Organizational measures to stimulate user engagement with open data

2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 181-206 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iryna Susha ◽  
Åke Grönlund ◽  
Marijn Janssen
Keyword(s):  
Stakeholder Participation ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Data Use ◽  
Open Data ◽  
Public Organizations ◽  
User Engagement ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Engagement Strategies ◽  
Open Government Data ◽  
Government Data

Purpose – This paper aims to investigate which organizational measures can facilitate the use of open data. Implementation of open government data initiatives is commonly supply-driven, as it is difficult to predict the possible uses and users of data. Nonetheless, the value of open data materializes only upon its use – either to achieve societal benefits or economic value. Design/methodology/approach – First, a list of organizational measures to facilitate open data use from the literature is collated. Then, four case studies to examine the challenges faced in practice when implementing them are carried out. The case sample includes two types of organizations (statistical agency and municipality) in two country settings (Sweden and The Netherlands). Findings – Public organizations find it challenging to set up support for open data users having various requirements and skills. Most public organizations have no or limited interaction with data users and are often selective with regards to with whom and how to communicate. Research limitations/implications – Given the fragmented and emerging state of research on open data use and engagement, to date no systematic framework existed which would be dedicated to user engagement strategies. The authors systematized the literature and identified the themes pertaining to this issue. Their contribution is a list of measures for public organizations to improve open data use. Practical implications – An important deliverable of this research is the list of possible organizational measures, which can be used by public managers to plan their open data engagement strategies. The authors suggest that data publishers adopt a problem-oriented approach for selecting which data to publish and put more efforts into stimulating stakeholder participation. Originality/value – The novelty of this study lies in the fact that it addresses a previously overlooked area of open data research, namely, the use of open data and ways to stimulate it.

Asymmetric Open Government Data (OGD) framework in India

2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (5) ◽  
pp. 434-448 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stuti Saxena
Keyword(s):  
Economic Value ◽  
Open Data ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Open Government ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Indian States ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Open Government Data ◽  
Government Data ◽  
The Government

Purpose With the ongoing drives towards Open Government Data (OGD) initiatives across the globe, governments have been keen on pursuing their OGD policies to ensure transparency, collaboration and efficiency in administration. As a developing country, India has recently adopted the OGD policy (www.data.gov.in); however, the percolation of this policy in the States has remained slow. This paper aims to underpin the “asymmetry” in OGD framework as far as the Indian States are concerned. Besides, the study also assesses the contribution of “Open Citizens” in furthering the OGD initiatives of the country. Design/methodology/approach An exploratory qualitative following a case study approach informs the present study using documentary analysis where evidentiary support from five Indian States (Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, West Bengal, Sikkim and Gujarat) is being drawn to assess the nature and scope of the OGD framework. Further, conceptualization for “Open Citizen” framework is provided to emphasize upon the need to have aware, informed and pro-active citizens to spearhead the OGD initiatives in the country. Findings While the National OGD portal has a substantial number of data sets across different sectors, the States are lagging behind in the adoption and implementation of OGD policies, and while Telangana and Sikkim have been the frontrunners in adoption of OGD policies in a rudimentary manner, others are yet to catch up with them. Further, there is “asymmetry” in terms of the individual contribution of the government bodies to the open data sets where some government bodies are more reluctant to share their datasets than the others. Practical implications It is the conclusion of the study that governments need to institutionalize the OGD framework in the country, and all the States should appreciate the requirement of adopting a robust OGD policy for furthering transparency, collaboration and efficiency in administration. Social implications As an “Open Citizen”, it behooves upon the citizens to be pro-active and contribute towards the open data sets which would go a long way in deriving social and economic value out of these data sets. Originality/value While there are many studies on OGD in the West, studies focused upon the developing countries are starkly lacking. This study plugs this gap by attempting a comparative analysis of the OGD frameworks across Indian States. Besides, the study has provided a conceptualization of “Open Citizen” (OGD) which may be tapped for further research in developing and developed countries to ascertain the linkage between OGD and OC.

