Open data as an enabler to regional development and better cohesion in
Europe
Publication Date/Time
2023-10-09T07:17:23+00:00
Exploring datasets for regional and local challenges in Europe
The European Union’s cohesion policy
[https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/policy/what/investment-policy_en]
helps regional and local communities improve the quality of life of
its citizens. Creating jobs, having competitive businesses, fostering
economic growth, and developing sustainably are all targets supported
by the EU’s cohesion policy. But what can be done to help ensure
there are no gaps
[https://www.eib.org/en/projects/sectors/regional-development/index.htm]
between countries and between different areas and regions in the same
country? Initiatives powered by open data can help regions reach their
full potential, benefiting the region and the overall living standards
and prosperity in the EU.

How does this look in practice? This data story explores the impact of
open data on regional development in Europe. Three real examples
showcase how regional and local data can help regions thrive through
initiatives that improve waste management, shed light on the
cross-border labour market, and help in urban planning. By the end of
this data story, you will see how regional and local data can support
policy goals and the importance of open data to make it possible.

COHESION POLICY IN A NUTSHELL

The 2021–2027 EU cohesion policy
[https://cohesiondata.ec.europa.eu/themes/21-27] has five core
objectives. Cohesion means building social and inclusive communities
that enshrine the European Pillar of Social Rights
[https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=1226&langId=en] (social
Europe [https://cohesiondata.ec.europa.eu/themes/4/21-27]). This
should come together with the development of low-carbon industries and
economies tackling climate change (greener Europe
[https://cohesiondata.ec.europa.eu/themes/2/21-27]). Another objective
is to promote innovative and smart economic transformation of regional
information and communications technologies (smarter Europe
[https://cohesiondata.ec.europa.eu/themes/1/21-27]). Imagining the
future of our regions and cities means lowering our negative impact on
the planet and using more sustainable mobility (connected Europe
[https://cohesiondata.ec.europa.eu/themes/3/21-27]). In the end,
regional policies hope to foster sustainable and integrated
development of all types of territories (Europe closer to citizens
[https://cohesiondata.ec.europa.eu/themes/5/21-27]). FIGURE 1
showcases how countries are using EU spending on cohesion policies
according to these core pillars.
[https://data.europa.eu/sites/default/files/img/media/Figure%201%20-%20cohesion%20policy%20data%20story_2.png]
_FIGURE 1.__ Spending on the five pillars of the EU’s cohesion
policy per EU Member State (source: __Cohesion Open Data platform /
data.europa.eu_
[https://data.europa.eu/data/datasets/hgyj-gyin?locale=en]_)_

FROM THEORY TO PRACTICE: UNDERSTANDING THE IMPORTANCE OF OPEN DATA FOR
REGIONAL COHESION

The power of open data for regional development is best demonstrated
through real-life use cases. Below we consider the topics of waste
management, the labour market and urban planning to showcase how local
data can be used in practical initiatives for the local community.

 	* Regional open data to improve waste management and contribute to a
circular economy

Where does your waste go? The garbage is collected and taken to a
processing facility. But is that all? At first glance, you might think
that waste management has little to do with open data. In fact, there
are plenty of datasets on this topic, such as the production
[https://data.europa.eu/data/datasets/rifiuti-urbani18?locale=en] of
municipal waste, locations
[https://data.europa.eu/data/datasets/596067dea3a7296407d6a7d3?locale=en]
of waste management facilities, and treatment methods
[https://data.europa.eu/data/datasets/a33c21a5-7b18-4368-b800-f4bc4e03c8b6~~1?locale=en]
used by cities. This data can be put to good use and create more
efficient recycling processes for a more resource-efficient planet.

The circular economy looks at expanding the life cycle of products,
and an efficient management of waste is key in the process.
Data-driven waste management can help cities process waste more
efficiently and in a more sustainable manner. Improved waste
management can help cities process resources better and make cities
more liveable places overall.

