Institutional governance: the General Directorate of Data, under the Secretary of State for Digitalisation and Artificial Intelligence (SEDIA), has the mission of boosting the management, sharing and use of data in different productive sectors of the Spanish economy and society. Among other issues, he leads the coordination of open data policy in the General State Administration.
• Strategic initiatives and practical tools: the Aporta Initiative, promoted by the Ministry for Digital Transformation and Public Service through the Public Business Entity Red.es, has been promoting the culture of open data and its social and economic reuse since 2009. To this end, the datos.gob.es platform centralises access to nearly 100,000 datasets and services made available to citizens by public bodies at all levels of administration. This platform also offers multiple resources (news, analysis, infographics, guides and reports, training materials, etc.) that help to promote data culture. 

To continue moving forward, work is underway on the V Open Government Plan (2025–2029), which integrates specific commitments on transparency, participation, and open data within a broader open government agenda.

All this contributes to Spain positioning, year after year, as a European benchmark in open data.

Next steps: advancing an ethical data-driven digital transformation

Compliance with the principles of the International Open Data Charter will be a transparent and measurable process. SEDIA, through the General Directorate of Data, will coordinate internal monitoring of progress. The Directorate-General for Data will act as a catalyst, promoting a culture of sharing, monitoring compliance with the principles of the Charter and promoting participatory processes to collect input from citizens and civil society.

In addition to the opening of public data, it should be noted that work will continue on the development of an ethical and people-centred digital transformation through actions such as:

• Creation of sectoral data spaces: the aim is to promote the sharing of public and private data that can be combined in a secure and sovereign way to generate high-impact use cases in strategic sectors such as health, tourism, agribusiness or mobility, boosting the competitiveness of the Spanish economy.

• Developing ethical and responsible AI: The national open data strategy is key to ensuring that algorithms are trained on high-quality, diverse and representative datasets, mitigating bias and ensuring transparency. This reinforces public trust and promotes a model of innovation that protects fundamental rights.

In short, Spain's adoption of the International Open Data Charter reinforces an already consolidated trajectory in open data, supported by a solid regulatory framework, strategic initiatives and practical tools that have placed the country as a benchmark in the field. In addition, this accession opens up new opportunities for international collaboration, access to expert knowledge and alignment with global standards. Spain is thus moving towards a more robust, inclusive data ecosystem that is geared towards social, economic and democratic impact.

For the first time in the history of the organization, Spain will host the Global Summit of the Open Government Partnership (OGP), an international institution of reference in open government and citizen participation. From 6 to 10 October 2025, Vitoria-Gasteiz will become the world capital of open government, welcoming more than 2,000 representatives of governments, civil society organisations and public policy experts from all over the world.

Although registration for the Summit is now closed due to high demand, citizens will be able to follow some of the plenary sessions through online broadcasts and participate in the debates through social networks. In addition, the results and commitments arising from the Summit will be available on the OGP and Government of Spain digital platforms.

In this post, we review the objective, program of activities and more information of interest.

Program of activities of a global event

The OGP Global Summit 2025 will take place at the Europa Conference Centre in Vitoria-Gasteiz, where an ambitious agenda will be developed aligned with the Co-Presidency Programme of the Government of Spain and the Philippine organisation Bankay Kita, Cielo Magno. This agenda is structured around three fundamental thematic axes:

• People: Activities that address the protection of civic space, the strengthening of democracy, and balancing the contributions of government, civil society, and the private sector. This axis seeks to ensure that all social actors have a voice in democratic processes.

• Institutions: This block will address the participation of all branches of government to improve transparency, accountability, and citizen participation at all levels of government.

• Technology and data: It will explore digital rights, social media governance, and internet freedom, as well as promoting digital civic space and freedom of expression in the digital age.

The OGP Summit's programming includes high-level plenary sessions, specialized workshops, side events, and networking spaces  that will facilitate knowledge sharing and alliance building. You can check the full program here, among the highlights are:

• Artificial intelligence and open government: the participatory governance of AI and how to ensure that technological development respects democratic principles and human rights will be discussed.

