Capability: Government support for reuse¶

To what extent is there evidence that government is providing support for data reuse?

Definitions

Definitions and Identification

This indicator tracks a wide range of actions to investigate whether a government has a consistent strategy to build, maintain, and develop a national culture of data reuse. Relevant actions include but are not limited to: challenges, hackathons, virtual events, communication strategies, information sessions, and financial programs to support data reuse.

Some governments may only support data reuse with regard to specific kinds of data. For example, open data strategies have long included components for creating communities to support the reuse of open government data. Recognizing the complexity of the contemporary data landscape, in addition to open data, this indicator examines support for the reuse of other types of data, such as private sector data and crowdsourced data, as well as support for working on data in a general way, regardless of its source or licenses.

The following examples, drawn from past editions of the Open Data Barometer, focus on open government data, but also point to the kinds of support for reuse that this indicator seeks:

Challenge.gov is a website of the United States government that lists open data challenges and prize competitions; as of July 2016, there were 722 live competitions. Challenges and competitions are run by over 75 agencies across federal governments. According to challenge.gov, 640+ competitions have been launched and more than $220 million awarded in prizes since 2010, with participants from every state in the US.
In cooperation with Cloudera, the government of Singapore launched the BASE (Big Analytics Skills Enablement) initiative, which aims to equip workforces from both the public and private sectors with data analytics skills.
The Dutch Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations grants the Stuiveling Open Data Award annually to a public or private party who deploys, promotes, or enables open data in helping resolve social issues. (For a five year period, with 2016 being the first year of the award.)
In France, Etalab, the national open data initiative, organizes a yearly challenge called Dataconnexions, where the best data reuses are showcased and promoted nationally.

Research Guidance

Starting points

Sources:
- ODB notes for question ODB.2013.C7 may include relevant information, as of 2016. Some of those programs may still be operating, or may help you identify the organizations in charge of these kinds of activities.
Search:
- Annual reports on the government's activities regarding data.
- Look for "news and updates" in national and local data portals.
- Explore updates from newsletters of government agencies working with data.
Consult:
- Relevant people from the open data community.
- Public officials working with open data and/or data in a general sense.
- Scholars working on the local data issues.
- Officials at civil society organizations working with data, e-government, and relevant topics.

What to look for?

Look for evidence that can answer the following questions:

Is there evidence of a government strategy to support and encourage data reuse?
- Does this evidence consist mainly of isolated examples, or does it show a coherent strategy with long-term objectives and plans?
For what kinds of data does the government provide support for reuse? For example, open government data, private sector or NGO data, or crowdsourced data. Or does the government encourage data sharing more broadly, regardless of sources and licenses?
In practice, how is government supporting data reuse?
- With challenges that offer prizes or other incentives to develop data-based projects, tools, and services?
- Through communication efforts, drawing on an active strategy to share information, tools, and guidelines for data reuse? This could be undertaken by various means, such as newsletters, social media activity, video tutorials, and other resources.
- Providing regular information sessions for different stakeholders, to share data reuse strategies and to receive feedback from stakeholders?
- Establishing financial aid or specific funding schemes for data projects?
- Organizing hackathons for developers to prototype tools and services over the course of a one- or two-day event?
For which stakeholders is support available?

National and sub-national considerations

Some countries have data strategies at a national level, which may or may not coordinate efforts with local governments. Other countries may have local support but no national initiatives. Record the situation that applies in your country in response to this indicator's question regarding coverage of the support, explaining further in the indicator's justification box.

Question sub-components

Show/hide supporting questions

Existence

Is there evidence of a government strategy to support and encourage data reuse? Evidence may, for example, include plans, policies, actions, initiatives, and other events. Make sure relevant evidence is referenced in the justification.
- There is no evidence of government supporting and encouraging data reuse.
- There is isolated evidence of government supporting and encouraging data reuse.
  Supporting questions: Please provide URLs or details of the strategy that supports increased data reuse, and briefly explain your assessment.
- There is some evidence of government supporting and encouraging data reuse.
  Supporting questions: Please provide URLs or details of the strategy that supports increased data reuse, and briefly explain your assessment.
- There is widespread and regular evidence of government supporting and encouraging data reuse, framed by a long-term strategy.
  Supporting questions: Please provide URLs or details of the strategy that supports increased data reuse, and briefly explain your assessment.

Elements

Kinds of capacities:
There is evidence of government efforts to support open government data reuse. (No, Partially, Yes)

Supporting questions (conditional)

If Partially: Please provide evidence of this support, and briefly explain your 'Partially' response.

If Yes: Please provide evidence of this support.
There is evidence of government efforts to support data reuse in a general sense. (No, Partially, Yes)

Supporting questions (conditional)

If Partially: Please provide evidence of this support, and briefly explain your 'Partially' response.

