Towards a sustainable Open Data ECOsystem

Project Information

ODECO

Grant agreement ID: 955569

DOI

10.3030/955569

Project closed

EC signature date 3 May 2021

Start date 1 October 2021

End date 30 September 2025

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Total cost

€ 3 933 207,72

EU contribution

€ 3 933 207,72

Coordinated by

TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITEIT DELFT
Netherlands

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - ODECO (Towards a sustainable Open Data ECOsystem)

Reporting period: 2023-10-01 to 2025-09-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

ODECO aims to train a new generation of early-stage open data researchers, able to face current and future challenges, in the establishment of sustainable open data ecosystems (ODEs) supporting the EU ambitions to become a worldwide leading information economy. Current developments in the field of open data are highly fragmented. ODEs are often developed in different domains in isolation of each other and with little involvement of potential users, resulting in approaches that significantly limit open data reusability for users. This reduces innovation and the ability to create new valued added goods and services. Efforts are also uncoordinated in open data training and research, where multidisciplinary approaches are scant. ODECO aims to address the central challenge of realizing a user driven, circular and inclusive open data ecosystem. ODECO provides early stage researchers (ESRs) with relevant open data knowledge, skills and research experiences that cut across disciplines, domains and sectors. ODECO pays particular attention to the role and involvement of the multiple user groups in the open data ecosystem. 21 specialist partner organizations in the consortium help researchers better understand the needs of citizens, journalists, students, companies, NGOs, governments and other stakeholders in the ODE, and guide the team in evaluating the developed directions to arrive at sustainable ODEs.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The consortium performed the work as specified in the Grant Agreement.
From provider to user driven Open Data Ecosystem (ODE)
The fellows jointly mapped open data user needs for seven user types and developed strategies to address these needs from a technical and governance perspective. The commons-based governance framework’s actionable principles offer a practical guide for fostering inclusive and participatory governance of ODEs.
From linear to circular ODE
They also investigated (potential) contributions of open government data users to the ODE, highlighting that all user groups examined are currently contributing back to the ODE and adding value through several different roles that they assume. The project introduced the technical means that should make it easy to deliver value back to the open data ecosystem and showed that the majority of the studied user groups is both intrinsically and extrinsically motivated to contribute to the ODE. The ODECO governance model was enriched by incorporating detailed reflections on the motivations of each user type in relation to the relevant action principles.
From exclusive to inclusive ODE
7 common motivations for non-government data holders to contribute their data as open data were identified. 6 common barriers to provide their data as open data were identified. Enablers to overcome the barriers are both technical and governance oriented. Our findings reveal that a wide range of technical and governance instruments can effectively stimulate non-government open data sharing. Notable strategies include the design of new user interfaces and new validation and integration services as well as coordination through permanent bodies and the creation of consortia. Market-oriented instruments were found to be currently underutilized.
Overall: Towards a user driven, inclusive and circular ODE
The final ODE framework integrates components such as stakeholder groups, data provision and usage, driving forces, governance, open data infrastructure, and enabling environments. By utilizing the ODE framework components, we have illustrated their interactions, portraying the complexity of an ODE. We identified 29 distinct strategies and 11 recommendations for furthering ODE development. These recommendations acknowledge that achieving a sustainable ODE is a delicate process that requires a multifaceted approach that balances inclusivity, circularity, user driven engagement, and skill-based empowerment.
The ESRs authored key reports for their research and career. They obtained their training in research related and transferable skills. The research results were communicated in more than 450 dissemination activities: 70 published (non) scientific articles with another 14 accepted but unpublished works, 6 submissions currently under review, and 10 works in preparation. Further, the ESRs organised 23 workshops and conferences, presented in 125 conferences, workshops and other events. The project (results) was presented in social media posts on 3 channels, 1 final conference video, 1 website, 1 Massive Open Online Course, and 8 training events. With these activities the ODECO project has reached out to more than 50.000 people. Finally, 5 ESRs defended their PhD successfully and one is scheduled for 29 January 2026.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

ODECO elevated the knowledge and skills of the ESRs to an expert level in open data ecosystems. It also extended their professional network through the ODECO ecosystem of 76 organisations that took part in our training activities and final conference. Their work has resulted in improved understanding of the concept of ODEs and how existing ODEs can be transformed into user driven, inclusive and circular ecosystems. The various deliverables resulted in new knowledge on open data user needs, ways to address these needs both from technical and governance perspectives, new insights in the motivations of user of open government data to deliver value back to the ODE and proposes ways to enable the delivering back technically and through governance mechanisms. It also provides in-depth knowledge on the motivations of data providers to provide their data openly and which technical and governance tooling may be considered to arrive at an user driven, circular and inclusive ODE. Our multidisciplinary, cross domain approach has resulted in the final ODE framework. By utilizing the ODE framework components, we have illustrated their interactions, portraying the complexity of an ODE.
The individual PhD projects added to the open data ecosystem body of knowledge by developing:
- new approaches to promote community building, skill development, and knowledge exchange (Mr Di Staso),
- extended usability testing methodologies through the application of process mining techniques (Mr Herrera),
- a cross-disciplinary ontology that facilitates the analysis of power dynamics embedded in participatory data physicalisation as a data practice (Ms Cazacu-Bucica),
- recommendations for social, political and economic value of open data (Ms Chandrasekhar),
- LLM tooling to analyse the quality of open data for non-expert open data users (Mr Ali),
- co-created engagement strategies on transformation of ecosystem dynamics (Ms Lopez Reyes),
- a holistic approach for inclusiveness (Mr Aziz),
- tooling for monitoring food prices in Greece in the Farosnet newsroom (Mr Papageorgiou),
- a game-oriented Open Data learning design: The Open Data Newsroom (Ms Celis Vargas),
- a conceptual framework connecting NPOs’ value capabilities to OGD user barriers (Ms Pilshchikova),
- a conceptual framework for open data justice (Ms Cantoro),
- a tool to assess the effectiveness of LLMs for enhancing FAIRness in ODEs (Mr Ahmed), and by studying disruptive technologies (e.g. AI, LLMs) at the service of semantic interoperability and knowledge representation (Ms Maratsi), usage of microtasking platforms (Mr Ochoa Ortiz), and finding that open data intermediation business models do not have to rely on capturing economic value (Mr Shaharudin).

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