• Algorithmic transparency: the need to make algorithmic systems used in public decision-making visible and understandable will be discussed.

• Open Justice: It will explore how to strengthen the rule of law through more transparent and accessible judicial systems for citizens.

• Inclusive participation: experiences will be shared on how to ensure that populations in vulnerable situations can effectively participate in democratic processes.

• Open public procurement: best practices will be presented to make public spending more transparent and efficient through open procurement processes.

Among the most relevant sessions for the open data ecosystem, the one organized by Red.es "When AI meets open data" stands out, which will be held on the 8th at 9 a.m. Through a round table,  it will be shown how artificial intelligence and open data enhance each other. On the one hand, AI helps to get more out of open data, and on the other hand, this data is essential for training and improving AI systems.

In addition, at the same time, on Thursday 9, the presentation "From data to impact through public-private partnerships and sharing ecosystems" will be held, organized by the General Directorate of Data of the Ministry for Digital Transformation and Public Function. This session will address how public-private sector collaborations can maximize the value of data to make a real impact on society, exploring innovative models of data sharing that respect privacy and foster innovation.

A legacy of democratic transformation

The Vitoria-Gasteiz Summit adds to the tradition of the eight previous summits held in Canada, Georgia, Estonia, France, Korea, Mexico, the United Kingdom and Brazil. Each of these summits has contributed to strengthening the global open government movement, generating concrete commitments that have transformed the relationship between governments and citizens.

In this edition, the most promising and impactful reforms will be recognized through the Open Gov Awards, celebrating innovation and progress in open government globally. These awards highlight initiatives that have demonstrated a real impact on the lives of citizens and that can serve as an inspiration for other countries and territories.

Multi-stakeholder engagement and collaboration

A distinctive feature of OGP is its multi-stakeholder approach, which ensures that both governments and civil society organizations have a say in defining open government agendas. This Summit will be no exception, and will be attended by representatives of citizen organizations, academics, businessmen and activists working for a more participatory and transparent democracy.

At the same time, other events will be held that will complement the official agenda. These activities will address specific topics such as the protection of whistleblowers, youth participation or the integration of the gender perspective in public policies.

This year, the OGP Global Summit 2025 in Vitoria-Gasteiz aims to generate concrete commitments that strengthen democracy in the digital age. As determined by the Open Government Partnership, the participating countries would make new commitments in their national action plans, especially in areas such as the governance of artificial intelligence, the protection of digital civic space and the fight against disinformation.

In summary, the OGP 2025 Global Summit in Vitoria-Gasteiz marks a pivotal moment for the future of democracy. In a context of growing challenges for democratic institutions, this meeting reaffirms the importance of maintaining open, transparent and participatory governments as fundamental pillars of free and prosperous societies.

From today, September 15, registration is open for one of the most important events in the geospatial sector in the Iberian Peninsula. The XVI Iberian Conference on Spatial Data Infrastructures (JIIDE 2025) will be held in Oviedo from 12 to 14 November 2025. This annual meeting represents a unique opportunity to explore the latest trends in spatial data reuse, especially in the context of the application of artificial intelligence to territorial knowledge.

Since its first edition in 2011, the JIIDEs have evolved as a result of collaboration between the Direção-Geral do Território de Portugal, the National Geographic Institute of Spain through the National Center for Geographic Information, and the Government of Andorra. In this sixteenth edition, the Ministry of Territorial Planning, Urban Planning, Housing and Citizens' Rights of  the Principality of Asturias and the University of Oviedo also join, thus consolidating an initiative that brings together hundreds of professionals from the Public Administration, the private sector and the academic field every year.

For three days, experts with proven experience and technical knowledge in geographic information will share their most innovative developments, work methodologies and success stories in the management and reuse of spatial data.