Open data solutions can drive new approaches to waste management. This
was the goal of geoFluxus [https://en.geofluxus.com/], who developed a
solution that brings together various data on waste flows for a city,
region or country and delivers insights on where the waste goes and
how to better use the resources at the country, regional and local
country levels. The project comes from a team of young professionals
from Delft University of Technology with ambitions to combat climate
change and provide sustainable solutions to companies and public
administrations. The project, which was a winner at the 2020 EU
Datathon in the category of the European Green Deal (see the video
here [https://www.youtube.com/live/tHP7nvi-NCQ?feature=share&t=3244]),
built upon data about government waste reports from Horizon 2020’s
repair [https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/688920] and Cinderela
[https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/776751] programmes.

The data-driven tool
[https://data.europa.eu/sites/default/files/use-cases/Use%20case%20-%20geoFluxus.pdf]
integrates and analyses waste-related data from government sources.
The solution maps, analyses and predicts how waste moves through
cities. For governments, their tool can provide an overview of waste
streams, its production and processing patterns in an area, as well as
its impact on local communities, such as the carbon dioxide emissions
produced by waste. This integrated data is also analysed using
reclassification models that predict the potential for waste to be
reused in the circular economy. The tool has been validated across
Europe and is used by various municipalities in the Netherlands
[https://www.monitorce.nl/], supporting local governments in their
green transition
[https://data.europa.eu/en/publications/datastories/open-data-achieve-eu-green-transition].
FIGURE 2 shows the type of insights cities can get about what waste
goes where, using the city of Amsterdam as an example.

There is also a version of the tool for the private sector. For
companies, the tool can suggest alternatives for their waste streams
and analyse the solutions that are most environmentally and
financially friendly. This supports a company’s decision-making
process about sustainability and the circular economy. The tools can
also offer insights about new (circular) business opportunities such
as anticipating material scarcity and higher processing and transport
costs, from which businesses can develop circular strategies.
[https://data.europa.eu/sites/default/files/img/media/Figure%202%20-%20cohesion%20policy%20data%20story.png]
_FIGURE 2. __The city of Amsterdam analysing its material flows
(source: __Gemeente Amsterdam / data.europa.eu_
[https://data.europa.eu/data/datasets/aibruukx14pxug?locale=en]_)_

 	* Regional cross-border open data to better understand labour
markets

Look for employment data
[https://data.europa.eu/data/datasets/employment-self-employed-full-time-and-part-time-and-gender-borough?locale=en]
and you will easily find information for areas in a country. An
efficient labour market aligns the skills of the workforce with the
demands of local industries. As such, a properly functioning labour
market can catalyse economic growth and innovation within a region and
therefore be a driver of regional development and economic
opportunities.

But what if you live in one country and there is a job opportunity
just across the border? About 2 million
[https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-eurostat-news/-/ddn-20210610-1]
employed people in the EU in 2020 commuted for work to other
countries. For example, Luxembourg has about 200 000 incoming
commuters (FIGURE 3). Employees can freely move across geographical
borders
[https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/work/work-abroad/cross-border-commuters/index_en.htm]
in the EU, but sometimes data is more siloed (for example, most
national statistical agencies divide their efforts by country). If
this happens, potential cross-border commuters might lack insights
into supply and demand of the cross-border labour market. There is a
missed opportunity for local citizens to participate in the labour
market when geographical divisions translate into labour market
divisions.

The Werkinzicht [https://werkinzicht.eu/waarom-hoe/] project sought a
solution to this. The project brought together in the Dutch
cross-border open data portal [https://grensdata.eu/] labour market
data on the border region
[https://www.cbs.nl/nl-nl/nieuws/2017/10/vlaamse-en-nederlandse-arbeidsmarkten-beperkt-verbonden]
of Flanders (Belgium) and the Netherlands, such as indicators relating
to the structure of the labour market, the population and the two
border economies. During an experimental pilot, the project created a
data-matching service
[https://www.werkinzicht.eu/nieuws/slotevent-werkinzicht--presentatie-projectresultaten]
linking vacancies (such as from the cross-border open data portal) to
candidate profiles to help jobseekers find work in the border region.
The success of the project spurred a prototype platform
[https://jobinzicht.eu/werkzoekenden] for cross-border jobseekers.
[https://data.europa.eu/sites/default/files/img/media/Figure%203%20-%20cohesion%20policy%20data%20story_1.png]
_FIGURE_ _3. __Cross-border commuters from Belgium, Germany and
France to Luxembourg from bordering regions in 2021 (source:
__data.europa.eu_
[https://data.europa.eu/data/datasets/commuters-to-luxembourg-2021?locale=en]_)_

