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Italy

Open Data Portal (IT0020)

Overview

At-a-Glance

Action Plan: Italy, Second Action Plan, 2014-2016

Action Plan Cycle: 2014

Status: Inactive

Institutions

Lead Institution: AgID

Support Institution(s): All

Policy Areas

E-Government, Open Data, Public Participation, Records Management

IRM Review

IRM Report: Italy End-of-Term Report 2014-2016

Starred: No

Early Results: Marginal Marginal

Design i

Verifiable: Yes

Relevant to OGP Values: Access to Information

Potential Impact:

Implementation i

Completion:

Description

The aim of this action is to boost transparency of administrative actions and foster the open data economy through the following activities: 1. Reinforcing the National Open Data Portal dati.gov.it. Firstly, the number and quality of datasets published on the national portal will be increased, through the release of all data mentioned in the National Agenda 2014 for the enhancement of public information resources; the portal will also host the catalogue of the applications developed through the re-use of PA open data; 2. Publishing the most important data for citizens and businesses. In parallel, a public consultation open to citizens and businesses will be launched in the portal dati.gov.it; it will be open to citizens and business for the identification of further information to be released in addition to those already provided by the National Agenda. The future versions of the National Agenda will include the results of such consultation; 3. Hackathons and contests will be organized to promote the re-use of published data. These will involve specific categories (students, associations, start-ups) or will be thematic (data concerning food, traffic, public expenditure, etc.). A national contest will also be organized to reward the best applications developed using data from the portal. The action is in line with similar international initiatives, for example the G8 Open Data Charter signed by Italy in 2014. AgID shall take all necessary actions to provide standards for the creation of qualitative PA open data.

IRM Midterm Status Summary

Commitment 4. Open Data Portal

Commitment Text:

The aim of this action is to boost transparency of administrative actions and foster the open data economy through the following activities:

  1. Reinforcing the National Open Data Portal dati.gov.it. Firstly, the number and quality of datasets published on the national portal will be increased, through the release of all data mentioned in the National Agenda 2014 for the enhancement of public information resources; the portal will also host the catalogue of the applications developed through the re-use of PA open data;
  2. Publishing the most important data for citizens and businesses. In parallel, a public consultation open to citizens and businesses will be launched in the portal dati.gov.it; it will be open to citizens and business for the identification of further information to be released in addition to those already provided by the National Agenda. The future versions of the National Agenda will include the results of such consultation;
  3. Hackathons and contests will be organized to promote the re-use of published data. These will involve specific categories (students, associations, start-ups) or will be thematic (data concerning food, traffic, public expenditure, etc.). A national contest will also be organized to reward the best applications developed using data from the portal.

The action is in line with similar international initiatives, for example the G8 Open Data Charter signed by Italy in 2014. AgID shall take all necessary actions to provide standards for the creation of qualitative PA open data.

Specific objectives

For citizens: a) greater transparency; b) possibility to use innovative online services; c) improved quality of life.

For companies: a) availability of open data to develop goods and services; b) greater transparency; c) possibility to use innovative online services; d) simplified relations with the PA.

For PA: a) rationalization of expenditure; b) encouraging the reuse of open data; c) greater confidence; d) increase of productivity.

Responsible institution: AgID

Supporting institution(s): all

Start date:   January 2015                                                End date:  December 2015

Commitment Aim:

This commitment aimed at improving transparency and facilitating the re-use of data by making it available in open format.   More specifically, the commitment set out to:

· Reinforcing the National Open Data Portal dati.gov.it;

· Make “public interest” data widely available to for citizens and businesses;

· Increase the re-use of open data by promoting civic initiatives like hackathons and national context.

Status

Mid-term: Substantial

Based on the information gathered by the IRM researchers, this commitment had been substantially completed in the first year of implementation, with ongoing improvements to the number of datasets released and on the quality of data being released.

An upgrade of the website www.dati.gov.it, was completed on 05 June 2015. However, the quantity and the quality of the datasets need further improvement and many national institutions had not released datasets in open format, and in other cases the datasets were not updated.

