The Use Case Observatory - Volume III
Summary
The Use Case Observatory is a three-year research initiative led by
the European Data Portal to assess the economic, governmental, social
and environmental impact of open data across Europe. This third and
final volume builds on previous findings by analysing 13 active use
cases, each demonstrating how open data can drive innovation,
transparency, inclusion and sustainability. The report highlights how
open data supports job creation, enhances democratic participation,
empowers vulnerable communities and enables environmental protection.
It also identifies key lessons for long-term success, including the
importance of sustainable funding, user involvement, hybrid data
ecosystems and comprehensive impact measurement. Together, the three
volumes offer a longitudinal, evidence-based overview of open data
reuse in Europe and its transformative potential across sectors.
Body
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The use case observatory is a multi-year research project designed to
assess the economic, governmental, social and environmental impact of
open data across Europe from 2022 to 2025. Managed by the Publications
Office of the European Union and conducted by researchers from the
European Data Portal [https://data.europa.eu/en] (data.europa.eu), the
observatory monitors and analyses real-world use cases to generate
insights that support the broader mission of the European Data Portal.
Findings from the use case observatory have been published in three
volumes.
[https://data.europa.eu/sites/default/files/img/media/Screenshot%202025-10-09%20at%2013.04.48.png]
FIGURE 1: Use case observatory Volumes I, II and III

Volume I, published in 2022, introduced the methodology and initial
findings. Volume II, released in 2024, expanded on this foundation by
closely tracking the development of 13 ongoing use cases. These cases
were chosen from an initial pool of 30 open data applications,
platforms and websites developed in Europe and were categorised
according to their potential impact across four main impact
dimensions: economic, governmental, social and environmental.

To evaluate these cases, the research team conducted an exploratory
scan of ongoing activities, followed by semi-structured interviews
with key contacts for each use case. The insights gathered from these
interviews form the core of the report and provide a qualitative
understanding of how open data is being used to generate tangible
value.

Volume III, finalised in 2025, builds on this longitudinal
perspective and highlights the following key learnings.

	* ECONOMIC IMPACT. Open data can stimulate growth and efficiency
across sectors. It supports job creation both directly and indirectly,
enables smarter recruitment processes and fosters innovation in
industries such as urban planning and digital services. Use cases like
Naar Jobs illustrate how open data can serve as a driver for regional
employment and business development.
	* GOVERNMENTAL IMPACT. Open data enhances transparency,
accountability and civic engagement. Initiatives such as Waar is mijn
stemlokaal? and Statsregnskapet.no demonstrate how accessible public
sector data can empower citizens, inform the media and support
evidence-based policymaking, ultimately strengthening democratic
processes and trust in institutions.
	* SOCIAL IMPACT. Open data fosters inclusion, collaboration and
improved welfare. Projects like UniversiDATA-Lab, VisImE-360, Tangible
Data, EU Twinnings, Open Food Facts and Integreat show how data-driven
tools can amplify the voices of vulnerable groups, improve health
outcomes and create new educational opportunities. Even small-scale
impacts, such as improving the life of a single individual, can be
meaningful and lasting.
	* ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT. Open data is a powerful enabler of
sustainability. Use cases such as Digital Forest Dryads, Air Quality
in Cyprus, Planttes and Environ-Mate demonstrate how data reuse can
raise awareness, support behavioural change and enable targeted
interventions to protect ecosystems and promote climate resilience.

Beyond these dimensions, the use case observatory identifies broader
lessons from long-term use case development. These include the need
for sustainable funding, business and support models, the value of
pluriform open datasets that combine institutional and
citizen-generated data, and the importance of embedding end-user
participation throughout the full open data life cycle. The
observatory also calls for more comprehensive impact measurement
frameworks that go beyond short-term quantitative metrics to capture
economic, governmental, social and environmental outcomes in a more
holistic way.

The use case observatory contributes significantly to the
understanding of open data impact in Europe. It underscores the
challenges faced by these initiatives in securing sustainable funding
for scaling. The interviews with use case representatives reveal
diverse and meaningful impacts, ranging from job assistance to climate
change awareness. In summary, the three volumes of the use case
observatory present a comprehensive, evidence-based overview of how
open data is being reused across Europe. They emphasise the
transformative potential of open data, while also identifying the
foundational support required to fully utilise its benefits. 

 

1.  INTRODUCTION

The use case observatory (hereafter referred to as ‘the
observatory’) is a research project exploring the impact of open
data in all its diversity. It is initiated and performed by the
European Data Portal [https://data.europa.eu/en] (data.europa.eu), the
official portal for open data in Europe, managed by the Publications
Office of the European Union. The purpose of this research project is
to contribute to the portal’s broader goal of measuring the impact
of open data across Europe. Instead of collecting one-off use cases,
this series analyses how open data use cases evolve over a time span
of three years (2022–2025).

Volume I of the observatory
[https://data.europa.eu/en/doc/use-case-observatory-3-year-monitoring-30-reuse-cases-understand-economic-governmental-social]
was published in October 2022 and explored a wide range of open data
initiatives in different European countries. In the inaugural edition,
an initial selection of 30 use cases was categorised into four key
impact dimensions: economic, governmental, social and environmental.
The cases with economic impact highlighted the crucial role of open
data in assisting businesses in identifying profitable public
procurement tenders, applying for jobs and pursuing professional
opportunities. Cases with governmental impact showcased how open data
contributes to transparency in political processes, thereby fortifying
democracy. Within the realm of social impact, reported cases
illustrated the use of open data to improve public health and data
literacy, and foster inclusivity. Finally, the environmental impact
was evident in use cases focused on monitoring air quality and
supporting initiatives for forest preservation.

Volume II of the observatory
[https://data.europa.eu/sites/default/files/report/The_Use_Case_Observatory_Volume_2_2.pdf],
published in April 2024, expanded on the findings reported in
Volume I and highlighted changes in the development and impact of the
same selection of use cases. However, not all 30 use cases were still
active, were willing to participate or had seen newsworthy changes
over time. This ultimately resulted in a selection of 13 use cases for
Volume II.

This third volume of the observatory concludes the three-year analysis
by reassessing the impact of the 13 use cases that are still active.
It takes a deep dive into impact realisation and looks at how open
data has contributed to generating economic, governmental, social and
environmental impact over time.

The observatory targets two main stakeholder groups. On the one hand,
it demonstrates to open data providers and portals the value of their
open data. It encourages them to provide more and better-quality data
on accessible platforms in order to make use possible. On the other
hand, the observatory shows open data users multiple types of use
cases that have continued to grow, helping them to rethink their
approach and find new ways to make long-lasting impact.

The goal of the three observatory volumes has been to answer the
following questions.

	* What is the economic, governmental, social and environmental impact
of open data for the specific use cases collected?
	* How important is it to keep track of such use cases to understand
and foster value creation through open data in Europe?
	* What else can be learned from the analysed use cases to improve
open data measurement and implementation across Europe?

The remainder of this report is structured as follows: Chapter 2
details the methodological approach taken for the three editions of
the use case observatory. Chapter 3 presents all 13 use cases,
describing what the initiatives are about, how they create impact and
how they have developed over time. After indicating main lessons
learned in Chapter 4, the report ends with final conclusions in
Chapter 5.

 

2.  METHODOLOGY

For Volume I of the observatory, 30 use cases were selected, intended
to be followed over the course of three years. Only use cases of
applications, platforms or websites developed in Europe were
considered. The aim was to keep a fair balance of use cases from EU
Member States, possibly including examples from the United Kingdom,
European Free Trade Association countries and neighbouring countries.
In addition, the focus was placed exclusively on use cases belonging
to specific sectors in the inventory, with the aim of retaining a
diverse set of use cases that have an economic, governmental, social
and environmental impact – the four impact dimensions on which the
open data maturity assessment
[https://data.europa.eu/en/publications/open-data-maturity] is also
based.

	* The economic impact dimension was defined as including use cases in
business creation, entrepreneurship and the (re)skilling of workers.
	* The governmental impact dimension referred to use cases in
e-government support, government transparency and accountability.
	* The social impact dimension was agreed to encompass use cases in
healthcare and well-being, along with integration and the fight
against inequality in society.
	* The environmental impact dimension was understood as referring to
use cases in environmentally friendly services and energy efficiency.

The methodology of Volume II and Volume III focused on the 13 use
cases of Volume I that were still active and willing to participate.

	* Firstly, an exploratory scan was performed to find out which use
cases were still ongoing. For this scan, desk research (Google
searches, website analyses and social media checks) was performed to
find recent activities of the use cases.
	* Secondly, interviews were planned with the contact people of all
active use cases (see AnnexI). The duration of these interviews was
between 30 and 60 minutes per use case and followed the interview
guide in a semi-structured format (see Annex II). This interview
guide served as a checklist to ensure that the sought-after insights
for the observatory were gathered, but there was room left to also
zoom in on other topics relevant to each use case.
	* Thirdly, the interviews were summarised and incorporated into the
observatory reports. These summaries are the core of this report,
bringing to light the challenges and opportunities of making impact
with open data. Use case descriptions were also shared with the
interviewees for validation.

After taking these methodological steps, the observatory volumes were
drafted, proofread and published in the ‘Factsheets and Reports’
section of the European Data Portal
[https://data.europa.eu/en/search?term=&type=4&country=All&sort_by=aggregated_field&sort_order=DESC&items_per_page=10&data_links=none].

 

3.  USE CASE ANALYSES

This chapter presents the 13 use cases clustered within the four
impact dimensions. Figure 1 provides an overview of this clustering
per impact dimension.

		OVERVIEW OF USE CASES PER IMPACT DIMENSION

		ECONOMIC IMPACT
		GOVERNMENTAL IMPACT
		SOCIAL IMPACT
		ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

		1. Naar Jobs (Belgium)

2. Waar is mijn stemlokaal? (Netherlands)

3. Statsregnskapet.no (Norway)

4. UniversiDATA-Lab (Spain)

5. VisImE-360 (Italy)

6. Tangible Data (Spain)

7. EU Twinnings (United Kingdom)

8. Open Food Facts (France)

9. Integreat (Germany)

10. Digital Forest Dryads (Romania)

11. Air Quality in Cyprus (Cyprus)

12. Planttes (Spain)

13. Environ-Mate (Germany)

TABLE 1: Clustering of open data use cases per impact dimension

ECONOMIC IMPACT (ONE USE CASE)

	* NAAR JOBS (BELGIUM) helps people find jobs close to them and lets
users select whether they will travel by bike, car or train. The
application also provides information on the transport options
provided by employers to new employees.

GOVERNMENTAL IMPACT (TWO USE CASES)

	* WAAR IS MIJN STEMLOKAAL? (NETHERLANDS) helps eligible voters find a
suitable polling station. Citizens can also find information about
opening times and whether the polling stations are accessible for
people with certain disabilities.
	* NO (NORWAY) is a website that visualises government spending and
budgets. Their goal is to facilitate financial transparency and enable
the public to easily find information about the spending of resources
by government administrations.

SOCIAL IMPACT (SIX USE CASES)

	* UNIVERSIDATA-LAB (SPAIN) is a repository of analytical applications
based on the open data published by the six Spanish universities part
of the UniversiDATA portal. Its aim is to transform the static
analyses of open data portals into dynamic results.
	* VISIME-360 (ITALY) explains Eurostat’s data on people with visual
impairment, helping to allocate resources for medical aid and to plan
social support programmes. It represents interactive data with
advanced accessibility features.
	* TANGIBLE DATA (SPAIN) transforms data from its digital context into
a physical one by creating data sculptures in a public space, which
helps people who lack certain digital skills understand and experience
the data.
	* EU TWINNINGS (UNITED KINGDOM) is a website that uses open data from
Eurostat to make statistics accessible to a wider audience and show
similarities across EU regions.
	* OPEN FOOD FACTS (FRANCE) is a large database of food products that
creates easy-to-understand information about the nutritional value and
environmental impact of food.
	* INTEGREAT (GERMANY) is a digital platform that provides newly
arrived migrants and refugees with all relevant information in several
languages at the municipal level.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT (FOUR USE CASES)

	* DIGITAL FOREST DRYADS (ROMANIA) aims to protect forests in Europe
from illegal deforestation by combining aerial and multispectral
satellite imagery.
	* AIR QUALITY IN CYPRUS (CYPRUS) provides citizens with real-time
information about several types of air pollution. Users can find the
data online or choose to be proactively informed about certain
substances via the application on their smartphone.
	* PLANTTES (SPAIN) is a citizen-science application that informs
users about which plants are in bloom and whether this may affect
people with pollen allergies.
	* ENVIRON-MATE (GERMANY) is an interactive platform to empower
children with knowledge about climate change based on scientific data.

