Capability: Government support for reuse¶
To what extent is there evidence that government is providing support for data reuse?
Definitions and Identification
This indicator tracks a wide range of actions to investigate whether a government consistently works to build, maintain, and develop a national culture of data reuse. It focuses on evidence of active, practical efforts rather than strategies that exist only in name. Relevant actions include but are not limited to: challenges, hackathons, virtual events, communication strategies, information sessions, reuse guides, 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.
Example
- In France, Etalab, the national open data initiative, hosts data.gouv.fr and api.gouv.fr for government agencies to publish data and promote reuse. Etalab also runs open data challenges and administers the Fund for the Transformation of Public Action (FTAP), which supports modernization projects that harness the potential of data. In addition to its data catalog, data.gouv.fr provides reuse guides and showcases nearly 4000 examples (as of August 2024) of data reuse, with topics ranging from environment and energy to law and justice.
Starting points
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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.
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Search:
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Annual reports on the government's activities regarding data.
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Look for "news and updates" in national and local data portals.
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Explore updates from newsletters of government agencies working with data.
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Consult:
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Relevant people from the open data community.
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Public officials working with open data and/or data in a general sense.
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Scholars working on the local data issues.
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Officials at civil society organizations working with data, e-government, and relevant topics.
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What to look for?
Look for evidence that can answer the following questions:
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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?
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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?
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In practice, how is government supporting data reuse?
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With challenges that offer prizes or other incentives to develop data-based projects, tools, and services?
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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.
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Providing regular information sessions for different stakeholders, to share data reuse strategies and to receive feedback from stakeholders?
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Establishing financial aid or specific funding schemes for data projects?
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Organizing hackathons for developers to prototype tools and services over the course of a one- or two-day event?
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Bridging literacy gaps around AI and data reuse? This could focus on various topics; for example, reusing government data for AI or algorithmic decision-making; how a member of the public may obtain redress for inappropriate data reuse by such a system; general public guidance about how AI tools reuse data; etc.
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For which stakeholders is support available?
Show/hide supporting questions
Existence
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Is there evidence of government efforts to support and encourage data reuse? For example, evidence may include a reuse strategy, reuse initiatives, funding schemes, outreach and promotion to different data user groups, data partnerships, data challenges, reuse guides for high-value datasets, etc.
- 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 explain your response.Please provide URL(s) for where this evidence can be found.
- There is some evidence of government supporting and encouraging data reuse.
Supporting questions: Please explain your response.Please provide URL(s) for where this evidence can be found.
- There is widespread and regular evidence of government supporting and encouraging data reuse, framed by a long-term strategy.
Supporting questions: Please explain your response.Please provide URL(s) for where this evidence can be found.
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Extent of existence:
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How nationally comprehensive is 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., Support is given in one or more localities and is representative of the kind of support that can be found for all, or most, localities., Support assessed is at national level.)
Supporting questions (conditional)
If Support is given in one or more localities, but there are many other localities without such support, or with support of a lesser quality. or Support is given in one or more localities and is representative of the kind of support that can be found for all, or most, localities.: Which locality or localities does this support involve?
If Support is given in one or more localities, but there are many other localities without such support, or with support of a lesser quality. or Support is given in one or more localities and is representative of the kind of support that can be found for all, or most, localities. or Support assessed is at national level.: Please explain your response.
If Support is given in one or more localities, but there are many other localities without such support, or with support of a lesser quality. or Support is given in one or more localities and is representative of the kind of support that can be found for all, or most, localities. or Support assessed is at national level.: Please provide supporting URL(s) as necessary.
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Existence summary:
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Please summarize your answers to the preceding existence sub-questions, including the extent of existence. [Open Text] Drawing on the research you have conducted and the evidence you have gathered for this section, describe what you have found (or not found) when answering the existence sub-questions for this indicator.
Supporting questions
Please provide the URL(s) for the evidence that supports the summary provided.
Elements
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Kinds of capacities:
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There is evidence of government efforts to support data reuse in a general sense. (No, Partially, Yes)
Supporting questions (conditional)
If Partially or Yes: Please explain your response.
If Partially or Yes: Please provide supporting URL(s) for an example of this kind of support.
