What is Open Data?

“Open Data is data that can be freely used, processed, modified, and shared by anyone.”

This is a concise definition of Open Data. However, there is more behind the term. For example Open Data enables:

• • Transparent governance
  Open Data strengthens transparent governance by making public information openly accessible to everyone. When data about budgets, infrastructure, demographics, or environmental indicators is published openly, citizens, journalists, and organisations can better understand how decisions are made and how public resources are used.
  Transparency builds trust. It allows people to verify information independently, identify inefficiencies, and engage more actively in public discourse.
  Example: A city publishes its budget data as Open Data. Citizens and NGOs can analyse how funds are allocated across education, transport, and social services, identify trends over time, and raise informed questions or suggestions in public discussions.
• • Evidence-based decisions
  Open Data enables decisions that are grounded in facts rather than assumptions. By combining openly available datasets with domain knowledge, organisations and policymakers can evaluate options, measure outcomes, and adjust strategies based on real-world evidence.
  This approach leads to more effective policies, better resource allocation, and improved long-term results.
  Example: A regional authority uses Open Data on traffic flows, population density, and air quality to decide where to introduce traffic-calming measures. The decision is supported by data showing both congestion patterns and environmental impact, leading to targeted and measurable improvements.
• • Innovation across sectors
  Open Data acts as a catalyst for innovation by lowering barriers to access information. Startups, researchers, non-profits, and established organisations can build new services, products, and insights on top of shared datasets.
  Because the same data can be reused in many different contexts, Open Data enables innovation not only in technology, but also in healthcare, education, mobility, and the public sector.
  Example: A startup combines Open Data on public transport schedules with weather data to build an application that helps commuters plan more reliable routes. At the same time, researchers use the same datasets to study mobility patterns and improve urban planning.
• • Collaboration and learning
  Open Data encourages collaboration by creating a shared foundation of information. When data is openly available, people from different disciplines and backgrounds can work together, learn from each other, and build upon existing knowledge instead of starting from scratch.
  This openness supports education, cross-sector collaboration, and continuous learning.
  Example: Students, researchers, and developers use the same Open Data APIs in university courses, hackathons, and research projects. Insights and tools developed in one context can be reused and improved in another, creating a cycle of shared learning and progress.

Key Characteristics of Open Data

Machine-Readability

Open Data should be provided in formats that can be easily read and processed by computers. This facilitates the analysis and integration of the data into a wide variety of applications.

Transparency

The publication of Open Data promotes transparency, especially when it concerns public administration data. This strengthens public trust and allows for better traceability of decisions.

Licensing

Open Data is published under an open license that allows its use, redistribution, and modification. Well-known open data licenses include, for example, Creative Commons licenses (e.g., CC BY, CC0), which enable unrestricted use and further processing.

Value Creation

Open Data offers potential for innovation and the development of new applications, services, or business models. Companies can use it to improve services, make processes more efficient, or tap into new markets.

ODON’s Role in Open Data

Open Data is more than data! It is an enabler of transparency, better decisions, innovation, and shared learning — values that lie at the heart of ODON’s work.

ODON supports Open Data by:

• • Supporting organisations in using Open Data - see Data Services
• • Making data accessible via APIs - see APIs
• • Educating people about data literacy - see Education