 

3.1  ECONOMIC IMPACT

NAAR JOBS (PREVIOUSLY KNOWN AS NAAR JOBS IN WEST-VLAANDEREN)

NAAR JOBS IN A NUTSHELL

	* SERVICE: Naar Jobs helps people find jobs near them and lets users
select whether they will travel by bike, car or train (or a multimodal
combination). The application also provides information on the
transport options provided by employers to new employees.
	* SECTOR: economy, job market.
	* COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Belgium.
	* DATA SOURCES: open data from national data portals (e.g. vacancy
texts, company data).
	* NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: 9.
	* WEBSITE: https://naarjobs.be/.

 
[https://data.europa.eu/sites/default/files/img/media/Screenshot%202025-10-09%20at%2015.10.47.png]
FIGURE 2: Snapshot of the Naar Jobs portal

Naar Jobs [https://naarjobs.be/] is a platform dedicated to helping
Belgian citizens find employment based on their transportation
preferences. The initiative began in West Flanders as a response to a
persistent mismatch between job availability and accessibility.
Developed by Belgian geographic information and communication
technology company Nazka Mapps [http://www.https/www.nazka.be/en/],
the platform was designed to address mobility poverty, wherein
individuals – particularly those without access to a car – are
unable to reach employment opportunities due to inadequate or
unaffordable transport options.

Initially funded by the Provincial Development Agency West Flanders
and the regional department of the Flemish employment service, the
platform enriched job vacancy data with precise employment site
locations and transport accessibility information. This allowed job
seekers and social workers to identify reachable jobs based on
real-world commuting constraints.
HOW DOES NAAR JOBS CREATE IMPACT?

The initiative has evolved into a comprehensive employment-matching
tool that integrates real-time vacancy data, validated company
addresses and mobility offerings such as bike allowances, public
transport discounts and parking availability. The platform’s
multimodal routing engine enables users to search for jobs based on
actual travel time (not just distance) by bike, public transport or
car.

The platform serves three main user groups: 1) job seekers, who can
search for jobs within a defined travel radius and filter by mobility
benefits; 2) job coaches, who use a professional version of the tool
to assist clients that have limited digital literacy or that face
language barriers; and 3) employers, who can update their mobility
offerings through a dedicated content management system interface.

By 2024, the platform was actively used by over 50 job coaches, each
assisting 5 to 10 unemployed individuals daily. The tool has since
expanded to cover all of Flanders, supported by a federal government
project, and is now also exploring expansion into Brussels and
Wallonia.

HOW HAS NAAR JOBS DEVELOPED OVER THE PAST THREE YEARS?

Volume III marks a significant transformation of the initiative from
a regional pilot into a nationally scaled, data-driven platform. While
early versions focused on West Flanders and relied on manual data
matching, the current platform features automated daily updates of
vacancy and mobility data via application programming interfaces
(APIs), advanced geolocation correction algorithms to resolve address
mismatches and multimodal travel-time polygons that visualise
reachable job zones. Users can filter jobs not only by qualifications
and job type but also by mobility-related benefits such as bike
allowances and public transport discounts. Job coaches have access to
additional filters, including language skills and driving licence
requirements, while employers can manage multiple locations using
their company registration number. The platform’s interface has been
tailored to the needs of each user group, with a professional version
for job coaches, a simplified version for job seekers and a data
management portal for employers. These developments reflect a maturing
platform with increasingly sophisticated technical capabilities and a
broader strategic reach.

WHAT CHALLENGES HAS NAAR JOBS ENCOUNTERED, AND WHAT LESSONS HAVE BEEN
LEARNED FROM ITS IMPLEMENTATION SO FAR?

One of the key challenges has been the technical complexity of working
with open data. Although the data is publicly available, it is often
inconsistent, incomplete or not immediately usable. The team had to
invest heavily in building custom engines to clean, merge and enrich
datasets, particularly to correct inaccurate job site addresses and
integrate multimodal mobility data including public transport routes,
bike and car travel times and employer incentives. Another challenge
is policy misalignment. While the platform promotes sustainable
commuting, many companies still offer fiscally incentivised company
cars, undermining efforts to encourage greener transport options.
Companies that choose not to offer cars often lack equivalent fiscal
benefits to support alternative mobility options, creating a
disincentive for more sustainable practices. Additionally, marketing
and visibility remain limited. Despite its robust functionality and
positive feedback from job coaches, the initiative has struggled to
gain widespread recognition among employers and the general public.
The team notes that the platform’s technical and social innovation
is difficult to communicate without targeted outreach and visual
storytelling.

Nonetheless, the collaborative model (i.e. working with job coaches,
government agencies and mobility experts) has proven effective. The
tool is now operationally used and praised by job coaches for its
ability to match people with jobs they can realistically attain.

WHAT ARE THE FUTURE GOALS OF NAAR JOBS?

Looking ahead, Naar Jobs aims to expand geographically to Brussels and
Wallonia, and potentially to other Member States. Plans are under way
to introduce user notifications for new job matches based on saved
preferences, to implement impact tracking to measure job placement
outcomes and to advocate for better alignment between mobility and
employment policies. The team also envisions a marketplace or
observatory where enriched open data use cases like Naar Jobs can be
showcased, reused and supported. These future goals reflect a
commitment to continuous improvement and a belief in the
transformative potential of open data when applied with purpose and
precision.

 

3.2  GOVERNMENTAL IMPACT

WAAR IS MIJN STEMLOKAAL?: MAKING VOTING EASY AND INCLUSIVE FOR
EVERYONE

WAAR IS MIJN STEMLOKAAL? IN A NUTSHELL

	* SERVICE: the Waar is mijn stemlokaal? platform helps users find a
suitable polling station near them. Citizens can also find information
about opening times and whether the polling stations are accessible
for people with certain disabilities.
	* SECTOR: not-for-profit, government.
	* COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: the Netherlands.
	* DATA SOURCES: open data from national polling stations.
	* NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: 5–10.
	* WEBSITE: waarismijnstemlokaal.nl
[https://waarismijnstemlokaal.nl/].

 
[https://data.europa.eu/sites/default/files/img/media/Screenshot%202025-10-09%20at%2014.43.19.png]
FIGURE 3: Snapshot of the Waar is mijn Stemlokaal? portal

The platform Waar is mijn stemlokaal?
[https://waarismijnstemlokaal.nl/] (‘Where is my polling
station?’) created by the Open State Foundation
[https://openstate.eu/nl/], offers citizens in the Netherlands a
user-friendly way to locate their nearest voting booth. The website
allows users to filter based on accessibility criteria, including
distance, opening times and special accommodations for people with
disabilities. With a focus on open data, the platform collects
standardised information from municipalities, achieving a 100 %
coverage of all polling stations, which also includes those in the
Caribbean municipalities. Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba are special
municipalities of the Netherlands, each governed by both a local
island authority and the Dutch central government. While they function
similarly to municipalities in mainland Netherlands, they are not part
of any Dutch province. Residents of these Caribbean public bodies have
voting rights in both Dutch parliamentary and European parliamentary
elections._ _

HOW DOES WAAR IS MIJN STEMLOKAAL? CREATE IMPACT?

At its core, Waar is mijn stemlokaal? empowers voters by offering
clear, reliable and inclusive information about where and how to vote.
The platform allows users to search for polling stations based on
proximity, opening hours and a growing list of accessibility features.
These include wheelchair access, visual and auditory accommodations,
and more recently criteria for neurodivergent-friendly environments
such as low-stimulation settings.

The platform’s reach extends well beyond individual voters. Its data
is reused by journalists, civic organisations and government agencies,
often forming the basis for election-day visualisations and
accessibility audits. During the 2024 European Parliament elections,
the website attracted over 235 000 users, more than doubling its
traffic from the previous cycle. Its integration into official voting
portals and municipal websites further underscores its role as a
trusted public resource.

Importantly, the platform also serves as a feedback loop for improving
electoral accessibility. By collecting and standardising data from
municipalities, it not only informs the public but also helps local
governments identify gaps in their own infrastructure and services.

HOW HAS WAAR IS MIJN STEMLOKAAL? DEVELOPED OVER THE PAST THREE YEARS?

Volume III marks a period of significant growth and institutional
maturity for Waar is mijn stemlokaal?, reflecting its evolution from a
civic technology prototype into a nationally recognised public
service. Building on the foundations laid out in Volumes I and II,
this phase captures the platform’s increasing technical
sophistication, broader municipal adoption, and deeper integration
into the Dutch electoral landscape.

Initially launched as a volunteer-driven initiative, the platform has
grown into a structured operation supported by a small core team and a
network of collaborators. While Volume I documented its early
reliance on manual data collection and limited municipal engagement,
and Volume II highlighted the introduction of a harmonised data
standard, Volume III shows the platform now receives structured data
from over 90 % of Dutch municipalities. This shift has significantly
improved data quality, timeliness and national coverage.

Technological capabilities have also advanced. The platform has
undergone two major relaunches, improving performance, accessibility
and user experience. New features include expanded accessibility
filters, such as low-stimulation environments for neurodivergent users
and improved search functionality. These updates are informed by
continuous user feedback and targeted research with underrepresented
voter groups.

Institutionally, Waar is mijn stemlokaal? has secured funding from the
Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, enabling the
development of a long-term roadmap and strengthening its position as a
trusted public utility. The platform is also frequently referenced in
parliamentary debates on electoral accessibility. This latest phase
demonstrates that civic technology can scale not only through
technical innovation, but also through strategic partnerships, open
standards and a clear public mission.

WHAT CHALLENGES HAS WAAR IS MIJN STEMLOKAAL? ENCOUNTERED, AND WHAT
LESSONS HAVE BEEN LEARNED FROM ITS IMPLEMENTATION SO FAR?

Despite its progress, Waar is mijn stemlokaal? continues to navigate
several structural and operational challenges. One persistent issue is
the lack of legal clarity around accessibility standards. While only
two features – wheelchair access and magnifying glasses – are
legally mandated, the platform has voluntarily expanded its criteria
in response to user demand and stakeholder input. This has required
ongoing negotiation with municipalities, many of which interpret
accessibility differently or lack the resources to meet higher
accessibility standards.

Another challenge lies in balancing standardisation with local
flexibility. While a unified data model is essential for national
coverage, municipalities often want to include unique local features
or contextual notes. The platform addresses this through structured
free-text fields and a modular design, but tensions between uniformity
and customisation remain.

Privacy is another area where the platform has taken a principled
stance. In contrast to many digital services, Waar is mijn stemlokaal?
collects only minimal metadata (i.e. device type and referral source),
refraining from invasive tracking in favour of user trust. This
approach has not limited its reach; rather, it has reinforced its
credibility among users and partners.

Perhaps the most important lesson here is that civic technology
doesn’t need to scale through size alone. With a core team of just
three staff members and a network of volunteers, the initiative has
demonstrated that strategic partnerships, open standards and a clear
public mission can achieve national impact.

WHAT ARE THE FUTURE GOALS OF WAAR IS MIJN STEMLOKAAL?

Looking ahead, the Open State Foundation aims to transition the
platform into full public ownership, ideally under the stewardship of
the Dutch Election Board. Funding is secured through 2026, and
additional support is expected for upcoming elections. In the
meantime, the team continues to refine the platform’s technical
capabilities, expand its accessibility features and advocate for
stronger open data policies at the national level.

The long-term vision is not just to maintain the platform, but to
embed it within the broader digital infrastructure of Dutch democracy.
This includes deeper integration with municipal systems, more robust
analytics for accessibility planning and continued collaboration with
civil-society groups.