Open data driven public accountability

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rui Pedro Lourenço ◽  
Suzanne Piotrowski ◽  
Alex Ingrams
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Development ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Open Data ◽  
Data Driven ◽  
Open Government ◽  
Public Accountability ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Multi Stage ◽  
Open Government Data ◽  
Government Data

Purpose This paper aims to analyse extant literature on open data, distinguish and categorize the strands of public accountability research and use the results to provide better clarity in the concept of open data-driven public accountability. Design/methodology/approach Systematic review of 135 open data articles and 155 accountability articles from the e-government reference library. A multi-stage analysis results in 12 articles which are categorized using Bovens’ (2007) accountability theory of information, discussion and consequences. Conceptual development, using the literature analysis, forms the final section of the paper. Findings Research demonstrates that a range of open data topics has been advanced. However, just 12 articles exist that simultaneously address open data and accountability theory. Of the total 155 public accountability articles, the preponderant focus is on the information (N = 25) and discussion (N = 7) stages of the accountability process. Just one article focuses on the complete accountability process. To address this problem, the characterization of open (government) data-driven public accountability establishes conceptual crispness and clarity. Originality/value Public accountability theory on open government has become overshadowed by social and economic value perspectives. This paper clarifies and advances the open data-driven public accountability perspective. It takes stock of public accountability research, delimits the key issues and questions and highlights the next steps needed for developing scholarship.

Design principles for improving the process of publishing open data

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 185-204 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anneke Zuiderwijk ◽  
Marijn Janssen ◽  
Sunil Choenni ◽  
Ronald Meijer
Keyword(s):  
Single Case ◽  
Open Data ◽  
Design Principles ◽  
Public Organizations ◽  
Data Publishing ◽  
Published Data ◽  
Publishing Process ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Open Government Data ◽  
Government Data

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to derive design principles for improving the open data publishing process of public organizations. Although governments create large amounts of data, the publication of open data is often cumbersome and there are no standard procedures and processes for opening data, blocking the easy publication of government data. Design/methodology/approach – Action design research (ADR) was used to derive design principles. The literature was used as a foundation, and discussion sessions with civil servants were used to evaluate the usefulness of the principles. Findings – Barriers preventing easy and low-cost publication of open data were identified and connected to design principles, which can be used to guide the design of an open data publishing process. Five new principles are: start thinking about the opening of data at the beginning of the process; develop guidelines, especially about privacy and policy sensitivity of data; provide decision support by integrating insight in the activities of other actors involved in the publishing process; make data publication an integral, well-defined and standardized part of daily procedures and routines; and monitor how the published data are reused. Research limitations/implications – The principles are derived using ADR in a single case. A next step can be to investigate multiple comparative case studies and detail the principles further. We recommend using these principles to develop a reference architecture. Practical implications – The design principles can be used by public organizations to improve their open data publishing processes. The design principles are derived from practice and discussed with practitioners. The discussions showed that the principles could improve the publication process. Social implications – Decreasing the barriers for publishing open government data could result in the publication of more open data. These open data can then be used to stimulate various public values, such as transparency, accountability, innovation, economic growth and informed decision- and policymaking. Originality/value – Publishing data by public organizations is a complex and ill-understood activity. The lack of suitable business processes and the unclear division of responsibilities block publication of open data. This paper contributes to the literature by presenting design principles which can be used to improve the open data publishing process of public sector organizations.

scholarly journals Smarter Open Government Data for Society 5.0: Are Your Open Data Smart Enough?

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (15) ◽  
pp. 5204
Author(s):  
Anastasija Nikiforova
Keyword(s):  
Industry 4.0 ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Open Data ◽  
Digital Data ◽  
Open Government ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Time Data ◽  
Open Government Data ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Government Data

Nowadays, governments launch open government data (OGD) portals that provide data that can be accessed and used by everyone for their own needs. Although the potential economic value of open (government) data is assessed in millions and billions, not all open data are reused. Moreover, the open (government) data initiative as well as users’ intent for open (government) data are changing continuously and today, in line with IoT and smart city trends, real-time data and sensor-generated data have higher interest for users. These “smarter” open (government) data are also considered to be one of the crucial drivers for the sustainable economy, and might have an impact on information and communication technology (ICT) innovation and become a creativity bridge in developing a new ecosystem in Industry 4.0 and Society 5.0. The paper inspects OGD portals of 60 countries in order to understand the correspondence of their content to the Society 5.0 expectations. The paper provides a report on how much countries provide these data, focusing on some open (government) data success facilitating factors for both the portal in general and data sets of interest in particular. The presence of “smarter” data, their level of accessibility, availability, currency and timeliness, as well as support for users, are analyzed. The list of most competitive countries by data category are provided. This makes it possible to understand which OGD portals react to users’ needs, Industry 4.0 and Society 5.0 request the opening and updating of data for their further potential reuse, which is essential in the digital data-driven world.

