European Public Sector Information Platform

Open Data in Developing Countries

Open Data seems to be high on the agenda not only in Western countries, but also in developing countries. This report finds that until now the number of open data initiatives in developing countries is still limited, but the coming years will probably see a large increase of open data initiatives in developing countries. Both civil society organisations and external partners of developing country governments are encouraging the use of open data to increase transparency, accountability and citizen participation. Particularly the Open Government Partnership is promoting open data initiatives in developing countries.

Europe's Data Catalogues

Over the past years there has been an explosion of interest in opening up Public Sector Information (PSI) for the public to reuse. At a national level, numerous countries from around the world have established central data platforms. Several European Union member states have set up official national data catalogues as single-entry points to simplify public access to PSI of the country. Examples range from the UK’s data.gov.uk site to the French Government’s data.gouv.fr. There are countless city level initiatives across Europe as well – from Helsinki to Berlin, Paris to Zaragoza. As many open data catalogues as exist now, still even more initiatives will emerge in the next years.

This topic report explains the basic concepts of data catalogues and introduces the technologies used. It showcases recent examples of data catalogues in European member states and pan-European initiatives to ultimately improve access to Europe's PSI. The topic report explores the role and impacts of data catalogues in accelerating PSI reuse.