Ultimately, Waar is mijn stemlokaal? offers a compelling model for how
civic technology can evolve from a volunteer-driven prototype into a
trusted public utility. Its success lies not only in its technical
design, but in its commitment to openness, inclusion and democratic
participation.

 

STATSREGNSKAPET.NO: A JOURNEY TOWARDS TRANSPARENT FINANCIAL CLARITY
AND ACCOUNTABILITY IN NORWEGIAN GOVERNANCE

STATSREGNSKAPET.NO IN A NUTSHELL

	* SERVICE: Statsregnskapet.no visualises government income and
spending to facilitate transparency and enable the public to find
information about the central government’s accounts.
	* SECTOR: government.
	* COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Norway.
	* DATA SOURCES: open data from government agencies (e.g. income,
expenditures/costs, work-year equivalent/full-time equivalent (FTE)).
	* NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: five people within the Government Agency for
Public and Financial Management (DFØ) work part-time on
Statsregnskapet.no (two FTEs).
	* WEBSITE: https://statsregnskapet.dfo.no/.

 
[https://data.europa.eu/sites/default/files/img/media/Screenshot%202025-10-09%20at%2014.43.34.png]
FIGURE 4: Snapshot of the Statsregnskapet.no portal

Statsregnskapet.no [http://www.statsregnskapet.no/] is a public-facing
digital platform developed by DFØ to promote transparency and
accountability in public finance. The platform provides a clear and
accessible dashboard that visualises the Norwegian central
government’s income and expenditure, allowing users to explore
financial data across ministries and agencies. It presents both cash
and accrual accounting data, appropriations and FTE staffing figures.
Users can compare financial indicators across time periods, programme
categories and agencies, gaining insight into how public funds are
allocated and used. The platform is maintained by a small team within
DFØ, with two FTE employees supported by part-time contributors.

HOW DOES STATSREGNSKAPET.NO CREATE IMPACT?

Statsregnskapet.no serves a broad and diverse audience, including
government employees, journalists, researchers, students, politicians
and interested citizens. By making government financial data publicly
available and easy to interpret, the platform empowers users to engage
with public administration in a more informed and meaningful way. It
supports democratic oversight by enabling stakeholders to scrutinise
income and expenditure patterns, assess efficiency and identify
trends. The platform is frequently cited in media reporting, which is
seen as a strong indicator of its public value. DFØ monitors usage
through web analytics and annual user surveys, which inform outreach
strategies and platform improvements. In 2024, user satisfaction
reached 85 %, up from 65 % in 2023 and 52 % in 2022, reflecting
growing appreciation for the platform’s clarity and usefulness.

HOW HAS STATSREGNSKAPET.NO DEVELOPED OVER THE PAST THREE YEARS?

While the core mission of Statsregnskapet.no has remained consistent,
the platform has seen steady, incremental improvements in technical
performance, data presentation, and user interface design. A major
transformation under way is the integration of accrual accounting data
from all government agencies, mandated for completion by 2027. Full
data availability is expected by spring 2028. This shift requires
significant back-end development and coordination with accounting
system vendors, and the team is currently in the planning and testing
phase. The platform has also introduced a feedback tool and expanded
its outreach through LinkedIn, newsletters and its participation in
Norway’s largest journalism convention. Flash courses are held twice
a year, and training is now offered through a new academy for ministry
staff. These efforts aim to increase awareness and ensure that users
can make the most of the platform’s capabilities.

WHAT CHALLENGES HAS STATSREGNSKAPET.NO ENCOUNTERED, AND WHAT LESSONS
HAVE BEEN LEARNED FROM ITS IMPLEMENTATION SO FAR?

One of the main challenges has been managing the complexity and volume
of financial data from multiple sources. While most of the data is
open and publicly accessible, it requires careful validation and
structuring before it can be presented on the platform. DFØ uses
Structured Query Language tools to process the data but does not alter
the underlying figures. Instead, it combines data from various sources
to generate key indicators, such as salary per FTE, which enhance the
platform’s analytical value. Another challenge is the dual reporting
requirement during the transition to accrual accounting, which demands
coordination across agencies and robust data infrastructure. The
open-access nature of the platform also limits the ability to identify
individual users, making it difficult to follow up with and tailor
content to specific user groups. Users often expect more detailed or
customised data than the platform can provide, and managing these
expectations is an ongoing task. Nonetheless, feedback has directly
influenced new features such as expandable graphs and contextual
explanations, and the team continues to prioritise clarity and
accessibility through plain language, case examples and interactive
visualisations.

WHAT ARE THE FUTURE GOALS OF STATSREGNSKAPET.NO?

Looking ahead, Statsregnskapet.no aims to fully incorporate accrual
accounting data from all government agencies, aligning with the
national mandate set for 2027. This will involve expanding the
platform’s technical capabilities and refining its data presentation
tools to accommodate more complex financial information. DFØ also
plans to continue its active marketing and awareness initiatives,
ensuring that the platform remains a valuable resource for a wide
range of users. The team is exploring opportunities to collect and
present additional information of public interest, and to further
enhance the platform’s usability and relevance. Ultimately,
Statsregnskapet.no seeks to deepen public engagement with government
finance, enhance transparency and support informed democratic
participation in Norway’s public administration.

 

3.3  SOCIAL IMPACT

UNIVERSIDATA-LAB: MAKING UNIVERSITY DATA PUBLICLY AVAILABLE

UNIVERSIDATA-LAB IN A NUTSHELL

	* SERVICE: UniversiDATA-Lab is a repository of the analytical
applications based on the open data published by the six Spanish
universities part of the portal UniversiDATA. Its purpose is twofold:
on the one hand, the web applications and studies present real and
practical cases of how datasets published by universities can be used;
on the other hand, they offer analytical results of interest to
stakeholders.
	* SECTOR: higher education.
	* COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Spain.
	* DATA SOURCES: open data from different national universities.
	* NUMBER OF UNIVERSITIES INVOLVED: 6.
	* WEBSITE: www.universidata.es [http://www.universidata.es].

 
[https://data.europa.eu/sites/default/files/img/media/Screenshot%202025-10-09%20at%2014.43.55.png]
FIGURE 5: Snapshot of the UniversiDATA portal

UniversiDATA-Lab [http://www.universidata.es/] is a dynamic repository
of analytical applications built on open data published by Spanish
universities through the UniversiDATA portal. It was launched as an
extension of UniversiDATA’s ‘Laboratory’ section, with the goal
of transforming static data analyses into interactive tools that
demonstrate the practical value of open data in higher education. 
The initiative began in 2020 as a public–private collaboration
between three public universities and the technology company
DIMETRICAL [https://www.dimetrical.es/] and has since grown to include
six universities. These institutions share a unified data
infrastructure, using the same formats, semantics and publishing
schedules, which ensures comparability and scalability across the
platform. UniversiDATA-Lab is designed to serve a wide range of users,
including students, educators, researchers, journalists, businesses
and policymakers, and it streamlines the work of reusers by enabling
them to process data from multiple universities through a single,
unified data pipeline, minimising the required effort.

HOW DOES UNIVERSIDATA-LAB CREATE IMPACT?

The impact of UniversiDATA-Lab is multifaceted and growing. By
centralising the technical infrastructure and standardising data
formats, the initiative significantly lowers the barriers for
universities to publish and maintain open data. This has enabled a
wide range of stakeholders to access and reuse university data for
diverse purposes. The lab’s datasets have been used in academic
theses, research publications and classroom assignments. For example,
one datathon-winning project led to a peer-reviewed paper on the
effects of COVID-19 on international student mobility. Companies,
particularly in the student housing sector, have used the data to
forecast demand and plan services. Citizens have used the platform to
make informed decisions about university enrolment and commuting,
especially in rural areas. The lab also plays an educational role,
offering detailed documentation and visual tools that make complex
datasets, such as university budgets, accessible to non-experts. Its
inclusion in national innovation directories and press coverage
further underscore its growing relevance and public value.

HOW HAS UNIVERSIDATA-LAB DEVELOPED OVER THE PAST THREE YEARS?

Since its inception, UniversiDATA-Lab has undergone a significant
transformation from a conceptual extension of UniversiDATA into a
fully operational and widely used platform. Over the past three years,
UniversiDATA-Lab has evolved from a proof-of-concept into a tangible
reality within the UniversiDATA portal, offering four practical case
studies, two active interactive analytical applications (the budget
viewer
[https://www.universidata.es/aplicaciones/visor-de-presupuestos] and
the retirement forecast
[https://www.universidata.es/aplicaciones/previsi%C3%B3n-de-jubilaciones])
and a third analytical application (the procurement viewer), which is
currently in beta testing and will be made available to the public in
September/October 2025.

In its early phase, the lab was envisioned as a separate portal, but
the team ultimately decided to integrate it into the main
UniversiDATA-Lab website to provide a more seamless user experience.
This decision has proven effective in maintaining coherence and
accessibility. Over the past year, the lab has expanded its catalogue
of applications, including the launch of a new contracting viewer that
analyses public tenders and procurement data, expected to be made
publicly around October 2025. This dataset, sourced from Spain’s
national open data portal, represents a major milestone in the
project’s evolution, offering insights into university spending
patterns and supplier relationships. The lab also continues to host
its annual datathon [https://www.universidata.es/datathon/], which has
become a key driver of innovation and engagement. The second edition,
held in 2024–2025, attracted a wide range of participants and
produced socially impactful projects on topics such as gender
inequality, rural access to education and environmental
sustainability. These developments reflect a shift from
experimentation to maturity, with the lab now serving as a model for
open data reuse in higher education.

WHAT CHALLENGES HAS UNIVERSIDATA-LAB ENCOUNTERED, AND WHAT LESSONS
HAVE BEEN LEARNED FROM ITS IMPLEMENTATION SO FAR?

One of the most persistent obstacles for UniversiDATA-Lab has been
internal resistance within universities, particularly regarding
concerns about data quality and public scrutiny. Some stakeholders
have been hesitant to publish data they perceive as incomplete or
imperfect.

The team has addressed this by emphasising that no dataset is flawless
and that public feedback often leads to improved data quality. Another
major challenge has been ensuring the proper anonymisation of highly
granular datasets, such as student-level performance data.

This requires complex technical processes and legal risk assessments,
which the team has tackled by developing robust anonymisation
protocols and a custom data-sharing licence. The team has also faced
the ongoing challenge of maintaining user engagement and support.
Publishing open data is not a one-time task but a continuous service
that involves responding to user queries, updating datasets and
developing new applications. The team has learned that success depends
not only on technical excellence but also on building trust, fostering
collaboration and demonstrating the tangible benefits of transparency.

WHAT ARE THE FUTURE GOALS OF UNIVERSIDATA-LAB?

Looking ahead, UniversiDATA-Lab aims to continue expanding both its
data catalogue and its user base. A seventh university is expected to
join the initiative soon, and regular meetings among the participating
institutions ensure that new datasets are continually proposed,
developed and released. The team plans to launch additional analytical
applications that address emerging societal and academic questions,
such as student dropout rates, faculty diversity and environmental
impact. There is also a strong focus on outreach and education, with
plans to enhance documentation, offer more training resources and
promote the platform through events and the media. The datathon, with
its third edition expected in 2026, will remain a central feature,
serving as a showcase for innovative reuse and a catalyst for
community building. Ultimately, UniversiDATA-Lab aspires to become a
reference point for open data in higher education, not only in Spain
but across the European Union, by demonstrating how structured
collaboration, technical rigour and a commitment to public value can
transform how universities engage with data.

 

VISIME-360: USING OPEN DATA TO SUPPORT AND IMPROVE HEALTHCARE PLANNING
FOR VISUALLY IMPAIRED PEOPLE

VISIME-360 IN A NUTSHELL

	* SERVICE: VisImE-360 explains in a single information space the
Eurostat´s healthcare data on people with visual impairment, helping
to allocate resources for medical aid.
	* SECTOR: health.
	* COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Italy.
	* DATA SOURCES: open data from Eurostat and accessibility research
studies.
	* NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: 1.
	* WEBSITE: vision.scientific-tools.org
[https://vision.scientific-tools.org/].

