Recommendations for open data portals: from setup to sustainability
(with Tom Sasse, Amanda Smith, Ellen Broad, Jeni Tennison, and Peter Wells), Publications Office of the European Union
Abstract
This is the first of two reports which explore the Sustainability of Open Data Portals across Europe. Open Data Portals are a critical part of our data infrastructure: they connect data holders with data users, who in turn create services that citizens and businesses benefit from and rely on.
The overall maturity of portals across Europe is increasing as they develop more advanced features. Yet most do not have coherent strategies for sustainability that address each aspect of how a portal functions: the governance, financing, architecture and operations that make a portal sustainable, as well as the metrics that can be used to monitor and evaluate progress. It is vital that they develop such approaches so that they can respond and adapt to the challenges they face.
This report sets outs how portals can move from setup to sustainability, with recommendations in each of these five key areas. The recommendations are drawn from in-depth interviews with portal owners across Europe, which aimed to understand individual experiences, as well as practical. By highlighting examples of successful ideas and initiatives across Europe, in the recommendations and through several case studies, the report demonstrates best practices for others to follow.
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