Enhancing transparency through open government data: the case of data portals and their features and capabilities

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Lněnička ◽  
Renata Machova ◽  
Jolana Volejníková ◽  
Veronika Linhartová ◽  
Radka Knezackova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Open Data ◽  
Open Government ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Web Content ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Domain Experts ◽  
Computer Mediated ◽  
Open Government Data ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Government Data

PurposeThe purpose of this paper was to draw on evidence from computer-mediated transparency and examine the argument that open government data and national data infrastructures represented by open data portals can help in enhancing transparency by providing various relevant features and capabilities for stakeholders' interactions.Design/methodology/approachThe developed methodology consisted of a two-step strategy to investigate research questions. First, a web content analysis was conducted to identify the most common features and capabilities provided by existing national open data portals. The second step involved performing the Delphi process by surveying domain experts to measure the diversity of their opinions on this topic.FindingsIdentified features and capabilities were classified into categories and ranked according to their importance. By formalizing these feature-related transparency mechanisms through which stakeholders work with data sets we provided recommendations on how to incorporate them into designing and developing open data portals.Social implicationsThe creation of appropriate open data portals aims to fulfil the principles of open government and enables stakeholders to effectively engage in the policy and decision-making processes.Originality/valueBy analyzing existing national open data portals and validating the feature-related transparency mechanisms, this paper fills this gap in existing literature on designing and developing open data portals for transparency efforts.

Open data for accountability at times of exception: an exploratory analysis during the COVID-19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gennaro Maione ◽  
Daniela Sorrentino ◽  
Alba Demneri Kruja
Keyword(s):  
Open Data ◽  
Exploratory Research ◽  
Web Content ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Open Government Data ◽  
Managerial Implications ◽  
Government Data ◽  
Informed Opinion ◽  
A Current ◽  
Regional Governments

Purpose At exceptional times, governments are entrusted with greater authority. This creates significant concerns over governments’ transparency and accountability. This paper aims to pursue a twofold objective: assessing the patterns of open government data during the extraordinary time initiated by the COVID-19 pandemic drawing relevant policy and managerial implications regarding the future development of open data as a mechanism of accountability at times of exception. Design/methodology/approach The study follows exploratory research, relying on a web content analysis. The empirical setting is provided by 20 Italian regional governments during the COVID-19 pandemic as a shock that has triggered an exceptional time for governments. Findings Results on the desirable (extrinsic and intrinsic) characteristics of the data analyzed show that in the empirical setting investigated, open data does not enable to properly address the accountability concerns of a demanding forum at times of exception. Research limitations/implications The paper enriches the state of the art on accountability and provides both scholars and practitioners (e.g. policymakers, managers, etc.) a current reading of data-driven orientation as a stimulus to the accountability of public administrations during exceptional times. Originality/value The paper investigates open data as a condition of public accountability, assessing whether and how Italian regional governments have concretely opened their data to enable their forums to elaboration of an informed opinion about their conduct during the ongoing pandemic. This fosters the understanding of how accountability is deployed in times of exception in light of the possibilities offered by the availability of online platforms.

Academic social networks and collaboration patterns

2019 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 293-307
Author(s):  
Po-Yen Chen
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
Research Collaboration ◽  
Open Data ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Open Government Data ◽  
Collaboration Patterns ◽  
Academic Social Networks ◽  
Government Data

Purpose This study attempts to use a new source of data collection from open government data sets to identify potential academic social networks (ASNs) and defines their collaboration patterns. The purpose of this paper is to propose a direction that may advance our current understanding on how or why ASNs are formed or motivated and influence their research collaboration. Design/methodology/approach This study first reviews the open data sets in Taiwan, which is ranked as the first state in Global Open Data Index published by Open Knowledge Foundation to select the data sets that expose the government’s R&D activities. Then, based on the theory review of research collaboration, potential ASNs in those data sets are identified and are further generalized as various collaboration patterns. A research collaboration framework is used to present these patterns. Findings Project-based social networks, learning-based social networks and institution-based social networks are identified and linked to various collaboration patterns. Their collaboration mechanisms, e.g., team composition, motivation, relationship, measurement, and benefit-cost, are also discussed and compared. Originality/value In traditional, ASNs have usually been known as co-authorship networks or co-inventorship networks due to the limitation of data collection. This study first identifies some ASNs that may be formed before co-authorship networks or co-inventorship networks are formally built-up, and may influence the outcomes of research collaborations. These information allow researchers to deeply dive into the structure of ASNs and resolve collaboration mechanisms.