 
[https://data.europa.eu/sites/default/files/img/media/Screenshot%202025-10-09%20at%2014.44.15.png]
FIGURE 6: Snapshots of the VisImE-360 portal

VisImE-360 [https://vision.scientific-tools.org/] (Vision Impairment
in the EU – 360ᵒ view) was created by epidemiologist and data
scientist Boris Bikbov. The initiative is driven by the idea to
collect, in a single information space, all major health data on a
highly relevant condition that affects millions of people in the EU:
namely, visual impairment. Raw open data from large-scale Eurostat
surveys and databases were used to produce easy-to-perceive text
descriptions, visualisations and tables. VisImE-360 captures
statistics on prevalence, public health resources, social inclusion
and more. The 2021 EU Datathon
[https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eudatathon/home] competition provided the
right opportunity to develop a web application that summarises and
presents the data to a broader audience. Importantly, the application
ultimately supports decision-makers in allocating resources to help
people with visual impairment and facilitate the provision of the most
appropriate medical aid.

HOW DOES VISIME-360 CREATE IMPACT?

VisImE-360 aims to create impact by addressing visual impairment, a
widespread health condition. The application has a twofold goal:
raising awareness about visual impairment and providing support to
various stakeholders, including policymakers, patient organisations,
the media and social service workers. The website contains two main
sections to achieve these goals. The first section presents data on
the prevalence of visual impairment across Member States, considering
factors like urbanisation and education levels. The second section
focuses on healthcare resources and utilisation, offering insights
into the availability of ophthalmic surgeons, statistics on cataract
treatment and hospital interventions. The application ensures
technical accessibility for all users, including people with visual
impairment, by providing customisable colour schemes and font
features. The initiative advocates for statistical solutions that
embrace accessibility by design. The number of website users and usage
trends since 2021 remain unknown. Aside from specific recognition from
fellow open data scholars, relatively little feedback has been
received from end users. The purpose of the initiative is to provide a
single-entry point for all stakeholders and raise awareness.
Therefore, in a way, each visitor’s engagement makes a meaningful
difference.

HOW HAS VISIME-360 DEVELOPED OVER THE PAST THREE YEARS?

The initiative started as a participant in the 2021 EU Datathon. The
website and its content have not been updated in the meantime. A lack
of financial resources is the main reason why further development has
not taken place. Although suitable open data grants have not been made
available through public authorities or academic institutions, the
author continues to seek funding to implement the planned work
packages, which focus on integrating Eurostat data, scientific
research studies and other open data sources.

WHAT CHALLENGES HAS VISIME-360 ENCOUNTERED, AND WHAT LESSONS HAVE BEEN
LEARNED FROM ITS IMPLEMENTATION SO FAR?

The experiences from VisImE-360 show the importance of reusing already
available data. By building on existing datasets, academic literature
and prior analyses it becomes clear what knowledge gaps exist and how
new insights arise. Creating open data impact does require adequate
levels of data and technical skills, for instance to obtain, screen
and analyse large volumes of data in an automated way, set up most
relevant data queries and searches, interpret medical data standards
and ontologies, and ensure metadata quality. However, more recently,
free open-source tools and the democratisation of data enable a
broader group of people to make impact using open data. On a positive
note, starting to work with open data has become easier than it was
three to five years ago.

WHAT ARE THE FUTURE GOALS OF VISIME-360?

VisImE-360 would like to broaden the number of data sources, whenever
new financial resources would become available. This includes adding
more scientific literature data and comparing different studies. A key
guiding principle remains the publication of ‘inclusive open
data’, as introduced four years ago. To take advantage of data,
people need support in two key ways: technical access that adapts
information to individual physical capabilities, and health literacy
or cognitive support that helps them understand what the data means
and how to interpret it.

Therefore, it is important to consider the different preferences of
end users. Some will prefer text with numerical data and figures,
while others may better comprehend the same content when it is
presented in an audio or video format.

Such initiatives are also considered relevant in light of the Web
Accessibility Directive
[https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/web-accessibility-directive-standards-and-harmonisation],
along with the more recent European Accessibility Act
[https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/policies/justice-and-fundamental-rights/disability/union-equality-strategy-rights-persons-disabilities-2021-2030/european-accessibility-act_en],
which took effect on 28 June 2025. Both VisImE-360 and these policy
measures recognise that everyone should be able to take part in
society and the economy, regardless of how they see, hear, speak,
think or move.

 

TANGIBLE DATA: TRANSFORMING DATA INTO TANGIBLE SCULPTURES TO EDUCATE
SOCIETY

TANGIBLE DATA IN A NUTSHELL

	* SERVICE: Tangible Data transforms data from its digital context
into a physical one by creating data sculptures in a public space.
These data sculptures help people who lack certain digital skills to
experience the data.
	* SECTOR: culture.
	* COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Spain.
	* DATA SOURCES: open data from international bodies (e.g. National
Aeronautics and Space Administration, The World Bank) and other
platforms.
	* NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: 2 (no FTEs).
	* WEBSITE: www.tangibledata.xyz [http://www.tangibledata.xyz].

 
[https://data.europa.eu/sites/default/files/img/media/Screenshot%202025-10-09%20at%2014.44.30.png]
FIGURE 7: Snapshot of the Tangible Data portal

Tangible Data [http://www.tangibledata.xyz] continues to evolve as a
creative and educational initiative that bridges the gap between open
data and society. Initially featured in Volume I of the observatory
as a prototype-driven project that uses 3D-printed sculptures to
visualise sustainability data, Tangible Data has matured into a
multifaceted platform for education, inclusion and civic engagement.
Volume III captures its expansion into schools and museums, and its
digital interactivity, reflecting a growing commitment to
accessibility and impact.

HOW DOES TANGIBLE DATA CREATE IMPACT?

Tangible Data transforms open datasets into physical sculptures that
visualise complex global challenges such as climate change, poverty
and the lack of trust in institutions. These sculptures are designed
to be tactile, inclusive and informative, often embedded with QR or
near-field communication codes linking to contextual data and calls to
action.

In 2024–2025, the initiative launched a structured educational
programme for 15-year-old students. The curriculum includes sessions
on data literacy, visualisation using Google Sheets and creative
interpretation through sculpture and music. Initially tested with
university students, the programme was adapted for younger audiences
due to increased digital access in schools post-COVID-19. In its first
year, it reached 40 students, with plans to scale to 150 across
multiple schools.

Museums have become key partners, hosting exhibitions and workshops
that engage families, educators and older generations. A new plug-in,
developed by the Tangible Data team using ChatGPT and powered by
artificial intelligence (AI), allows users to interact with data in a
gamified way; for example, exploring temperature changes across
decades. These interactive features enhance engagement and
storytelling, especially in museum settings.

HOW HAS TANGIBLE DATA DEVELOPED OVER THE PAST THREE YEARS?

Over the past three years, Tangible Data has undergone a notable
transformation. In 2022, the project was introduced as a
prototype-based initiative focused on raising awareness through
physical data sculptures. At that stage, the emphasis was on bridging
the digital divide by making data more tangible and understandable for
the general public. The sculptures were small-scale, often created
using 3D printing and laser cutting, and placed in public spaces to
spark curiosity and conversation.

By 2023, the initiative had moved beyond the prototype phase. Tangible
Data began delivering complete projects and standardised its design,
production and delivery processes. This allowed the team to respond
more quickly to requests and scale the initiative internationally.
Volume II highlighted the delivery of three major projects addressing
topics such as the COVID-19 pandemic, primary education progress in
Central America and climate change. The initiative also began
exploring commercial and educational opportunities, including exhibits
and workshops.

Volume III marks a new phase in Tangible Data’s development. The
initiative has expanded into formal education, launched a school-based
curriculum and introduced new technical capabilities such as
AI-powered interactivity. It has also strengthened its outreach
strategy, launching a blog and establishing a social media presence,
supported by Spanish government funding. Tangible Data’s work was
recognised at the 2025 EU Open Data Days, where it presented a
sculpture titled ‘European Open Data: Unlocking tangible futures’,
celebrating the EU’s commitment to transparency and open data.

WHAT CHALLENGES HAS TANGIBLE DATA ENCOUNTERED, AND WHAT LESSONS HAVE
BEEN LEARNED FROM ITS IMPLEMENTATION SO FAR?

Despite its growth, Tangible Data continues to face challenges,
particularly in scaling its educational programme. Many schools lack
the funding and scheduling flexibility needed to implement the
curriculum fully.

The initiative also requires additional educators to meet the growing
demand and relies on foundation support to subsidise programme costs.
These constraints highlight the need for more robust funding
mechanisms to support open data education.

The project remains a lean operation, and with limited resources, the
team has adopted a do-it-yourself approach. They have self-taught a
wide range of technical skills, including web development, analytics,
AI integration and 3D printing. Sculptures are produced using
rotational extrusion and laser cutting techniques, and each piece
includes embedded QR or near-field communication codes that link to
contextual data and calls to action.

A persistent barrier to impact is the limited reuse of open data. The
team has called for more funding schemes that support start-ups
focused on data reuse for education, accessibility and social
awareness. They also advocate for a more active role for museums in
curating and preserving open datasets, proposing the concept of
‘data museums’, or museums that serve as public repositories and
engagement platforms for open data.

WHAT ARE THE FUTURE GOALS OF TANGIBLE DATA?

Looking ahead, Tangible Data aims to exhibit large-scale sculptures in
public spaces, beginning in cities like Madrid. In 2025, Tangible Data
entered a new phase of visibility and impact with the inauguration of
its flagship installation, the ‘Tangible climate’ sculpture.
Measuring 3 cubic metres and situated in the gardens of the National
Natural Science Museum in Madrid, the sculpture will remain on public
display for two years, serving as a landmark for open data and
environmental awareness. This milestone anchors a wider strategy to
deepen public engagement, including the roll-out of new educational
formats. Among them are co-creation labs for secondary-school
students, focused on interpreting datasets through physical
design – a programme already piloted in schools and set for broader
expansion. In parallel, the team is deploying interactive experiences
powered by AI, where users explore datasets through gamified learning.
To further animate the website, Tangible Data is forging
collaborations with artists and cultural spaces to host live
performances and creative marathons that activate the sculpture and
amplify its message. These initiatives reinforce the project’s
commitment to blending data, art and education in ways that are both
inclusive and enduring.
[https://data.europa.eu/sites/default/files/img/media/Screenshot%202025-10-09%20at%2014.44.45.png]
FIGURE 8: The ‘Tangible climate’ sculpture by Tangible Data

Further development of interactive and accessible features is also on
the horizon, including tactile elements designed specifically for
visually impaired users. Tangible Data remains committed to its
founding mission: making data tangible, inclusive and actionable. By
combining art, education and technology, the initiative continues to
transform open data into a shared public resource _–_ one that
informs, inspires and empowers communities across generations.

 

EU TWINNINGS: EXPLORING SIMILAR REGIONS ACROSS EUROPE WITH OPEN DATA

EU TWINNINGS IN A NUTSHELL

	* SERVICE: EU Twinnings uses open data from Eurostat to make
statistics accessible to a wider audience and to show regional
similarities in Europe.
	* SECTOR: society, European integration.
	* COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: United Kingdom.
	* DATA SOURCES: open data from Eurostat.
	* NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: 1.
	* WEBSITE: https://data.europa.eu/apps/eutwinnings.

 
[https://data.europa.eu/sites/default/files/img/media/Screenshot%202025-10-09%20at%2014.44.58.png]
FIGURE 9: Snapshot of the EU Twinnings web application

The EU Twinnings web application
[https://data.europa.eu/apps/eutwinnings] is an exploratory project
aiming to make statistics and open data more accessible and
understandable. The concept was inspired by an academic paper that
measured similarities between works of literature. This idea was then
translated into EU Twinnings, allowing users to explore and visualise
Eurostat’s statistics on European regions and municipalities,
comparing their similarities with others.

