Opening Data through Government-Civil Society Collaboration (IL0038)

What is the current situation or problem that the commitment addresses?

Israel has a well-developed high-tech industry and a vital and vibrant ecosystem in the fields of technology and data science. Naturally, there is a desire on the part of the government to harness the capabilities, infrastructure, and exceptional human capital to promote and develop the public sector and improve services to citizens, alongside promoting principles of Open Government such as transparency and accountability, as anchored in several government decisions such as 1933 and 2097. On the other hand, there is very significant demand in the R&D ecosystem for data collected by the government in many areas, including health, education, welfare, transportation, real estate, employment, urban planning, and economy and taxation, for use in academic research, business development, and social advancement – a trend that has been strengthened by a number of projects that have demonstrated by a number of projects that have demonstrated the value and potential of such data: for example, collaborations in the field of health. Overall, there seems to be a consensus that the range of uses of government data is very broad and rich, and analysis of the data may shed light on complex social questions and enable the development of models and systems that may be used to make decisions that will save lives, improve public service, reduce social gaps, and contribute to economic growth. On the civil society side, the Public Knowledge Workshop has been active in this field for over a decade. The NGO promotes Open Government, creates information-based public discourse, encourages civic involvement, and encourages the use of government and municipal data to create public knowledge and social change for the better. The PKW’s concept of change is based on open data on open-source websites/applications (Minimal Viable Products - MVPs) and performing proof of concept and value. This concept has been validated several times over the past decade in projects such as the Open Knesset, Budget Key, Open Bus and more, and has pushed a change in the government paradigm – from transparency as an ideal, to open data as a tool for civil servants. The NGO’s activities are founded on a community of volunteers from the high-tech world, which includes top experts and consultants in their fields in a wide range of relevant content areas, who have a high level of commitment and great trust in the NGO and its goals. The human infrastructure, together with the infrastructure and technological assets developed over the years, have created a strong brand that enjoys high levels of trust, and which maintains excellent working relationships and multiple interfaces with the public sector, central government, and local authorities, alongside third sector organizations, academia and high-tech companies.

What is the commitment?

The purpose of this commitment is the establishment and operation of a community of users of Open Government data in order to fully utilize the potential and value described above as a win-win for all involved and to promote the welfare of all citizens. This community will be based on the existing infrastructure of the Public Knowledge Workshop community and on existing user communities and government programs and will constitute a technological arena for knowledge exchange between government ministries and interfacing sectors (civil, business and academic). The community will operate, among other ways, by holding development and consultation meetings, round tables, study sessions (including exposure to innovations and success stories), hackathons, working on joint challenges, social media channels and other events. The goal of the community will be to establish the relationship, partnership, and role of government ministries in the ecosystem, as a direct channel for open dialogue, identification of needs, exchange of ideas, search for solutions to common challenges, and joint formulation of strategic goals for optimal access to government data (Publish for Purpose). Anticipated results include: 1. Identifying, promoting, and formulating an orderly and prioritized work plan for making databases accessible as a tool for creating value for both the government and civil society and businesses. 2. Enhancing the accessibility of databases according to the plan and advancing the implementation of Government Resolution 1933 (“Open by Default”), as required by the principles of Open Government and Resolution 2097. 3. Cultivating and promoting government data-based ventures based on needs, problems and ideas brought up by all partners.

How will the commitment address the problem?

Establishing a direct communication channel for dialogue and knowledge exchange between government ministries and organizations and interfacing sectors (civil, business, academic) will enable an organic and effective connection and will serve as a basis for synergistic collaborations. The capabilities, the will and a common interest already exist (as evidenced by the variety of civil society projects and the impressive response to the call for proposals that went out ahead of formulating this commitment). Therefore, and given that this is a clear interest recognized by both sides, and the level of maturity is relatively high, it seems that creation of the community will provide the framework necessary to foster the desired cooperation. The advantage of the establishment of a community over other potential frameworks lies in the connections formed by the partners and the ability to talk and conceptualize together and understand what the public really needs and wants, and how to make this accessible to the public in the best possible way. Sharing of information and knowledge, round tables where needs and solutions are discussed, and primarily the responsibility of public representatives in encounters with civil society – these are the components that will create the next venture/collaboration that will make the change, all while implementing the principles of Open Government and the OGP.

Why is the commitment relevant to OGP?

Creating this ecosystem addresses the OGP challenges in connecting government, civil society, and academia – on a foundation of technologies for service improvement, public participation, transparency and accountability

How does the commitment contribute to inclusion and equality?

An effort will be made to encourage and bring to the table representatives from all walks of life and particular emphasis will be placed on planning designated activities to involve underrepresented sectors, such as Arab society, the ultra-Orthodox, people with disabilities, the elderly, women, and LGBTQ, in direct continuation of the existing policies of both the Israeli government and the Public Knowledge Workshop

Milestone with deliverable | Start date - End date

Establishment of a steering committee of the National Digital Agency, the Prime Minister’s Office and the Public Knowledge Workshop. | October 2023 - November 2023

Commencement of work and scheduling of milestones | November 2023 - December 2023

Summary of annual activities: Annual report on community activities, including internet platforms, the Israeli OGP website, meetings and hackathons and their results, review of projects carried out, review of the venture’s progress, summary of goals met, evaluation of results and goals for the coming year. | December 2023 - December 2025