The AgID had made further attempts to give citizens a tool for re-using open data with four main updates:

- OpenEXPO (http://dati.openexpo2015.it/it), related to expenditure on the international Exhibition held in Milan from May to October 2015;

- SoldiPubblici (http://soldipubblici.gov.it/), related to the expenditures of Public Administrations;

- ItaliaSicura (http://italiasicura.governo.it/) on hydro-geological instability.

- Maker Faire (http://ed2015.makerfairerome.eu/thebighack/?lang=it/) a hackathon targeted at developing apps related to online communication.

In particular, the publication of data on the expenditures of all Public Administrations was achieved in part on 20 January 2015 (www.soldipubblici.gov.it), a month after the publication of the plan.

For more information, please see the 2014-2015 mid-term IRM report.

End of term: Substantial

Based on monitoring activity on the website conducted by the IRM researcher on monthly basis, there was no further progress on the implementation of the commitment since the mid-term IRM report.

Apart from minor updates and a review of the information architecture of the website, the IRM researchers could not find evidence of any further attempts by the government to make progress on the commitment whose level of implementation remains substantial as in the mid-term report. The government’s self-assessment report is silent on this point.   

Did it open government?

Access to Information: Marginal

Improving participation and accountability on public spending and the policy making process requires that the most relevant information be accessible, in an open machine-readable format, and available to all stakeholders. However, until the establishment of the Open Data portal, there was no single platform ensuring easy access to sharable public data. Given that the portal has been established only relatively recently, the effect that this commitment has had on government openness in Italy, to date, is incipient. By completing an upgrade of the online portal in 2015, the government provided stakeholders with access to relevant and updated information regarding the public administration reform.

However, given that the quantity and the quality of the datasets need further improvement and many national authorities had not released datasets in open format, and in other cases the datasets were not updated, the change in government practice has been marginal.

Although the commitment was not considered to be relevant for civic participation per the language, as it was implemented, the government began to engage more with citizens through hackathons and public initiatives. However, not to an extent that suggests sustained, changes in government practice to this extent.

Carried forward?

The scope of the commitment has been carried over to the next action plan and it has still been assigned to AgID. In fact, commitment 1 includes the implementation of the National Agenda for the promotion of the Public Information Assets as part of a new strategic framework called "Three-Year Plan for ICT in Public Administration".

This commitment would provide for: i) Databases of interest national, ii) data sharing between public authorities and iii) Re-use of public data (Open data). In particular, the new tool will be represented by a "dataset basket" (updated annually) that will be used to identify databases that administrations would make available in open format from 2016 onwards. That basket will support the government for the effective opening of datasets with the overall objective to increase the availability, usability, how to access and re-use of government data, in order to pursue effectively the objective of an overall enhancement of public information.