The application relies solely on open data from Eurostat, with
datasets categorised at both the NUTS 2 (nomenclature of territorial
units for statistics
[https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Glossary:Nomenclature_of_territorial_units_for_statistics_(NUTS)])
and NUTS 3 levels. EU Twinnings prepares lists of demographic and
socioeconomic parameters using the Eurostat JSON API for data
retrieval, followed by cleaning and unit testing. This comprehensive
instrument offers a wealth of information for exploring regional
similarities and differences. Whether comparing economic indicators,
demographic trends or cultural characteristics, EU Twinnings provides
nuanced and surprising insights into the diverse regions of Europe.
From vibrant urban centres to picturesque rural communities, EU
Twinnings offers a panoramic view of Europe’s rich variety of
cultures and traditions.

HOW DOES EU TWINNINGS CREATE IMPACT?

The application provides an interactive interface where users can
select a specific region or municipality in Europe and visualise its
similarity to other regions. The similarity is calculated using
Eurostat’s open data, covering parameters like population density,
fertility, gender, gross domestic product and more. The formula,
updated annually, determines the percentage of similarity between two
regions based on the chosen parameters. EU Twinnings also offers a
rank comparison through spider charts, providing users with detailed
insights into specific similarity highlights and across parameters.

EU Twinnings has demonstrated qualitative impact, which suits its
non-commercial focus and privacy considerations. Foremost, the
application creates new narratives for citizens and policymakers
interested in regions and cities. EU Twinnings serves as a valuable
resource for policymakers, researchers and citizens alike,
facilitating informed decision-making and promoting cross-border
collaboration. By exploring regional similarities and harnessing the
power of data-driven insights, individuals can contribute to the
advancement of regional cooperation and solidarity within the European
Union. As Europe continues to evolve and to embrace its cultural
diversity, instruments like EU Twinnings play a vital role in
promoting mutual understanding and fostering a sense of unity among
European nations. Furthermore, during the 2020 EU Datathon
[https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eudatathon/2020-edition], suggestions
were made for potential applications of EU Twinnings within Erasmus+,
the EU’s programme offering mobility and cooperation opportunities
in education, training, youth and sport. In addition, the
application’s creator has been sharing information about its coding,
showing its value to technical audiences. Given the absence of web
analytics, the number of website visitors and online users is unknown.
Moreover, it is unclear to what extent the comparisons made by EU
Twinnings have led to new twin or sister city partnerships.

HOW HAS EU TWINNINGS DEVELOPED OVER THE PAST THREE YEARS?

From a technical and data point of view the application has been
relatively stable. The core features have remained the same ever since
its creation in 2020. However, the initiative changed owner during its
2022 and 2025 evolvement. In 2024, the application was officially
integrated as an application of the European Data Portal
[https://data.europa.eu/en/apps] (data.europa.eu). This required
partial redevelopment compared to the EU Datathon minimal viable
version: documenting main procedures (e.g. on GitHub), updating the
data, rewriting scripts and matching formulas (e.g. due to changing
table names), and making the application portable to the European Data
Portal environment. After these technical preparations, the
application, including hosting and intellectual property rights, could
be fully transferred to the Publications Office of the European Union.

This use case shows how an individual could develop an idea or
initiative to become an integral part of one of the largest data
portals in the world.

WHAT CHALLENGES HAS EU TWINNINGS ENCOUNTERED, AND WHAT LESSONS HAVE
BEEN LEARNED FROM ITS IMPLEMENTATION SO FAR?

Transferring an open data initiative from one party to another can be
both fulfilling and challenging. The European Data Portal onboarding
process was reasonable, even though it took EU Twinnings some time to
formalise the transfer (e.g. contractually). A key factor in the
success of the use case was finding the right partners and allies. For
example, collaboration with the Eurostat support team was instrumental
in turning all levels and layers of the Eurostat data into a coherent
data story. The same applies to finding the right datasets, with the
proper data licences for reuse. Creating a valuable open data
initiative starts with knowing what data is out there and how to tell
a story with it. This requires balancing all technical and
storytelling capabilities. Some features may be more stable
technically, but also less useful or appealing to end users. This
trade-off can make or break open data applications. In retrospect, EU
Twinnings would have benefited from involving users earlier in the
concept development.

WHAT ARE THE FUTURE GOALS OF EU TWINNINGS?

At the moment, no specific updates are planned. However, should
resources be allocated to further improving the application, the
number of underlying datasets could potentially be expanded. Both
Eurostat and other statistical service providers have data on a wide
variety of potentially relevant twinning variables. This includes
additional data on the economy, live animals and other environmental
developments, along with data on weather and climate conditions.
Incorporating data from multiple sources, with different time series
and across multiple geographical levels, while maintaining statistical
reliability and uniformity, would further increase the value of the
application. If EU Twinnings can achieve this, it could generate even
more powerful comparisons in the future.

 

OPEN FOOD FACTS: TRANSFORMING FOOD CHOICES FOR HEALTH AND THE
ENVIRONMENT

OPEN FOOD FACTS IN A NUTSHELL

	* SERVICE: Open Food Facts creates easy-to-understand information
about the nutritional value and environmental impact of food and
provides a large food product database containing over 3 million
products.
	* SECTOR: food, health.
	* COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: France.
	* DATA SOURCES: open data from food producers and national and
European sources.
	* NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: 7.
	* WEBSITE: fr-en.openfoodfacts.org
[https://fr-en.openfoodfacts.org/].

 
[https://data.europa.eu/sites/default/files/img/media/Screenshot%202025-10-09%20at%2014.45.14.png]
FIGURE 10: Snapshot of the Open Food Facts website

Open Food Facts [https://fr-en.openfoodfacts.org/] has grown from a
grassroots initiative into one of the world’s largest open food
databases. First featured in Volume I of the observatory, the
platform was already a pioneer in food transparency, offering
simplified nutritional and environmental scores for millions of
products. Volume II captured its expansion into new product
categories and its growing scientific and public influence.
Volume III now reflects a maturing infrastructure, a more global and
diverse community and a sharpened focus on sustainability, data
quality and long-term resilience.

HOW DOES OPEN FOOD FACTS CREATE IMPACT?

Open Food Facts empowers consumers, researchers and food producers by
making food data open, understandable and actionable. The platform
provides simplified indicators such as the Nutri-Score (for
nutritional value), the Nova classification (for food processing) and
the newly rebranded Green Score (formerly ‘Eco-score’), which
evaluates environmental impact.

These scores are based on a combination of user-contributed data,
producer uploads and public datasets such as Agribalyse and the United
States Department of Agriculture food database.

The platform’s impact is visible across multiple domains. Consumers
use it to make healthier and more sustainable choices. Food producers
consult it to improve their product profiles. Researchers rely on it
for large-scale studies; over 600 scientific papers have referenced
Open Food Facts to date. The data is also reused by more than 250
applications, including tools for people with allergies, dietary
restrictions or specific health needs.

HOW HAS OPEN FOOD FACTS CHANGED OVER THE PAST THREE YEARS?

Over the past three years, Open Food Facts has undergone a remarkable
transformation. In 2022, the platform was already a well-established
open database with 2.5 million products and a strong presence in
France. It had begun to influence food labelling practices through the
widespread adoption of the Nutri-Score and was preparing to roll out
the Eco-score.

By 2023, the database had grown to over 3 million products, and the
team had expanded to eight members. The project broadened its scope
beyond food, launching Open Beauty Facts for cosmetics and Open
Products Facts for general consumer goods. Data quality became a
central focus, with the implementation of over 180 checkpoints to
ensure accuracy and reliability. Monthly traffic reached 3 million
unique users, and the platform became a reference point for both
consumers and the scientific community.

Volume III marks a new phase of globalisation, infrastructure scaling
and community empowerment. The volunteer network has expanded to
include contributors from India, Morocco and the United States. The
platform now hosts over 10 000 reusable product entries, with 25 %
of its data still based in France and the rest increasingly sourced
from international public databases. The infrastructure has been
tested by the rise of AI-powered nutrition apps, prompting a renewed
focus on performance and sustainability.

The Green Score has now been applied to over 1 million products. A
dedicated platform for food manufacturers provides tailored
recommendations on how to improve their environmental impact through
better sourcing, manufacturing and labelling practices. Meanwhile, the
second version of the Nutri-Score has encouraged producers to
reformulate products, and the platform continues to support this shift
through improved documentation and onboarding tools.

WHAT CHALLENGES HAS OPEN FOOD FACTS ENCOUNTERED, AND WHAT LESSONS HAVE
BEEN LEARNED FROM ITS IMPLEMENTATION SO FAR?

One of the most pressing issues facing Open Food Facts is
infrastructure stress, particularly due to increased traffic from
third-party applications and AI tools. This has highlighted the need
for more robust technical support and long-term funding to reduce
technical debt.

Another key lesson has been the importance and difficulty of
maintaining high-quality documentation and onboarding processes. While
the platform’s wiki [https://wiki.openfoodfacts.org/Main_Page] is
collaborative, it can be hard to maintain, and contributors often
prefer to focus on niche topics rather than general upkeep.
Nonetheless, the community remains active and creative, managing 225
quality checkpoints and keeping error rates below 4 %.

Community engagement has also evolved. Webinars have replaced the less
effective roundtables, with 4–5 sessions held annually. In 2025, two
scientific webinars attracted 50 global participants, reinforcing the
platform’s role as a bridge between open data and academic research.
Community animation is now funded, recognising the time and
coordination it requires.

Support from the _Accélérateur d’Initiatives Citoyennes_, a French
public innovation accelerator for civic technology and open data, has
enabled Open Food Facts to build partnerships with state networks and
secure key sponsorships. However, the team continues to seek more
flexible funding models. Project-based grants, while helpful, limit
long-term planning. The goal is to secure at least 25 % of the annual
budget from foundations to ensure sustainability.

WHAT ARE THE FUTURE GOALS OF OPEN FOOD FACTS?

Looking ahead, Open Food Facts aims to deepen its role as a global
infrastructure for food transparency. The team plans to enhance the
platform’s search engine, allowing users to filter results more
intuitively, similar to major e-commerce platforms. There is also a
growing focus on sustainability, with plans to provide guidance on
extending product life and reducing waste.

The platform will continue to foster win-win partnerships, encouraging
data reusers to give back to the ecosystem. It also aims to further
automate producer onboarding and improve multilingual support to
better serve its growing international community.

At its core, Open Food Facts remains committed to its founding
mission: making food data open, reliable and useful for everyone.
Whether it is helping a consumer choose a healthier snack, guiding a
producer towards more sustainable practices or supporting a researcher
with clean, structured data, the platform continues to demonstrate the
transformative power of open data in everyday life.

 

INTEGREAT: EMPOWERING MUNICIPALITIES WITH THE INTEGRATION OF MIGRANTS
AND REFUGEES

INTEGREAT IN A NUTSHELL

	* SERVICE: Integreat is a digital platform that provides all relevant
information in several languages at the municipal level to newly
arrived migrants and refugees.
	* SECTOR: society, migration.
	* COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Germany.
	* DATA SOURCES: open data from national municipalities.
	* NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: 27–35.
	* WEBSITE: integreat-app.de [https://integreat-app.de/en/].

 
[https://data.europa.eu/sites/default/files/img/media/Screenshot%202025-10-09%20at%2014.45.26.png]
FIGURE 11: Snapshot of the Integreat portal

The Integreat initiative [https://integreat-app.de/en/], launched in
Augsburg, Germany, in 2015 under the name ‘Refguide+’, aims to
address the challenges faced by migrants and refugees when arriving in
a new country, particularly the information and language gaps. It has
evolved into a comprehensive integration process tool, helping more
than 130 municipalities in Germany. The initiative serves as both a
tool for integration and an incentive for municipalities to gather key
data.

HOW DOES INTEGREAT CREATE IMPACT?

Integreat continues to play a crucial role in supporting the
integration of migrants and refugees in Germany by providing them with
timely, multilingual and locally relevant information. The platform
offers multilingual content on administrative processes, job
opportunities, education, social services and relevant updates on
topics like COVID-19 and the invasion of Ukraine. Accessible through
the application, website or offline brochures, Integreat collaborates
closely with municipalities and experts to maintain accurate and
up-to-date data.