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There is evidence of government efforts to support reuse of data from various topics. (No, Partially, Yes) For example, data topics could include datasets related to climate action, company information, land management, political integrity, public finance, public procurement, etc. Answer “No” if data reuse is focused on only one or very few data topics. Answer “Partially” if there is evidence of support for data reuse that 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 explain your “Partially” response. Which data topics receive support for reuse, which important data topics lack such support?
If Yes: Please explain your response.
If Partially or Yes: Please provide supporting URL(s) for this support.
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There is evidence of government efforts to support the reuse of open government data. (No, Partially, Yes)
Supporting questions (conditional)
If Partially or Yes: Please explain your response.
If Partially or Yes: Please provide supporting URL(s) for an example of this kind of support.
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There is evidence of government efforts to support reuse of private sector or NGO data. (No, Partially, Yes)
Supporting questions (conditional)
If Partially or Yes: Please explain your response.
If Partially or Yes: Please provide supporting URL(s) for an example of this kind of support.
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There is evidence of government efforts to support reuse of crowdsourced data. (No, Partially, Yes)
Supporting questions (conditional)
If Partially or Yes: Please explain your response.
If Partially or Yes: Please provide supporting URL(s) for an example of this kind of support.
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User groups:
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There is evidence of government efforts to support data reuse by civil society organizations. (No, Partially, Yes)
Supporting questions (conditional)
If Partially or Yes: Please explain your response.
If Partially or Yes: Please provide supporting URL(s) for an example of this kind of support.
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There is evidence of government efforts to support data reuse by media. (No, Partially, Yes)
Supporting questions (conditional)
If Partially or Yes: Please explain your response.
If Partially or Yes: Please provide supporting URL(s) for an example of this kind of support.
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There is evidence of government efforts to support data reuse by scholars and academic institutions. (No, Partially, Yes)
Supporting questions (conditional)
If Partially or Yes: Please explain your response.
If Partially or Yes: Please provide supporting URL(s) for an example of this kind of support.
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There is evidence of government efforts to support data reuse by the private sector. (No, Partially, Yes)
Supporting questions (conditional)
If Partially or Yes: Please explain your response.
If Partially or Yes: Please provide supporting URL(s) for an example of this kind of support.
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Specific features:
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Government support for data reuse involves data challenges. (No, Partially, Yes)
Supporting questions (conditional)
If Partially or Yes: Please explain your response.
If Partially or Yes: Please provide supporting URL(s) for an example of this kind of support.
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Government support for data reuse involves hackathons. (No, Partially, Yes)
Supporting questions (conditional)
If Partially or Yes: Please explain your response.
If Partially or Yes: Please provide supporting URL(s) for an example of this kind of support.
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Government support for data reuse involves communication and community-building efforts. (No, Partially, Yes)
Supporting questions (conditional)
If Partially or Yes: Please explain your response.
If Partially or Yes: Please provide supporting URL(s) for an example of this kind of support.
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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 or Yes: Please explain your response.
If Partially or Yes: Please provide supporting URL(s) for an example of this kind of support.
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Government support for data reuse involves public guidance on reusing data for AI or algorithmic decision-making systems. (No, Partially, Yes) For example, guides on how to reuse government data for AI; guides for members of the public on how to obtain redress for inappropriate reuse of their or their community's data in AI systems; general guidance to educate the public about how AI tools reuse data; etc.
Supporting questions (conditional)
If Partially or Yes: Please explain your response.
If Partially or Yes: Please describe what topics this guidance covers.
If Partially or Yes: Please provide supporting URL(s) for an example of this kind of support.
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Government support for data reuse involves the release of funding schemes. (No, Partially, Yes)
Supporting questions (conditional)
If Partially or Yes: Please explain your response.
If Partially or Yes: Please provide supporting URL(s) for an example of this kind of support.
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Elements summary:
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Please summarize your answers to the preceding element sub-questions. [Open Text] Drawing on the research you have conducted and the evidence you have gathered for this section, describe what you have found (or not found) when answering the element sub-questions for this indicator.
Supporting questions
Please provide the URL(s) for the evidence that supports the summary provided.
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?"