Italy's Commitments

  1. Open Data

    IT0057, 2019, E-Government

  2. Transparency

    IT0058, 2019, E-Government

  3. Register of Beneficial Owners

    IT0059, 2019, Beneficial Ownership

  4. Support to Participation

    IT0060, 2019, Capacity Building

  5. Regulation of Stakeholders

    IT0061, 2019, E-Government

  6. Culture of Open Government

    IT0062, 2019, E-Government

  7. Corruption Prevention

    IT0063, 2019, E-Government

  8. Simplification, Performance, and Equal Opportunities

    IT0064, 2019, E-Government

  9. Digital Services

    IT0065, 2019, Capacity Building

  10. Digital Citizenship and Skills

    IT0066, 2019, Capacity Building

  11. Shared national agenda for the enhancement of public data

    IT0023, 2016, Capacity Building

  12. Opening data on mobility through OpenTrasporti

    IT0024, 2016, Capacity Building

  13. Istat Linked Open Data

    IT0025, 2016, Capacity Building

  14. Access and reuse of data from the education system

    IT0026, 2016, Capacity Building

  15. OpenCUP Portal –National registry of public investment projects

    IT0027, 2016, Capacity Building

  16. Firenze Open Data

    IT0028, 2016, Capacity Building

  17. FOIA: implementation and monitoring

    IT0029, 2016, Capacity Building

  18. (More) Transparent Administration

    IT0030, 2016, Capacity Building

  19. Social networks for transparency in PA

    IT0031, 2016, Capacity Building

  20. Transparency of data on penitentiaries

    IT0032, 2016, Capacity Building

  21. Consip Tenders’ Dashboard

    IT0033, 2016, Capacity Building

  22. Transparent Milan: public registry of elected and appointed representatives

    IT0034, 2016, E-Government

  23. Starred commitment Open Administration Week

    IT0035, 2016, OGP

  24. Strategy for Participation

    IT0036, 2016, Capacity Building

  25. Public Works 2.0

    IT0037, 2016, Capacity Building

  26. Starred commitment Rome cooperates

    IT0038, 2016, Capacity Building

  27. Bologna decides and transforms

    IT0039, 2016, Capacity Building

  28. Supporting and Protecting Whistleblowers

    IT0040, 2016, Anti-Corruption Institutions

  29. Follow the UBB

    IT0041, 2016, Capacity Building

  30. OpenCoesione Plus

    IT0042, 2016, Aid

  31. OPENAID 2.0

    IT0043, 2016, Aid

  32. Anticorruption Academy

    IT0044, 2016, Anti-Corruption Institutions

  33. Network of digital animators

    IT0045, 2016, E-Government

  34. Schoolkit: a strategy to value best practices in education

    IT0046, 2016, Capacity Building

  35. Monitor the education reform “La Buona Scuola”

    IT0047, 2016, Capacity Building

  36. Transparency Registry of the Ministry for Economic Development

    IT0048, 2016, Capacity Building

  37. Roma Capitale - Transparent Agenda

    IT0049, 2016, Capacity Building

  38. Transparent Milan: Public agenda of meetings of public decision-makers

    IT0050, 2016, E-Government

  39. Italia.it

    IT0051, 2016, Capacity Building

  40. Deployment of SPID to support innovation

    IT0052, 2016, E-Government

  41. Observatory on Digital Rights

    IT0053, 2016, Capacity Building

  42. Lecce - Start-up in the City

    IT0054, 2016, Capacity Building

  43. Promoting digital skills

    IT0055, 2016, Capacity Building

  44. Becoming Digital Citizens

    IT0056, 2016, Capacity Building

  45. Participa!

    IT0017, 2014, E-Government

  46. Equip Public Administrations (PA) for Participation

    IT0018, 2014, Capacity Building

  47. TransPArenti+1

    IT0019, 2014, Anti-Corruption Institutions

  48. Open Data Portal

    IT0020, 2014, E-Government

  49. Starred commitment Follow the Money (SoldiPubblici)

    IT0021, 2014, Audits and Controls

  50. Digital Citizenship

    IT0022, 2014, Capacity Building

  51. Transparency Portal

    IT0001, 2012, E-Government

  52. Better regulatory framework against corruption within the public administration

    IT0002, 2012, Anti-Corruption Institutions

  53. Starred commitment Information system on the status of actions falling under the unitary regional planning

    IT0003, 2012, E-Government

  54. Cost Measurement and Reduction

    IT0004, 2012, Public Participation

  55. How to... (Initiative to Promote Transparency on Public Authority’s websites)

    IT0005, 2012, E-Government

  56. Quantitative and qualitative development of relations with citizens and PA stakeholders

    IT0006, 2012, Legislation & Regulation

  57. Facilitate publication and reuse of public data

    IT0007, 2012, Legislation & Regulation

  58. Enhancing the national open data portal (www.dati.gov.it)

    IT0008, 2012, Open Data

  59. Promoting national open data standards

    IT0009, 2012, Open Data

  60. National Open Data Contest

    IT0010, 2012, Open Data

  61. Preparation of the National Plan for smart communities

    IT0011, 2012, Subnational

  62. Public consultation on new policies and new legislations

    IT0012, 2012, Public Participation

  63. Enhancing participation and collaboration in territorial innovative actions

    IT0013, 2012, Subnational

  64. Opening up of new areas for public service development and delivery

    IT0014, 2012, Public Service Delivery

  65. ICT Infrastructure Enhancement in Public Administrations

    IT0015, 2012, E-Government

  66. Cloud computing strategic Plan, creation of PA data centres within a Public-Private Partnership

    IT0016, 2012, E-Government