Iceland’s open data portal, statice.is , is contributing to transparency in Europe with not only a statistical database, but also many statistical visualisations such as population graphs. This platform, managed by Statistics Iceland , provides free access to a wealth of data across various sectors, including population, society, business sectors, economy, and environment. By making this data readily available, Iceland aims to empower citizens, researchers, and businesses to make informed decisions and drive data-driven solutions. For Statistics Iceland, all statistics published are considered

Smart Cities are revolutionising urban living by leveraging technology and data to enhance the quality of life, sustainability, and efficiency of city services. These cities use interconnected systems to manage resources, reduce waste, and improve the overall urban experience. By integrating open data into their frameworks, smart cities can foster innovation, drive economic growth, and create more responsive and resilient urban environments. The European Commission hosts a Smart Cities Marketplace , that aims to engage cities and towns to work towards a sustainable urban environment by

Mark your calendars for a new webinar on Friday, 22 November 2024, from 10:00 to 11:30 CET. The event, titled ‘ Data Spaces: experience from the European Health and Common Energy data spaces ’, is part of the data.europa academy. This session will delve into the advancements in data accessibility, security, and interoperability within the European Health Data Space (EHDS) and the Common European Energy Data Space (CEEDS) . This webinar offers a unique opportunity to explore the experiences, challenges, and potential of these data spaces in driving innovation across the healthcare and energy

The International Week of Science and Peace , observed annually from 9 to 15 November since 1986, is a global initiative aimed at promoting the role of science in fostering peace and development. Established by the United Nations General Assembly, this week-long celebration encourages the international community to engage in activities that highlight the link between scientific progress and the maintenance of peace and security. By fostering collaboration among scientists and promoting public awareness, the week aims to build a more peaceful and sustainable world. A key focus of this week is

Open data is becoming a powerful tool in the global push for sustainability, enabling transparency, innovation, and informed decision-making across industries and governments. Through freely available datasets, everyone can access valuable insights into areas like energy consumption, carbon emissions, and environmental protection. The EU is at the forefront of this movement, providing accessible data to support sustainable practices across sectors. A key resource for these efforts is data.europa.eu , which offers diverse content, from data stories to reports and webinars, detailing

The latest paper Exploring Business Models for Public Open Data Resources emphasises the vital role of sustainable business models in transforming open data from a passive resource into a dynamic catalyst for economic growth. This paper builds on insights gathered from the data.europa.eu campaign, which included the report on New Business Models for Data-driven Services , a webinar and focus group discussions with open data professionals and enthusiasts. The report outlines key findings that demonstrate the impact and challenges of open data. While the EU has made strides in promoting open

Throughout October, the  data.europa academy  hosted two new sessions, a webinar and a workshop. Together with over 800 registrants and a handful of experts, we explored insights on the topics of safeguarding and utilising open data in research. As October is also Cybersecurity Awareness Month , participants could increase their cybersecurity skills with our webinar ‘ Safeguarding Open Data: Cybersecurity Essentials and Skills for Data Providers ’, hosted on 18 October. Together with cybersecurity experts from Capgemini, participants got to understand the cybersecurity risks related to open

In an increasingly interconnected world, open data can be seen as a powerful tool to shape and strengthen international trade agreements. The European Union (EU) has integrated open data into several aspects of its Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) . On its trade page for non-EU markets , the EU uses a transparency mechanism displaying information on doing business in a non-EU country, like Costa Rica . When available, the site also shows statistics on import and export data from an EU perspective, promoting economic growth and ensuring European businesses can stay competitive. Several EU FTAs mark

Estonia’s open data portal, avaandmed.eesti , is a comprehensive portal designed to provide unrestricted access to public sector data. Their initiative aims to enhance transparency , foster innovation , and support both commercial and non-commercial use of data. The portal offers a user- friendly interface where individuals and organisations can easily search, access, and utilise a wide range of datasets. The portal is structured to facilitate easy navigation and data retrieval of the 1900 datasets available . Users can browse datasets by categories such as environment , economy , and health

Recently, we published our study ‘ High-value datasets: Cross-country findability and comparability of metada ’, which highlights the critical need for improved findability and metadata accessibility of high-value datasets (HVDs) across European Union Member States. Conducted between April and May 2024, before the Commission Implementing Regulation in force since June 2024, the study evaluates the availability and usability of 24 datasets from Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, and Finland. It focuses on six thematic categories: geospatial, earth observation and environment, meteorological, statistics