Traditionally, public administrations are seen as suppliers of data. But in the recent paper ‘ Measuring data demand within the public sector ’, followed by data.europa webinar and blogpost , data.europa.eu has added a focus on the demand side – on the role of public sector as users of open data. This blog will continue this exploration by looking at a specific case of local government, zooming in the granularity of cities and regions: how do they use open data themselves, and how do they support data use by not only private but also public sector bodies? Why this focus on the local data

This is part of a series of articles showcasing examples of high-value datasets from their different thematic categories. High-value datasets are defined by EU law based on their potential to provide essential benefits to society, the environment and the economy. This series aims to help readers find reliable and accurate information from official sources relating to the availability of various high-value datasets, and to present this information through data visualisation. You can check out the article providing an overview of high-value datasets here . Only datasets specifically defined by

(Open) data and migration in Europe With millions of people moving across borders in search of new opportunities, stability and safety, the EU has put special efforts in developing regulation and data-driven policies that can help address the complex challenges of migration in a smart effective manner . One of the EU’s main strategies to establish more evidence-based policies is by leveraging the power of open data . By collecting and analysing open data on migratory trends, EU policymakers can gain deeper understanding of the underlying drivers of migration and the impact in the overall EU

This data story on forest fires opens a series of articles showcasing examples of high-value datasets from their different thematic categories. High-value datasets are defined by EU law based on their potential to provide essential benefits to society, the environment and the economy. This series aims to help readers find reliable and accurate information from official sources related to the availability of various high-value datasets and present this information through data visualisation. You can check out the article providing an overview of high-value datasets here . Only datasets

The Open Data Maturity Report Today, data.europa.eu publishes its eighth ‘Open Data Maturity (ODM) Report’ . This is an assessment that began in 2015 to measure the level of maturity of countries in the European Union (EU) and their progress in promoting open data publication and reuse. While remaining mainly an EU exercise, throughout the years the assessment evolved into an overview of the efforts and priorities of 30+ countries. In 2022, the ODM self-assessment was completed by 35 countries: the 27 EU Member States, the 3 European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries (Norway, Switzerland

In our ‘Linking data’ series, we present EU projects that use linked open data (LOD) . You may be wondering, what data is linked in their projects? Why did they decide to use LOD? What benefits does it bring? Follow the series to find out. In this episode, we will take a closer look at data.europa.eu, the official portal for European data. Central point of access to public sector data in Europe In the EU, the public sector is one of the most data-intensive sectors . Public sector bodies produce, collect and pay for vast amounts of data, known as public sector information or government data. If

In October, the President of the European Commission Ursula Von Der Leyen announced her intention to make 2023 the ‘European Year of Skills’, including digital skills. Why does Europe need to focus on digital skills? Which steps have been taken at EU level to realise the European Year of Skills? And how does data.europa.eu contribute to this mission? The European skills gap Currently more than three-quarters of companies in the EU report difficulties to find workers with the appropriate skill set. One-quarter of Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) consider the availability of skilled

Introduction to high-value datasets In light of the growing importance of data, the European Commission has recently adopted an implementing act focused on high-value datasets on 21 December 2022. As stated by both the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union, these datasets provide important benefits for society, the environment and the economy. Additionally, as hinted by their name, they are especially valuable when it comes to creating value-added services, applications and, more generally, high-quality jobs for society and the EU. The identification and definition of these

In our ‘Linking data’ series, we present EU projects that use linked open data (LOD) . You may be wondering, what data is linked in their projects? Why did they decide to use LOD? What benefits does it bring ? Follow the series to find out. In this episode, we are presenting the Data Catalogue Vocabulary (DCAT) and its application profile for data portals in Europe. Read on to find out what DCAT is, and how and why it uses LOD. All about metadata What is metadata? In simple words, metadata is data about data. Just like a label on a soda can provides metadata about the drink, and a library

Open dissemination of public administration data is critical to ensure the transparency and accountability of policy actions and to empower citizens in democratic processes. While a large amount of European Union data is available in textual format, the Publications Office of the European Union has also made most of this structured data openly available through semantic web technologies and links in graphs, using linked open data (LOD) . However, for end users (and even for experts) LOD is still difficult to navigate. Why LOD is difficult to explore The main obstacles for exploring LOD include