Open Government Data (OGD) in Iran, Lebanon and Jordan: a comparative approach

2018 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stuti Saxena
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Methodology ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Open Government ◽  
Comparative Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Aggregated Data ◽  
Web Interfaces ◽  
Open Government Data ◽  
Government Data

Purpose The main aim of this study is to do a comparison of Open Government Data (OGD) frameworks in Iran, Lebanon and Jordan and underscore the prospects and challenges in OGD implementation. Design/methodology/approach Basing itself on two OGD models offered by Kalampokis and his colleagues (Kalampokis et al., 2011) and Sieber and Johnson (2015) and the typology of “good” and “bad” data based on factors such as “usability”, “findability” and “understandability”, the study uses a documentary analysis for generating evidences by scanning the websites linked with OGD across the three countries. Following a qualitative methodology, countries shall be classified in terms of these models and the typology depending upon their OGD nature and scope. Findings OGD adoption in Iran, Lebanon and Jordan is at a nascent stage, and the OGD nature is of the “bad” type. These countries have merely “aggregated data” over their Web interfaces which are incomplete, outdated and do not permit analytics. Besides, there are a number of challenges which need to be overcome for proper OGD adherence. Nevertheless, there are a lot of prospects for harnessing OGD for improved citizen–government interaction by creating a culture of transparency, collaboration and accountability. Practical implications The study holds immense significance for government bodies to appreciate the potential of OGD which would go a long way to add social and economic value to propel the country’s growth. Originality/value No study has been conducted so far which compares Iran, Lebanon and Jordan in terms of their OGD policies; this is the main contribution of the study. Also, conceding the significance of the three countries in terms of their socio-economic indices, academic research is warranted in relation to these countries.

Provision and usage of open government data: strategic transformation paths

2019 ◽  
Vol 119 (8) ◽  
pp. 1841-1858 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juyeon Ham ◽  
Yunmo Koo ◽  
Jae-Nam Lee
Keyword(s):  
Open Data ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Data Usage ◽  
Open Government Data ◽  
Data Provision ◽  
Government Data ◽  
Strategic Paths ◽  
Holistic Theory ◽  
High Level

Purpose To create the expected value and benefits through open data, appropriate provision and usage of data are required simultaneously. However, the level of provision and usage of open data differs from country to country. Moreover, previous research on open data has only focused on either open data provision or usage. To fill the research gap, the purpose of this paper is threefold: first, to understand the current status of the provision and usage of open data; second, to identify patterns in the provision and usage of open data; and third, to provide appropriate future directions and guidelines for the transformation paths of each pattern. Design/methodology/approach The authors analyzed the data collected from open data portals of 13 countries that provide information on the provision and usage of open data together. Findings The authors identified four patterns of the provision and usage of open data, namely, availability-driven, government-driven, market-driven and interaction-driven patterns. Furthermore, three strategic paths of transformation reach a high level of open data provision and usage, namely, data provision-focused, data usage-focused and balanced transformation paths. Originality/value This study provides a foundation that enables researchers to build a holistic theory that can integrate fragmented and incomplete knowledge of open data and usage, particularly in the context of government.

scholarly journals Balancing control, usability and visibility of linked open government data to create public value

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (5) ◽  
pp. 451-466 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benedikt Simon Hitz-Gamper ◽  
Oliver Neumann ◽  
Matthias Stürmer
Keyword(s):  
Linked Data ◽  
Open Data ◽  
Knowledge Bases ◽  
Open Government ◽  
Public Value ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Triple Store ◽  
Open Government Data ◽  
Government Data ◽  
Governance Modes

Purpose Linked data is a technical standard to structure complex information and relate independent sets of data. Recently, governments have started to use this technology for bridging separated data “(silos)” by launching linked open government data (LOGD) portals. The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of LOGD as a smart technology and strategy to create public value. This is achieved by enhancing the usability and visibility of open data provided by public organizations. Design/methodology/approach In this study, three different LOGD governance modes are deduced: public agencies could release linked data via a dedicated triple store, via a shared triple store or via an open knowledge base. Each of these modes has different effects on usability and visibility of open data. Selected case studies illustrate the actual use of these three governance modes. Findings According to this study, LOGD governance modes present a trade-off between retaining control over governmental data and potentially gaining public value by the increased use of open data by citizens. Originality/value This study provides recommendations for public sector organizations for the development of their data publishing strategy to balance control, usability and visibility considering also the growing popularity of open knowledge bases such as Wikidata.

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