Studies

Data has become the infrastructure on which modern economies are built. Nowadays, data is vital in every sector, and businesses of every size increasingly depend on it. At the same time, the reuse of open data in Europe still requires further research and implementation efforts to fully express its potential for public and private value creation. This paper provides a review of the research...

This report focuses on the European Union’s open data policies, more specifically on Directive 2019/1024 (EU), also known as the open data directive, which defines the concept of high-value datasets (HVDs). An Implementing regulation that must be implemented by June 2024 lays down a list of specific high-value datasets in each of the six main categories identified in the directive: geospatial...

The value open data can offer society has been a topic of interest for many years. Several studies have measured the economic impact of open data and public sector information; however, the results of the studies vary, and no consistent picture of the impact of open data has been developed. This study investigates structured methods and indicators to measure the impact of open data and the...

The Use Case Observatory is a research project initiated and performed by data.europa.eu, the official portal for European open data, managed by the Publications Office of the European Union. The purpose of this research project is to contribute to data.europa.eu’s broader goal of measuring the economic impact of open data across Europe over a span of 3 years (2022–2025). The first volume of the...

This report explores Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/138, which complements the open data directive by establishing specific requirements for high-value datasets (HVDs). With the regulation taking effect on 9 June 2024, it focuses on highlighting best practices and strategies used by EU Member States in meeting these requirements. Based on interviews with representatives from seven...

Portugal, Serbia and Slovakia achieved large improvements in their open data maturity according to the 2023 open data maturity assessment, which annually measures the efforts of European countries in making public sector information available and stimulating its reuse. This report on open data best practices investigates the drivers behind this growth through interviews with the open data teams of...

This report examines the broad impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on businesses, governments, and the global economy, emphasising its transformative potential due to AI's capacity for large-scale data analysis. The study highlights the essential role of open data in AI development, noting that substantial data volume, variety, and veracity are crucial for effective AI training. It also...

This report is the first in a series, the overall objective of which is to provide a better understanding of the links between the worlds of open government data, open science and education, which are tightly interrelated but seem to be often disconnected from each other in their current activities and recommendations. In this first report we characterise three types of (potential) users and...

This paper explores the concept of data governance, emphasizing the processes and systems involved in managing the availability, usability, integrity, and security of datasets. It discusses the balance between straightforward and complex data governance systems, particularly in the context of the European data strategy and the Open Data Directive. The Directive aims to make public sector...

This report examines the concept of data ownership, noting its lack of definition and regulation at the EU level and in legal literature. Due to the non-rivalrous, non-exclusive, and inexhaustible nature of data, the focus should shift from ownership to access and usage rights. The Data Act addresses this by targeting data holders and emphasizing access and usage rights rather than ownership. This...