Two axes: artificial intelligence and the INSPIRE and HVDS regulatory framework

The central theme of this edition, "AI and territory: exploring the new frontiers of spatial knowledge", reflects the natural evolution of the sector towards the incorporation of emerging technologies. Artificial intelligence, machine learning, and advanced analytics algorithms are radically transforming the way we process, analyze, and extract value from geospatial data.

This orientation towards AI is not accidental. The publication and use of geospatial data makes it possible to harness one of the most valuable digital assets for economic development, environmental monitoring, competitiveness, innovation and job creation. When this data is combined with artificial intelligence techniques, its potential multiplies exponentially.

The conference takes place at a particularly relevant time for the open data ecosystem. The INSPIRE Directive, together with Directive (EU) 2019/1024 on open data and re-use of public sector information, has established a regulatory framework that explicitly recognises the economic and social value of digital geospatial data.

The evolution in the publication of high-value datasets marks an important milestone in this process. These sets, characterized by their great potential for reuse, should be available free of charge, in machine-readable formats and through application programming interfaces (APIs). Geospatial data occupies a central position in this categorisation, underlining its strategic importance for the European open data ecosystem.

JIIDE 2025 will devote particular attention to presenting practical examples of re-use of these high-value datasets , both through the new OGC APIs and through traditional download services and established interoperable formats. This practical approach will allow attendees to learn about real cases of implementation and their tangible results.

Miscellaneous Program: Use Cases, AI, and Geospatial Data Reuse

You can also check the program here. Among the planned activities, there are sessions ranging from fundamental technical aspects to innovative applications that demonstrate the transformative potential of this data. The activities are organized into five main themes:

1. Spatial data structure and metadata.

2. Data management and publication.

3. Development of spatial  software.

4. Artificial intelligence.

5. Cooperation between agents.

Some of the highlighted topics are project management and coordination, where corporate systems such as the SIG of the Junta de Andalucía or the SITNA of the Government of Navarra will be presented. Earth observation will also feature prominently, with presentations on the evolution of the National Plan for Aerial Orthophotography (APNOA) programme  and advanced deep learning image processing techniques.

On the other hand, thematic visualisers also represent another fundamental axis, showing how spatial data can be transformed into accessible tools for citizens. From eclipse visualizers to tools for calculating the solar potential of rooftops, developments will be presented that demonstrate how the creative reuse of data can generate services of high social value.

Following the annual theme, the application of AI to geospatial data will be approached from multiple perspectives. Use cases will be presented in areas as diverse as the automatic detection of sports facilities, the classification of LiDAR point clouds, the identification of hazardous materials such as asbestos, or the optimization of urban mobility.

One of the most relevant sessions for the open data community will focus specifically on "Reuse and Open Government". This session will address the integration of spatial data infrastructures into open data portals, spatial data metadata according to the GeoDCAT-AP standard, and the application of data quality regulations.

Local governments play a key role in the generation and publication of spatial data. For this reason, the JIIDE 2025 will dedicate a specific session to the publication of local data, where municipalities such as Barcelona, Madrid, Bilbao or Cáceres will share their experiences and developments.

In addition to the theoretical sessions, the conferences include practical workshops on specific tools, methodologies and technologies. These workshops, lasting 45 minutes to an hour, allow attendees to experiment directly with the solutions presented. Some of them address the creation of custom web geoportals and others, for example, the implementation of OGC APIs, through advanced visualization techniques and metadata management tools.

Participate in person or online

The JIIDEs maintain their commitment to open participation, inviting both researchers and professionals to present their tools, technical solutions, work methodologies and success stories. In addition, the JIIDE 2025 will be held in hybrid mode, allowing both face-to-face participation in Oviedo and virtual monitoring.

This flexibility, maintained from the experiences of recent years, ensures that professionals throughout the Iberian territory and beyond can benefit from shared knowledge. Participation remains free, although prior registration is required for each session, roundtable or workshop.

Starting today, you can sign up and take advantage of this opportunity to learn and exchange experiences on geospatial data. Registration is available on the official website of the event: https://www.jiide.org/web/portal/inicio