The initiative supports the integration process, making information
available in various languages and facilitating collaboration between
municipalities, which curate and maintain the content to ensure that
it remains accurate and tailored to local needs. This decentralised
model not only enhances the quality of information but also fosters
inter-municipal collaboration and standardisation.

The impact of Integreat is assessed through a combination of user
metrics, municipal feedback and academic evaluation. With over
100 000 application downloads and millions of web hits, 60 % of
which are not in German, the platform has demonstrated growing
relevance among its target audience. A randomised control trial
[https://integrationevaluation.wordpress.com/] partially funded by
J-PAL Europe [https://www.povertyactionlab.org/europe], an
organisation specialising in impact evaluations to guide social and
development policy, was conducted to assess Integreat’s impact on
integration outcomes such as user satisfaction, access to services and
participation in the job market. While early findings have been shared
internally, the full results have not yet been made publicly
available. A larger-scale validation study began in autumn 2023,
aiming to provide municipalities with actionable insights to further
improve their integration and information services.

HOW HAS INTEGREAT DEVELOPED OVER THE PAST THREE YEARS?

Volume III marks a significant milestone in the initiative’s
development, reflecting its transition from a promising digital
integration tool to a robust, scalable and increasingly data-driven
platform. Building on the foundations detailed in Volumes I and II,
this latest volume captures its evolving technological sophistication
and its strategic positioning within Germany’s digital public
service landscape.

Initially launched in 2015 as a volunteer-driven initiative, Integreat
has grown into a structured non-governmental organisation with a team
of 37 professionals, half of which are developers, supported by a
service team assisting municipalities and a social team engaging with
users. Volume I documented its early expansion and reliance on public
funding with 90 partner municipalities, and Volume II captured its
transition to a self-sustaining model with 108 municipalities.
Volume III shows the platform is now active in 137 municipalities
across Germany. Each municipality signs an individual contract, often
including a paid social media campaign to boost local engagement and
impact.

Integreat’s technological capabilities have significantly evolved.
While earlier volumes emphasised multilingual access and ease of use,
Volume III introduces a suite of accessibility features, such as
text-to-speech and use of automatic translations, push notifications
tailored by each municipality, and a readability scoring system to
ensure content clarity. A notable innovation is the development of a
chat-based search assistant, currently being piloted in Munich, to
help users navigate the platform more intuitively.

Integreat’s commitment to open data remains central. All content
continues to be published under the Creative Commons (CC BY 4.0)
licence, and the platform’s source code is openly available under
the Massachusetts Institute of Technology licence. However,
Volume III reveals a deeper cultural shift wherein municipalities not
only input the data but also reuse it. While municipalities retain
full responsibility for the accuracy and relevance of their content,
Integreat supports this process by offering feedback mechanisms and
tools to help ensure clarity, consistency and accessibility across the
platform.

Earlier volumes highlighted the difficulty of measuring user impact,
particularly due to offline access and limited analytics. However,
Volume III presents more concrete evidence of Integreat’s
effectiveness. For example, newcomers now report that they know
essential information such as which emergency number to call – an
indicator of improved access to critical services. Early findings from
the randomised control trial, despite some methodological limitations,
suggest that Integreat contributes to greater satisfaction with life
in Germany, more positive integration experiences and improved access
to the job market. The platform has recorded 4.5 million annual hits
in 2024, with approximately 60 % of traffic not in German, reflecting
its growing relevance among migrant and refugee communities. In terms
of user reach, the Android application alone has been downloaded over
100 000 times. Due to Integreat’s commitment to data minimisation
and privacy, comprehensive usage statistics are limited, though tools
like the Google Search Console provide insights into key search
behaviours and content engagement.

WHAT CHALLENGES HAS INTEGREAT ENCOUNTERED, AND WHAT LESSONS HAVE BEEN
LEARNED FROM ITS IMPLEMENTATION SO FAR?

Despite Integreat’s successes, some challenges remain as many
municipalities struggle with limited human resources to update the
content in a timely manner. Additionally, in launching a politically
sensitive initiative, political dynamics at the local level can delay
the publication of sensitive or critical content, affecting the
consistency and responsiveness of the platform across regions.

Further, the pilot implementation in Greece clearly demonstrated the
critical role of local context in launching civil-society initiatives.
Success depended not only on the technology itself but on the presence
of an in-country project team with deep expertise in the national
information technology infrastructure, migration ecosystem and
institutional landscape. This local knowledge was essential for
tailoring the initiative to the specific environment and ensuring its
relevance and effectiveness. These experiences also reinforce that the
true value of open data lies not merely in transparency, but in its
ability to enhance the practical utility of the platform and support
meaningful, context-sensitive implementation.

Nonetheless, Integreat’s key success is rooted in its collaborative
approach. As a neutral and trusted platform, it fosters cooperation
among municipalities and stakeholders, enabling shared learning and
collective improvement of the integration services.

WHAT ARE THE FUTURE GOALS OF INTEGREAT?

Looking ahead, Integreat plans to continue investing in technological
innovation, including its development of a chat-based search
assistant, further improvements in accessibility and deeper
integration with other local platforms. Through workshops, feedback
loops and impact reporting, Integreat aims to continue sharing
knowledge and best practices, positioning itself as a lighthouse
initiative for digital public service delivery and migrant
integration.

 

3.4  ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

 

DIGITAL FOREST DRYADS: USING OPEN SATELLITE IMAGERY TO PROTECT FORESTS
FROM ILLEGAL DEFORESTATION

DIGITAL FOREST DRYADS IN A NUTSHELL

	* SERVICE: Digital Forest Dryads aims to protect forests from illegal
deforestation in Europe by combining aerial and multispectral
satellite imagery.
	* SECTOR: environment, forest.
	* COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Romania.
	* DATA SOURCES: open geodata and multispectral data from several EU
open sources.
	* NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: 5.
	* WEBSITE: digital-dryads.eu [https://digital-dryads.eu/].

 
[https://data.europa.eu/sites/default/files/img/media/Screenshot%202025-10-09%20at%2014.45.39.png]
FIGURE 12: Snapshot of the Digital Forest Dryads portal

Digital Forest Dryads [https://digital-dryads.eu/], developed by a
Romanian team during the 2020 EU Datathon
[https://op.europa.eu/nl/web/eudatathon/2020-edition], remains a
pioneering initiative in the use of open satellite imagery to combat
illegal deforestation. First featured in Volume I of the observatory,
the platform introduced an interactive map that visualises forest loss
across Europe, distinguishing between legal and illegal deforestation
using multispectral satellite data. Volume II captured the
project’s growing recognition, including its influence on Romanian
government policy and the development of spin-off tools. Volume III
reflects a year of stability, with the platform remaining active and
relevant, even in the absence of major new developments.

HOW DOES DIGITAL FOREST DRYADS CREATE IMPACT?

Digital Forest Dryads empowers environmental authorities, policymakers
and the public by providing a clear, data-driven view of deforestation
patterns across Europe. The platform combines open geospatial data
from sources such as Copernicus, Eurostat and Google Earth with
custom-built algorithms to detect forest loss. Users can explore an
interactive map that highlights areas of concern areas of
deforestation (red), protected forests (green), legal deforestation
(yellow dots) and illegal action (red dots) on the interactive map:  

The application has been instrumental in raising awareness about
illegal logging, particularly in Romania, where it has helped
visualise the scale and distribution of forest degradation. The
platform’s data is updated every five to six days, and although it
is based on historical data from 2017 to 2019, it continues to serve
as a valuable reference for environmental monitoring and advocacy.

HOW HAS DIGITAL FOREST DRYADS DEVELOPED OVER THE PAST THREE YEARS?

Over the past three years, Digital Forest Dryads has evolved from a
proof-of-concept into a recognised tool for forest protection. In
2022, the platform was already gaining traction among environmental
authorities and non-governmental organisations, with monthly usage
ranging between 800 and 1 000 users. The Romanian government
expressed interest in reusing the concept, and the team received
support through the EU Recovery and Resilience Facility.

By 2023, the initiative had expanded its geographic coverage to
include countries such as Albania, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, France,
Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy and Spain. The team also launched two
related projects: Wood Watcher, an application that estimates wood
volume from photos, and a second tool that received recognition from
the International Criminal Police Organization for its contribution to
combating illegal timber trafficking.

Volume III marks a year of continuity. While no major updates were
introduced, the platform remains active and accessible. The team
confirmed that the application continues to serve its intended
purpose, and interest from users and collaborators persists. This
period of stability reflects the enduring value of the platform, even
in the absence of new features or funding.

WHAT CHALLENGES HAS DIGITAL FOREST DRYADS ENCOUNTERED, AND WHAT
LESSONS HAVE BEEN LEARNED FROM ITS IMPLEMENTATION SO FAR?

The primary challenge for Digital Forest Dryads remains financial
sustainability. Despite its proven utility, the platform has not
secured the substantial funding required to process newer satellite
data or expand its technical capabilities. The team has estimated that
updating the system with current data would require only a fraction of
the cost of traditional forest monitoring methods, yet this investment
has not materialised.

Another challenge is the reliance on a small team and the limited
infrastructure. While the platform’s core functionality remains
intact, scaling it to meet growing demand or integrating real-time
data would require additional resources and institutional support.

Nonetheless, the project has demonstrated the power of open data and
civic innovation. By combining technical expertise with environmental
commitment, the team has created a tool that continues to inform,
inspire and support efforts to protect Europe’s forests.

WHAT ARE THE FUTURE GOALS OF DIGITAL FOREST DRYADS?

Although no new developments were reported this year, the team remains
open to collaboration and future growth. Their long-term vision
includes updating the platform with more recent satellite data,
expanding its geographic scope and integrating predictive analytics to
anticipate deforestation risks.

The team also hopes to secure more stable funding, ideally through
partnerships with environmental agencies, EU programmes or
philanthropic foundations. In the meantime, Digital Forest Dryads
continues to serve as a model for how open data and geospatial
technology can be harnessed to address one of Europe’s most pressing
environmental challenges.

 

AIR QUALITY IN CYPRUS: INFORMING CITIZENS ABOUT AIR POLLUTION ACROSS
THE ISLAND

AIR QUALITY IN CYPRUS IN A NUTSHELL

	* SERVICE: Air Quality in Cyprus provides citizens with real-time
information about several forms of air pollution. Users can find the
data online or choose to be proactively informed about certain
substances via the application on their smartphone.
	* SECTOR: health, environment.
	* COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Cyprus.
	* DATA SOURCES: open data from national air pollution measurement
stations.
	* NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: 5–10.
	* WEBSITE: www.airquality.dli.mlsi.gov.cy
[http://www.airquality.dli.mlsi.gov.cy/].

 
[https://data.europa.eu/sites/default/files/img/media/Screenshot%202025-10-09%20at%2014.45.53.png]
FIGURE 13: Snapshot of the Air Quality in Cyprus website

Air Quality in Cyprus [https://integreat-app.de/en/], managed by the
Department of Labour Inspection under the Ministry of Labour and
Social Insurance, has evolved into a trusted national platform for
real-time air pollution monitoring. First introduced in Volume I of
the observatory, the initiative was already providing critical health
information through its website and mobile applications. Volume II
captured its growing user base, improved accessibility and early
ambitions to develop forecasting tools. Volume III now reflects a
maturing system, with enhanced infrastructure, expanded outreach and a
renewed focus on data integration and public engagement.

HOW DOES AIR QUALITY IN CYPRUS CREATE IMPACT?

Air Quality in Cyprus provides residents with real-time data on air
pollution levels across the island, helping them make informed
decisions to protect their health. The platform draws on data from
nine national air quality monitoring stations, measuring pollutants
such as ozone, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide,
benzene and particulate matter (particles with a diameter of
10 micrometers or less and particles with a diameter of
2.5 micrometers or less).

This data is updated every two minutes in the back-end system and
displayed on the website and mobile applications with colour-coded
indicators and health risk explanations.

