Summer 2026 reading list: Exploring the future of data

Summer offers a chance to look beyond day-to-day work and reflect on the trends shaping the global data landscape. Over the past six months, international organisations, research institutions, and public bodies have published articles and reports for our users to explore how data is shared, governed, and reused to address societal challenges. Enjoy these reads during these months and learn more about the impact of open data on your everyday lives. 

1. The Atlas of Global Development 2026: this storytelling and data visualisation tool can be used to explain global trends in poverty, education, infrastructure, climate, and digitalisation. This is ideal for readers who are new to data-driven decision-making. 
2. Spotting disinformation: this data story explains what the dangers of disinformation are, how it can be spotted, and what can be done to moderate the usage of disinformation at a European scale. 
3. Governments and the advancement of rights-based data governance: this article examines how governments can develop data governance frameworks that support trustworthy, inclusive, and transparent AI systems. 
4. OECD Digital Government Index: a must-read for anyone interested in open data, this report compares the progress of different countries in making data open, useful, and reusable whilst highlighting best practices across governments. 
5. Recap of Data Spaces Symposium 2026: This article provides a summary of the latest discussions around European data spaces, covering interoperability, AI, business models, standards, and real-world implementation. 
6. Celebrating democracy with World day of Parliamentarism: this news piece provides an accessible introduction to how information and transparency can support democratic decision-making. 
7. ECMWF’s data infrastructure and services: This practical case study illustrates how a large-scale European organisation implements open, interoperable, and federated data sharing. 
8. Digital Government Outlook 2026: A comprehensive overview of how governments are using digital technologies and open data to improve public services and modernise public administration.  

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