If Yes: Please provide evidence of this support.
There is evidence of government efforts to support private sector or NGO data reuse. (No, Partially, Yes)

Supporting questions (conditional)

If Partially: Please provide evidence of this support, and briefly explain your 'Partially' response.

If Yes: Please provide evidence of this support.
There is evidence of government efforts to support crowdsourced data reuse. (No, Partially, Yes)

Supporting questions (conditional)

If Partially: Please provide evidence of this support, and briefly explain your 'Partially' response.

If Yes: Please provide evidence of this support.
There is evidence of government efforts to support data reuse from various data topics. (No, Partially, Yes) Data topics could be varied: datasets related to political integrity, climate action, land, company information, health & COVID-19, etc. Answer 'No' if data reuse is focused on one or few data topics. Answer 'Partially if there is evidence of support for data reused involves some topics, but there are many other relevant datasets without support. Answer 'Yes' if government efforts to support data reuse address a wide range of data topics relevant to the country.

Supporting questions (conditional)

If Partially: Please provide evidence of this support for data reuse and briefly explain which important data topics lack such support.

If Yes: Please provide evidence of this support for data reuse.
User groups:
There is evidence of government efforts to support data reuse by civil society organizations. (No, Partially, Yes)

Supporting questions (conditional)

If Partially: Please provide a URL with details or an example of this kind of support, and briefly explain your 'Partially' answer.

If Yes: Please provide a URL with details or an example of this kind of support.
There is evidence of government efforts to support data reuse by media. (No, Partially, Yes)

Supporting questions (conditional)

If Partially: Please provide a URL with details or an example of this kind of support, and briefly explain your 'Partially' answer.

If Yes: Please provide a URL with details or an example of this kind of support.
There is evidence of government efforts to support data reuse by scholars and academic institutions. (No, Partially, Yes)

Supporting questions (conditional)

If Partially: Please provide a URL with details or an example of this kind of support, and briefly explain your 'Partially' answer.

If Yes: Please provide a URL with details or an example of this kind of support.
There is evidence of government efforts to support data reuse by the private sector. (No, Partially, Yes)

Supporting questions (conditional)

If Partially: Please provide a URL with details or an example of this kind of support, and briefly explain your 'Partially' answer.

If Yes: Please provide a URL with details or an example of this kind of support.
Specific features:
Government support for data reuse involves data challenges. (No, Partially, Yes)

Supporting questions (conditional)

If Partially: Please provide a URL with details or an example of this kind of support, and briefly explain your 'Partially' answer.

If Yes: Please provide a URL with details or an example of this kind of support.
Government support for data reuse involves hackathons. (No, Partially, Yes)

Supporting questions (conditional)

If Partially: Please provide a URL with details or an example of this kind of support, and briefly explain your 'Partially' answer.

If Yes: Please provide a URL with details or an example of this kind of support.
Government support for data reuse involves communication and community building efforts. (No, Partially, Yes)

Supporting questions (conditional)

If Partially: Please provide a URL with details or an example of this kind of support, and briefly explain your 'Partially' answer.

If Yes: Please provide a URL with details or an example of this kind of support.
Government support for data reuse involves running information sessions on how to use particular datasets, or how to reuse government data in general. (No, Partially, Yes)

Supporting questions (conditional)

If Partially: Please provide a URL with details or an example of this kind of support, and briefly explain your 'Partially' answer.

If Yes: Please provide a URL with details or an example of this kind of support.
Government support for data reuse involves the release of funding schemes (No, Partially, Yes)

Supporting questions (conditional)

If Partially: Please provide a URL with details or an example of this kind of support, and briefly explain your 'Partially' answer.

If Yes: Please provide a URL with details or an example of this kind of support.

Extent

How comprehensive, in terms of jurisdiction, is the coverage of the support assessed for this question?
- Support is given in one or more localities, but there are many other localities without such support, or with support of a lesser quality.
  Supporting questions: Please provide sources that informed your answer, and a brief explanation.
- Support is given in one or more localities and is a representative example of the kind of support that can be found for all, or most, localities.
  Supporting questions: Please provide sources that informed your answer, and a brief explanation.
- Support assessed is at national level.
  Supporting questions: Please provide sources that informed your answer, and a brief explanation.

Indicator Justification

Achieving the full benefits of data for public good—its range of uses, outcomes, and impacts—requires more than establishing legal frameworks and making data available. User engagement with data is crucial for ensuring positive outcomes and impacts that justify policies and initiatives (OECD 2020). But data reuse isn't a single release–use trajectory. Rather, it is a complex process in which many different stakeholders interact, building an ecosystem within which stakeholders affect each other.

A government's actions to encourage data reuse are thus key components of a country's strategy for data for the public good. This indicator tracks what kind of support, if any, governments provide for data reuse.

This indicator also provides continuity with ODB.2013.C.SUPIN, which asked, "To what extent is the government directly supporting a culture of innovation with open data through competitions, grants, or other support actions?"