The platform plays a vital role in public health communication. When
pollution levels exceed safety thresholds, alerts are issued to
relevant ministries, schools, the media and the public. During dust
storms, for example, the Department of Labour Inspection provides
targeted advice to vulnerable groups, including children, older people
and individuals with respiratory conditions. The platform also offers
educational content on pollution sources, health effects and relevant
legislation, reinforcing its role as both a monitoring tool and a
public awareness resource.

HOW HAS AIR QUALITY IN CYPRUS CHANGED OVER THE PAST THREE YEARS?

Over the past three years, Air Quality in Cyprus has steadily evolved
from a static monitoring platform into a more dynamic and responsive
system. In 2022, the platform was already well established, attracting
over 800 000 annual website visitors and around 10 000 users per
mobile application. It had recently enhanced accessibility for
visually impaired users and was exploring the development of a
forecasting tool.

By 2023, the team had begun refining the forecasting system,
acknowledging the challenge of balancing accuracy with the risk of
causing unnecessary alarm. Internal improvements were under way,
though not yet visible to the public. The focus was on maintaining
high-quality real-time data while preparing for more predictive
capabilities.

Volume III marks a turning point. The platform has made significant
progress in developing its forecasting functionality, with a dedicated
section now in the works. This effort involves integrating open data
from meteorological institutes to account for variables such as wind,
temperature and humidity. The team has also improved the back-end
infrastructure to handle increased data loads and ensure system
stability.

Community engagement has expanded as well. The team now runs regular
webinars to replace the less effective roundtables, including two
scientific sessions in 2025 that attracted 50 participants from across
the globe. These sessions have helped build trust and foster
collaboration with researchers, environmental professionals and
educators.

WHAT CHALLENGES HAS AIR QUALITY IN CYPRUS ENCOUNTERED, AND WHAT
LESSONS HAVE BEEN LEARNED FROM ITS IMPLEMENTATION SO FAR?

One of the key challenges has been the development of accurate
forecasting tools without triggering public anxiety. Forecasting air
pollution involves complex variables and requires careful
communication to avoid misinterpretation. The team has taken a
cautious, iterative approach, prioritising reliability and clarity
over speed.

Another challenge has been managing the platform’s infrastructure.
As user demand grows and new features are added, the system must
remain stable and responsive. This has required ongoing investment in
back-end improvements and data integration capabilities.

A major lesson learned is the importance of collaboration. The
forecasting tool, for example, depends on partnerships with
meteorological agencies and other data providers. Internally, the team
has also recognised the value of cross-departmental coordination to
ensure timely alerts and consistent messaging.

WHAT ARE THE FUTURE GOALS OF AIR QUALITY IN CYPRUS?

Looking ahead, Air Quality in Cyprus aims to fully launch its
forecasting section, offering users predictive insights alongside
real-time data. The goal is to provide accurate, actionable forecasts
that help residents plan their activities and reduce exposure to
harmful pollutants. This will require continued collaboration with
external data providers and further refinement of the platform’s
algorithms.

The team also plans to enhance user experience by improving the mobile
application interface and expanding educational content. There is
interest in developing more targeted alerts for specific user groups,
such as schools or healthcare providers, and in exploring the use of
AI to personalise recommendations.

At its core, the initiative remains committed to protecting public
health through transparent, accessible and science-based information.
By combining real-time monitoring with predictive tools and community
engagement, Air Quality in Cyprus continues to set a strong example of
how open data can serve the public good.

 

PLANTTES: IMPROVING LIVES THROUGH POLLEN AWARENESS

PLANTTES IN A NUTSHELL

	* SERVICE: Planttes is a citizen-science application that informs
users about which plants are in bloom and whether this may affect
people with pollen allergies.
	* SECTOR: environment, health.
	* COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Spain.
	* DATA SOURCES: open data from the Point of Information on
Aerobiology and open geodata.
	* NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: 2, with the help of students.
	* WEBSITE: www.planttes.com [http://www.planttes.com/].

 
[https://data.europa.eu/sites/default/files/img/media/Screenshot%202025-10-09%20at%2014.46.05.png]
FIGURE 14: Snapshot of the Planttes portal

Planttes [http://www.planttes.com/], a citizen-science initiative
launched in Spain, continues to empower individuals with pollen
allergies by providing real-time, community-sourced information on
allergenic plants in bloom. First featured in Volume I of the
observatory, the application introduced a participatory model where
users contributed photos and phenological data to build a personalised
allergenic risk map. Volume II captured the project’s growing reach
and its role in bridging environmental data with public health
awareness. Volume III reflects a year of continuity and digital
refinement, with the platform remaining active and gaining visibility
through academic and citizen-science networks.

HOW DOES PLANTTES CREATE IMPACT?

Planttes helps users understand which allergenic plants are blooming
in their surroundings and whether this may trigger their allergies.
Through its web platform, users can contribute to a shared map by
uploading photos and tagging the phenological state of plants,
indicating whether they have closed flowers, open flowers or fruit.

This crowdsourced data is validated by researchers and used to
classify allergenic risk into three categories: low risk (no flowers
or fruit), increasing risk (closed flowers) and maximum risk (open
flowers).

The platform integrates open data from the Point of Information on
Aerobiology, which uses pollen samplers and weather variables to
generate daily allergy scores. These scores help users plan their
activities and reduce exposure to allergens. With over 1ᵒ000
application downloads in its earlier phases and around 65ᵒ000 annual
website visitors, Planttes continues to serve as a valuable tool for
people with allergies, along with educators and researchers.

HOW HAS PLANTTES DEVELOPED OVER THE PAST THREE YEARS?

Over the past three years, Planttes has maintained its core
functionality while refining its digital presence. In 2022, the
application was gaining traction among people with allergies and
educators, with a growing database of plant observations and validated
entries. By 2023, the initiative had solidified its role as a
citizen-science platform, engaging students and researchers in mapping
allergenic plants and raising awareness about the impact of climate
change on pollen patterns.

Volume III marks a year of sustained activity. The platform remains
active and is now primarily accessed via its web interface
[https://www.planttes.com/mapa/index.php?lang=es], which continues to
display new user contributions and validated entries. The project is
still supported by Thigis [https://thigis.com/], a civic technology
and environmental data design studio that co-developed the Planttes
platform to track allergenic plant phenology. Planttes also continues
to be promoted through academic institutions such as the Institute of
Environmental Science and Technology at the Autonomous University of
Barcelona, and the University of Granada. A spring 2024 LinkedIn post
from Thigis encouraged public participation during the blooming
season, confirming the platform’s ongoing relevance and outreach
efforts.

While the mobile application is no longer prominently featured or
promoted, there is no official statement confirming its
discontinuation. The current focus appears to be on the web-based
platform, which offers broader accessibility and easier maintenance.

WHAT CHALLENGES HAS PLANTTES ENCOUNTERED, AND WHAT LESSONS HAVE BEEN
LEARNED FROM ITS IMPLEMENTATION SO FAR?

One of the main challenges remains expanding geographic coverage
beyond Catalonia and Granada (in Andalucía), where most of the
current data is concentrated. Another challenge is maintaining user
engagement and data validation, which relies on a small team of
researchers and contributors.

Despite these challenges, Planttes has demonstrated the power of
citizen science in addressing environmental and health challenges. The
initiative has successfully engaged users in scientific data
collection, fostered environmental education and provided practical
support for allergy management. It also contributes to long-term
climate monitoring by tracking changes in plant phenology over time.

WHAT ARE THE FUTURE GOALS OF PLANNTES?

Looking ahead, Planttes aims to expand its geographic reach and deepen
its educational outreach. The team plans to continue working with
schools and community groups to encourage participation in plant
mapping and phenological observation. There is also interest in
integrating more real-time pollen data and enhancing the platform’s
predictive capabilities.

Planttes remains a model for how community-driven science can improve
public health and environmental awareness. In a year of digital
continuity, its impact remains strong and its potential for growth
endures.

 

ENVIRON-MATE: EMPOWERING KIDS WITH KNOWLEDGE ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE

ENVIRON-MATE IN A NUTSHELL

	* SERVICE: Environ-Mate is an interactive platform to empower
children with knowledge about climate change based on scientific data.
	* SECTOR: environment, climate.
	* COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Germany.
	* DATA SOURCES: open data from EU and international bodies (e.g.
Eurostat, European Economic Area, National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration).
	* NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: 2.
	* WEBSITE: environ-mate.feld-m.de [https://environ-mate.feld-m.de/].

 
[https://data.europa.eu/sites/default/files/img/media/Screenshot%202025-10-09%20at%2014.47.02.png]
FIGURE 15: Snapshot of the Environ-Mate portal

Launched in 2019 as a response to the EU Datathon challenge
‘Tackling climate change’, Environ-Mate
[https://environ-mate.feld-m.de/] is a web-based educational platform
designed to teach children aged 10 to 14 about climate change using
open data. Developed by a small team at the German data collective
FELD M [https://www.feld-m.de/en/], the platform combines scientific
rigor with intuitive design to make complex environmental data
accessible to young audiences. It guides users through key climate
topics such as greenhouse gas emissions, regional comparisons, extreme
weather events and individual action to mitigate climate change._ _

HOW DOES ENVIRON-MATE CREATE IMPACT?

Environ-Mate continues to serve as a unique educational tool by
translating complex climate data into engaging, age-appropriate
content.

The platform offers a modular experience, where each data
visualisation, such as carbon dioxide emissions per country or sea
level rise projections, functions as a standalone story. These stories
are presented through a user-friendly interface, supported by
assistant characters and are accessible without requiring user
accounts or tracking.

Due to its commitment to privacy and data minimisation, Environ-Mate
does not track user behaviour. However, feedback from educators,
children and early users has been positive. Children report better
understanding of climate issues, and teachers have expressed interest
in using the tool in classrooms. The platform’s open-source nature
and Creative Commons licencing further extend its reach, allowing
others to reuse and adapt its content.

HOW HAS ENVIRON-MATE DEVELOPED OVER THE PAST THREE YEARS?

Volume III marks a period of reflection and strategic repositioning
for Environ-Mate. While the platform remains live and functional, its
development has slowed due to limited resources and shifting
priorities. Compared to Volume I, which captured the platform’s
launch and early enthusiasm, and Volume II, which documented its
continued presence and modest updates, Volume III highlights a more
mature understanding of the challenges and opportunities in sustaining
open data initiatives.

A major back-end overhaul is under way to address outdated packages
and changes in third-party APIs, such as the city lookup service,
which is now paid. The platform’s modular architecture remains a key
strength, allowing for the easy addition of new stories. While no
major new features have been introduced recently, the team has
maintained the platform’s core functionality and relevance.

WHAT CHALLENGES HAS ENVIRON-MATE ENCOUNTERED, AND WHAT LESSONS HAVE
BEEN LEARNED FROM ITS IMPLEMENTATION SO FAR?

Despite its innovative approach, Environ-Mate has faced several
challenges. Maintaining regular updates and school partnerships has
proven difficult without dedicated funding or institutional support.
The team observed that limited follow-up opportunities after the EU
Datathon made it challenging to explore scaling options or secure
long-term funding. The absence of user tracking, while ethically
sound, has made it harder to quantify impact or demonstrate
effectiveness to potential partners.

Nonetheless, the team’s commitment to open data and ethical design
has remained strong. The platform’s modularity, privacy-first
approach and open-source foundation continue to serve as a model for
responsible digital education tools.

WHAT ARE THE FUTURE GOALS OF ENVIRON-MATE?

Looking ahead, the Environ-Mate team remains committed to its mission
of educating young people about climate change. Future goals include
adding more localised data, such as city- or region-specific climate
impacts, and enabling user-generated content through AI-assisted
storytelling tools. The team is also exploring new educational content
focused on biodiversity, which they see as an underrepresented yet
critical topic.

Beyond the platform itself, the team continues to work on related
projects, including wildlife tracking and infrastructure for managing
environmental data. These efforts reflect a shift towards long-term
sustainability and impact, rooted in the same principles that inspired
Environ-Mate in the first place.

