“Open Data Innovation Strategy” (ODIS) (DK0045)

In order to support the comprehensive effort to make public sector information accessible, the initiative known as “Open Data Innovation Strategy” is to contribute to drawing attention to the potential of public data and to making public data accessible. This is to be achieved, among other things, by assisting public authorities and institutions with guidance in the effort to make data available and by providing guidance on the legislation governing the area.
The initiative is, furthermore, to operate the public data catalogue, facilitate exchange of lessons learned, promote networking and collaboration between the public and private sectors that will re-use data, as well as document good examples of open data and the application of open data.

Commitments 12 and 13: Open Data

Commitment 12. “Open Data Innovation Strategy” (ODIS)

Commitment Text:

In order to support the comprehensive effort to make public sector information accessible, the initiative known as “Open Data Innovation Strategy” is to contribute to drawing attention to the potential of public data and to making public data accessible. This is to be achieved, among other things, by assisting public authorities and institutions with guidance in the effort to make data available and by providing guidance on the legislation governing the area.

The initiative is, furthermore, to operate the public data catalogue, facilitate exchange of lessons learned, promote networking and collaboration between the public and private sectors that will re-use data, as well as document good examples of open data and the application of open data.

Commitment 13. Data Distributor for the distribution of basic data 

Commitment Text:

Up to 2016, the basic data registers will be consolidated in a common system a so called “Data Distributor”, which both public and private users of basic data will have the opportunity to benefit from. All common public sector basic data are to be distributed through the Data Distributor, which in the long term will be able to hold other public data than basic data.

Various dialogue and network activities regarding basic data are, furthermore, to contribute to encouraging authorities and companies to make use of the improved and free basic data, and to developing partnerships between public and private actors on the application of basic data.

Responsible institution: None specified

Supporting institution(s): None specified

Start date: Not specified              End date: Not specified

Commitment Aim:

Both commitments were a part of the first action plan and of Denmark’s national eGovernment Strategy for 2011-2015.^{[Note 45: Open Data Innovation Strategy (ODIS), AFD, http://www.digst.dk/Servicemenu/English/Policy-and-Strategy/Open-Data-Innovation-Strategy-ODIS]}

Commitment 12 aims to draw attention to the potential of public data and to make public data accessible.

Commitment 13 aims to consolidate the dissemination of public data basic through an online data portal system called “Data Distributor.” The government expected to launch a trial period of the data distributor to test its technical capabilities by the end of 2015, and planned to facilitate dialogue between various public and private users of the public data. All information regarding the schedule and advancement of the project can be found in Danish on the website http://www.datafordeler.dk.

Status

Commitment 12:

Mid-term: Complete

The government executed a series of actions to revise the Danish legal framework on open data and to promote it, fulfilling the commitment completely. The mid-term self-assessment report states that the government was able to carry out the transposition of a revised Public Sector Information (PSI) Directive through an amendment to the PSI Act approved by Parliament on 27 May 2014. Government officials as well as representatives from civil society organizations, associations, academia and media provided input during an online consultation - responses can be found online.^{[Note 46: Hearing material on the PSI Act revision, https://hoeringsportalen.dk/Hearing/Details/17367]} The amendment came into force on 1 July 2014 and the government led awareness-raising campaigns on the new legislation.^{[Note 47: Better possibilities for reuse of public data, AFD, http://www.digst.dk/Servicemenu/Nyheder/ Nyhedsarkiv/Digitaliseringsstyrelsen/2014/Bedre-mulighed-for-genbrug-af-offentlig-data.aspx]} For further information, please see the mid-term IRM progress report.^{[Note 48: Denmark IRM mid-term report 2014-15, http://www.opengovpartnership.org/wp-content/uploads/2001/01/Denmark_IRM%20Progress%20Report%202014-15_Final_eng.pdf]}

Commitment 13:

Mid-term: Substantial

At mid-term, the data distributor was in a phase preparing for public beta access to the data. The IRM progress report found that all relevant milestones had been met, but also found that full-scale implementation of the data distributor had been postponed until 2017. For further information, please see the mid-term IRM progress report.^{[Note 49: Denmark IRM mid-term report 2014-15, http://www.opengovpartnership.org/wp-content/uploads/2001/01/Denmark_IRM%20Progress%20Report%202014-15_Final_eng.pdf]}

End of term: Substantial

At the time of writing, no notable progress had been made in implementing Commitment #13. The data distributor was still in a public beta phase, but meetings about it were scheduled for September and October 2016.^{[Note 50: The Data Distributor invites to dialogue meetings, The Data Distributor, http://datafordeler.dk/nyheder/datafordeleren-inviterer-til-dialogarrangementer/]} A development timeline for the data distributor, updated in September 2016, showed delays for registries pertaining to taxation and addresses in Denmark, but gave no explanation for the delay or revised timeline.

Did it open government?

Commitment 12:

Access to information: Marginal

The Open Data Innovation Strategy (ODIS) is an initiative that predates the second Danish action plan. Responses to the revision of the PSI Act, approved by parliament in May 2014, were predominantly positive – they applauded the government’s positive attitude towards open data.

The PSI Act itself lays the foundation for public offices to use or facilitate the use and reuse of public data. This alone, however, does not ensure openness or transparency in public offices. Therefore, the “did it open government?” question is coded as a marginal improvement, when looking at the PSI Act as part of a larger effort to change Denmark’s bureaucratic culture and to open government.

Commitment 13:

Access to information: Did not change

The online data distributor portal can increase access to data, but cannot guarantee it. Nor does the data distributor provide access to data that is not already publicly available - it does not have a public-facing citizen interface, and therefore it does not offer access to information in an easy way. Currently, it is probably easier to find information via a freedom of information search or find it elsewhere on government websites than on the portal, which must thus be seen primarily as a technical tool that does not open government.

Carried forward?

Commitment #12 was fully implemented. Stakeholders stressed in the IRM midterm report that the PSI Act should be implemented in accordance with other laws governing information dispersal including copyright, privacy, data protection, etc. They also pointed out that implementation should involve a fair administrative burden, balancing for instance the release of specific information against the workload increase to the relevant official.

It is unknown whether Commitment #13 will be carried forward into the third action plan, but if it is, the IRM researcher recommends adding public data registers to the data distributor online portal so that further government held information is available to the public.