Conclusions of the 11th International Conference on the Reuse of Public Sector Information

Under the slogan "Collaboration and Homogenization: key aspects in the Information ecosystem", the 11th International Conference on the Reuse of Public Information was held on November 28 in the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office. Once again, ASEDIE honoured its vocation to promote the publication of public sector information so that, the infomediary sector can develop value-added products and services, the main objective of its associated companies.

In the first part of the event, representatives of both the European Commission and the Spanish Administration make trends and developments in the sector public.

• Szymon Lewandowski, responsible for data and innovation policies of the European Commission, explained the new open data policies linked to the concept of high-value data, and emphasized the guidelines on how to share data from the private sector in B2B and B2G contexts and o the creation of common European data spaces. Szymon also informed about the second position of Spain according to the Open Data Maturity Index 2019.
• Cristina Morales, Deputy Director for Content of the Information Society of the Ministry of Economy and Business, referred to the active role of the Government of Spain in reforming European regulations on open data and reuse of public sector information and highlighted the interest in accelerating its transposition to the Spanish regulatory framework.
• Isabel Moya Pérez, Deputy Director for Open Government of the Ministry of Territorial Policy and Public Function explained the Open Government Plan and its value for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, specifically the “objective 16: Peace, justice and strong institutions”, focused on strengthening the rule of law and promoting human rights.
• Emilio López, Director of the Spanish National Geographic Institute, spoke of public-private collaboration in geographic information, and showed some examples of data reuse and open geoservices.
• Julián Prieto, Deputy Director for the General Registry of Data Protection of the Spanish Data Protection Agency, addressed his presentation to explain the concept of proactive responsibility, among other implications of the General Data Protection Regulation for Public Administrations and highlighted the importance of the development of a code of conduct for associations and organizations in accordance with the guidelines set out in the text.

The second part of the session was set up as a round table where Valentín Arce, Vice President of Asedie, moderated an interesting debate on the current situation, barriers and future perspectives in the publication of public sector information. The guests were Ricardo Cantabrana, from the Autonomous Community of Aragon; Joaquín Meseguer of the Autonomous Community of Castilla y León; Borja Mayor of the Community of Madrid and David Martínez Victorio of the Region of Murcia. All of them represent those autonomous governments that have responded positively to ASEDIE's request regarding the publication of the “top 3 Asedie”, three sets of data established as priorities for 2019: cooperatives, foundations and associations.

During the debate, some measures to boost the opening of public sector information were discussed, such as the inclusion of reuse clauses in the new tenders and the design of the systems so that the data were generated reusable by the source. Attendees also highlighted the need for a common strategic framework for all autonomous communities, which works as a road map, and a ranking of communities as an instrument to encourage publication.

Regarding how to channel requests for data by citizens, there was a disparity of criteria. Some of the attendees considered that they should be treated as requests for access to information, while others defended the creation of a specific channel, in order to ensure that data provided to the citizen are really reusable. All attendees agreed on the need to establish meetings with reusers to ensure that the supply of information corresponds to the demand. In this regard, the speakers praised the activity and value of an association such as Asedie, which channels the needs of reusers.

During the event, the Asedie 2019 Prize was awarded. The open data portal of Castilla y León won, for its great work in the opening of data and its impulse to published data reuse.

The event was closed by Ignacio Jiménez, President of Asedie, who invited attendees to meet again in the next edition, which is sure to be marked by new advances in the promotion of the reuse of public sector information.