 

4.  KEY LEARNINGS

 

4.1 LEARNINGS FROM THE FOUR IMPACT DIMENSIONS

ECONOMIC IMPACT: CATALYSING GROWTH AND EFFICIENCY

The use case Naar Jobs illustrates how the reuse of open data can
drive regional employment by matching job seekers with nearby
opportunities. Open data services and products may be at the heart of
some businesses and professions, such as open data portal vendors and
open data scholars. For other professionals, such as policymakers and
urban planners, open data is one of many drivers for jobs and economic
growth. In both cases, open data can help organisations become more
efficient, especially when initiatives can be scaled. Naar Jobs
exemplifies that beyond direct and indirect open data jobs, open data
can also fulfil an intermediary role, by enabling recruitment and
hiring procedures. It can foster innovation in the labour market and
can contribute to the growth of specific companies and industries.

GOVERNMENTAL IMPACT: ENHANCING ACCOUNTABLE DECISION-MAKING

The open data use cases Waar is mijn stemlokaal? and
Statsregnskapet.no demonstrate how open data can strengthen democratic
participation and transparency. By reusing open data, initiatives can
empower citizens and improve decision-making procedures. Open data on
polling stations, government spending and other public sector domains
also benefit media stakeholders, along with internal policymakers. The
facts and insights derived from open data serve as key input for
meaningful social dialogue, resulting in higher levels of trust and
greater accountability. Individuals benefit from well-supported civic
engagement opportunities, while governments can respond more
effectively to public needs and rapidly changing societal
developments.

SOCIAL IMPACT: FOSTERING COLLABORATION, INCLUSION AND WELFARE

The impact of initiatives such as UniversiDATA-Lab, VisImE-360,
Tangible Data, EU Twinnings, Open Food Facts and Integreat underlines
the potential of open data to enhance inclusion, improve health
conditions, foster collaboration and create new educational
opportunities. Society-driven open data tools, platforms and
communities can help amplify the voices of vulnerable and unheard
groups, advocate for higher quality standards and embrace cohesion.
These use cases highlight how open data can bridge societal gaps and
promote equity on multiple levels. Even though some open data use
cases have impacted the lives of thousands of people, social
initiatives also exemplify that even improving the life of a single
individual is worth reusing open data for and can make a lasting
difference.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT: REALISING GREEN AND CLEAN SOCIETIES

Open data is a powerful ally in environmental protection, as shown by
initiatives addressing deforestation, air quality, pollen allergies
and climate education. Digital Forest Dryads, Air Quality in Cyprus,
Planttes and Environ-Mate prove that reusing different types of open
data can bring practical solutions and instruments to improve
environmental conditions. In some cases, open data helps raise
awareness in an evidence-based way, while in other cases the reuse of
open data enables actual interventions from both individuals and
organisations in the public and private sectors.

While some environmental impact driven by open data may be direct and
visible, other effects from sustainable behaviour and future-proof
policies are to be seen in the longer term.

 

4.2   LEARNINGS FROM LONG-TERM USE CASE DEVELOPMENT

Over the past three years, the 13 use cases have demonstrated that
long-term success in open data initiatives is shaped not only by
innovative ideas and societal relevance, but also by the ability to
manage practical considerations such as funding, data quality and
collaboration. While challenges like securing sustainable resources or
ensuring data consistency do arise, they also present opportunities to
explore creative solutions, from hybrid funding models to
participatory data ecosystems. These experiences show that with the
right support structures, ethical practices and user engagement, open
data initiatives can adapt and grow to deliver meaningful impact over
time.

FINDING FUNDING, BUSINESS AND SUPPORT MODELS

Sustainable funding and viable business models are essential for
scaling open data initiatives. Several use cases, such as VisImE-360
and Tangible Data, experienced limited progress due to limited
financial resources, despite their societal value. Conversely,
Integreat demonstrates how a diversified model with municipal
contracts can ensure long-term viability. Individuals and
organisations seeking impact with open data may explore specific
funding and business models or set up hybrid models, combining public
or research grants, service contracts, private sector investments and
incubators, along with community support. Government support plays a
pivotal role in enabling open data innovation. Initiatives like Waar
is mijn stemlokaal? and Tangible Data have benefited from public
funding and policy support, while other projects have not managed to
secure institutional backing. Beyond financial resources, open data
use cases also require broader collaboration and support models in
order to be successful over time and adapt to emerging needs and
conditions. Innovation challenges and datathons, technical assistance,
supporting networks and knowledge-sharing platforms can all help
kick-start open data use cases or support initiatives in scaling to
the next level.

BROADENING OPEN DATA SUPPLY CONCEPTS

The observatory highlights the growing importance of integrating
traditional open data with crowdsourced and non-institutional data.
Projects like Planttes and Open Food Facts show that expanding citizen
science and exploring creative data reuse can push the boundaries of
open data. New open data supply approaches can enrich existing open
datasets, promote more participatory types of data provision and
address gaps in official government statistics. Further exploration of
hybrid data ecosystems that combine institutional, scientific and
citizen-generated open data may be worthwhile, despite the challenges
of ensuring quality, consistency and interoperability. Equally, open
data reuse is not limited to the EU: in addition to the EU-27 Member
States, open data is widely available in other European countries and
beyond. Use cases from Norway (Statsregnskapet.no) and the United
Kingdom (EU Twinnings) show that non-EU data can be valuable, while
reusers outside the EU also benefit from EU open data sources. These
cases highlight the importance of cross-border collaboration and
shared standards, licences and reuse practices. As this broader view
of open data continues to evolve, it holds promise for driving new
opportunities for innovation and impact. However, realising this
potential also requires careful attention to ethical considerations
and the use of trustworthy, high-quality data.

INVOLVING END USERS THROUGHOUT THE FULL OPEN DATA LIFE CYCLE

The 13 use cases followed over the last three years have shown that
end-user involvement is critical for ensuring relevance, usability and
impact. Higher impact and more meaningful results are often achieved
whenever open data reuse incorporates a degree of co-creation with
users. This can occur through feedback loops, stakeholder
consultations, accessibility features or multilingual content, all of
which may enhance adoption and trust. Moreover, successful open data
initiatives require more than a one-off interaction with end users.

Incorporating user participation from design to evaluation –
including usability testing, iterative development and the continuous
improvement of tailored services and products – ensures that open
data services meet real-world needs and stay relevant over time.

Crucially, data literacy plays a foundational role throughout this
life cycle, empowering users to interpret, apply and contribute to
open data effectively and responsibly.

RETHINKING OPEN DATA VALUE AND IMPACT MEASUREMENT

The observatory shows that open data impact is not static. It can take
different forms and can evolve over time. Measuring impact helps open
data initiatives monitor their progress, accelerate, steer their
course and celebrate success. It has become clear that impact can be
made on different levels, too. Sometimes the reuse of open data
directly affects individuals, while in other cases it impacts
organisations or even macro-societal developments. Therefore, open
data impact should be assessed beyond short-term quantitative gains.
Policymakers, academics and organisations analysing open data impact
may need to rethink the longitudinal and multidimensional sides of
open data impact measurement frameworks. Different use cases may
require different quantitative and qualitative indicators to track
user engagement over time, assess policy influence or reveal the
indirect benefits for the economy, government, society and the
environment. Ultimately, a broader impact lens ensures that open
data’s full value is recognised, supported and strengthened.
[https://data.europa.eu/sites/default/files/img/media/Screenshot%202025-10-09%20at%2014.47.23.png]
FIGURE 16: Open data impact domains and factors

 

5.  CONCLUSIONS

The use case observatory was initiated to support the European Data
Portal’s broader mission of measuring the impact of open data across
Europe from 2022 to 2025. Volume III reaffirms the transformative
potential of open data, building on the foundations laid in the
previous volumes and continuing to monitor and analyse the real-world
impact of open data through 13 diverse use cases.

These cases span economic, governmental, social and environmental
domains, offering a nuanced understanding of how open data contributes
to innovation, transparency, inclusion and sustainability. The
findings demonstrate that open data is not a one-size-fits-all
solution, but a flexible enabler of value creation. Economically, open
data supports job matching and regional development, as illustrated by
Naar Jobs. Governmental use cases such as Waar is mijn stemlokaal? and
Statsregnskapet.no show how open data enhances democratic
participation and public accountability. Socially, initiatives like
Integreat and Open Food Facts highlight how open data empowers
vulnerable communities and promotes healthier, more informed choices.
Environmentally, projects such as Digital Forest Dryads and Air
Quality in Cyprus demonstrate how open data can drive citizen
engagement and policy action in response to ecological challenges.

Beyond these impact dimensions, the observatory identifies several
cross-cutting lessons. Sustainable funding and robust business models
are critical for long-term viability. End-user involvement throughout
the data life cycle enhances relevance and trust. Expanding the
definition of open data to include citizen-generated and hybrid
sources can unlock new forms of value. Measuring impact requires a
broader, longitudinal perspective that captures social and
environmental outcomes alongside economic metrics.

The observatory also underscores the importance of European
collaboration. While Member States benefit from shared frameworks,
cases from Norway and the United Kingdom show that innovation thrives
across borders. Strengthening interoperability, multilingual access
and cross-national data flows will be key to scaling impact.

In sum, Volume III reinforces the importance of continued investment
in open data ecosystems. By supporting diverse use cases, fostering
collaboration and embedding open data into public services and civic
life, Europe can utilise its full potential to address complex
societal challenges and drive inclusive, data-driven transformation.

 

ANNEX I – LIST OF INTERVIEWEES

Are you about to start a new initiative powered by open data or are
you seeking ways to scale up your existing open data initiative? The
following initiatives can be reached in case you would like to receive
more information about their specific use case and lessons learned.

		NO
		USE CASE
		INTERVIEWEE
		CONTACT INFORMATION

		1
		Naar Jobs
		Han Tambuyzer
		han@nazka.be

		2
		Waar is mijn stemlokaal?
		Tim Vos-Goedhart
		tim@openstate.eu

		3
		Statsregnskapet.no
		John André Jakobsen
		john.andre.jakobsen@dfo.no

		4
		UniversiDATA-Lab
		Juan Jesús Alcolea Picazo
		jjalcolea@dimetrical.es

		José Arbues Bedia
		jarbues@ucm.es

		5
		VisImE-360
		Boris Bikbov

boris.bikbov@scientific-tools.org

via website https://Scientific-Tools.Org

		6
		Tangible Data
		Antonio Moneo
		antoniomoneo@gmail.com

		7
		EU Twinnings
		Giuseppe Sollazzo
		puntofisso@gmail.com

		8
		Open Food Facts
		Stéphane Gigandet
		stephane@openfoodfacts.org

		9
		Integreat
		Clara Barcklo
		clara.bracklo@tuerantuer.org

		10
		Digital Forest Dryads
		n/a
		n/a ([1])

		11
		Air Quality in Cyprus
		Chrysanthos Savvides
		csavvides@dli.mlsi.gov.cy

		12
		Planttes
		Jordina Belmonte Soler
		jordina.belmonte@uab.cat

		13
		Environ-Mate
		Matthias Bock
		matthias.boeck@feld-m.de

 

ANNEX II – INDICATIVE INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

Can you briefly describe the changes in the IDEA behind your use case
is last year? 

	* What is its purpose? What is its target audience? What size is
the team? 

Can you briefly describe the changes/additions in the DATA that was
used for creating x? 

	* Is your initiative only based on publicly accessible data (open
data)? 
	* If not, which other data sources were consulted? 
	* Where did you find the (open) data? 
	* What is its licence? 
	* How do you process open data? Any cleansing, structuring,
manipulations, or modelling techniques? 
	* Would it have been possible to develop your initiative without open
data? If not, why? 

Can you briefly describe the IMPACT that x is having on its audience,
with respect to its purpose? 

	* Do you still monitor the performance of your website? For example,
do you know the number of daily/monthly active users? 
	* Do you regularly collect feedback from users? Is this feedback
proving a general satisfaction of users with the website? 
	* How has x been developing since your win/participation in the EU
Datathon?
	* How do you plan to further develop from now to the next
two years? Is there any ambition or business projection that you
would like to share with us? 

What are the biggest achievements in terms of IMPACT since the
previous interview?

	* Bigger reach? Publicity? Promotion?
	* What are the biggest challenges while working with open data?

 

([1])      Initiative owner reported no updates, thereby no
interview was scheduled.