 	* Regional open data for better urban planning

There is a lot going on in cities, including abundant available data
that describes the conditions in a city, such as traffic
[https://data.europa.eu/data/datasets/traffic-volume?locale=en], air
quality
[https://data.europa.eu/data/datasets/real_time_air_quality_observation_coverage?locale=en]
and noise
[https://data.europa.eu/data/datasets/348bf9da-a328-45c2-8047-9f367834f6fa?locale=en].
These factors are closely interrelated and collectively contribute to
the environment that citizens experience in their daily lives. But how
can this data be used to understand the expected impacts of local
policy choices and support better informed operational decisions and
urban planning?

‘Local digital twins
[https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/local-digital-twins-forging-cities-tomorrow]’
are virtual replicas (or digital copies) of cities. They represent a
city’s physical assets, processes, people and systems. Data,
analytics and computational techniques like machine learning create a
simulation model of a city. This digital model can be used to test
scenarios (for example, the anticipated impact of urban planning
decisions) or be queried for specific outcomes (for example, a
prediction of traffic congestion scenarios). This provides a platform
for experimentation that can enhance evidence-based decision-making to
better meet the needs of the community.

Digital urban European twins [https://www.digitalurbantwins.com/] is
an example of a European initiative developing local digital twins.
Digital urban European twins’ digital twins leverage open data and
data models from different sources within a city and integrate them
using advanced analysis technologies. A pilot project in Pilsen
[https://www.digitalurbantwins.com/pilsen-twin] (Czechia) is modelling
the interrelation between transport and noise pollution in a 3D
environment, in line with the city’s sustainable mobility plan and
the EU directive on environmental noise
[https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex%3A32002L0049].
The city of Helsinki
[https://www.hel.fi/en/news/helsinkis-energy-and-climate-atlas-provides-information-about-the-building-stock-and-the]
also created a local digital twin. Its 3D energy and climate atlas
[https://kartta.hel.fi/3d/atlas/#/] displays simulation results for
heating-related energy consumption of buildings in the city, allowing
users to compare the energy consumption of buildings and view the
amount of solar energy received on the buildings’ surface. It also
displays production opportunities for geothermal heating through
geothermal wells.

CONCLUSION

Open data can contribute to a smarter, greener, more connected and
social Europe that is closer to citizens. The EU’s cohesion policy
serves as a framework for promoting economic, social and territorial
integration among regions, with open data initiatives that are
supportive in practical ways to drive regional development. Real-life
examples illustrate how open data can be harnessed to address pressing
issues, such as waste management, where related open data about a
specific region is combined and analysed to extract novel insights and
used to optimise processes. Additionally, connecting regional open
data across local borders can help bridge geographical and labour
market divisions, fostering economic growth and inclusivity in
cross-border regions. Furthermore, open data combined with
cutting-edge technology can create digital assets like models of
cities that offer platforms for experimentation and scenario
simulation that can facilitate better urban planning and local
decision-making. Overall, the integration of open data into regional
development initiatives exemplifies the power of data-driven solutions
in shaping more prosperous and sustainable communities across Europe.

Do you have questions about regional development or cross-border
trends in Europe? Turn your curiosity into insights with open datasets
on data.europa.eu. Also, stay tuned for our next data stories and
webinars by subscribing to our newsletter
[https://data.europa.eu/en/newsletter] and following data.europa.eu on
social media.

_Data visualisations by Matteo Moretti and Alice Corona._
