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A user-centric framework to improve the reusability of open geodata in cities
Resumo(s)
Open data has a profound effect in working environments in which information is
created and shared at all levels. At the local government level, open-data initiatives
have resulted in higher levels of transparency as regards policies. Greater engagement
between decision-makers and citizens has changed the way data analysis
and evidence are used to support local governance. Initiatives on open data are
currently playing an essential role in local governments. However, the current
challenge of local open data that authorities are facing has gradually changed from
accessibility issues to measures of the impact of the ongoing open-data projects,
from more data catalogs to sustainable and increasing levels of reuse of released
data, and better reusability of open data. Despite an increasing amount of data
being made open, few studies have looked into its level of reusability, and the barriers
that hamper the reuse of open geodata from a data consumer’s perspective
are an issue that most communities of data users are currently faced with. Some
frameworks are showing how the level of maturity in national open-data initiatives
is either increasing or decreasing, but there is still a need for a specific framework
to guide local data authorities to engage their current users and also help them to
move toward a bottom-up approach.
This research contributes with three elements in this regard. The first is the
current status of the level of reuse of open geodata in cities. This is followed by a
taxonomy of the barriers faced by data users in Colombia and Spain, and the third
is a set of elements that shape a user-centric framework to help data authorities
improve the level of reuse of published open geodata in their ongoing local initiatives.
The proposed taxonomy and framework are based on a literature review,
an online survey, and a set of participatory workshops conducted in four selected
cities (Bogotá, Medellín, Cali in Colombia and Valencia in Spain), with local data
authorities and user communities from different backgrounds and with experience in the field of open data. The taxonomy presented in this research highlights a
number of issues such as outdated data, low integration of data producers, and
difficulty to access data, the most relevant from the data consumer’s point of view
being misinterpretation and misuse of released data and their terms of use. Once
the barriers had been identified and validated with data users across the selected
cities, this research defined the elements included in a conceptual framework that
local authorities could use as a guideline to improve the level of reuse in their
ongoing open data initiatives. The core elements of this framework are what are
defined as ’Impact Enablers’, which consist of three aspects considered by the
literature reviewed as relevant to improve the positive impact of current initiatives.
These three factors are: A) the requirements of data-user communities; B) open
data at city level as a way to promote and engage users; and finally, C) a geographic
approach to improving the level of reusability of released data due to its
potential to engage more users. The second part of the proposed framework is
made up of four connected elements: 1) The complete identification of data-user
communities and their needs; 2) The community of reuse as a set of technological
tools to promote the reusability of released data; 3) User-focused metadata; and
4) Reuse-focused legal terms. The elements mentioned earlier were compiled and
included due to their relevance for data-user communities in the four use cases
included in this research. This framework provides a clear path for local data
authorities to reshape their current open data strategies so as to include data-user
requirements and move toward a bottom-up approach. The research ends with
a discussion and some concluding points, in addition to several limitations in the
application of our findings. At the end of this dissertation, a roadmap for future
research and implementations are presented, taking into account some reflections
on the framework.
Descrição
A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor in Information Management, specialization in Geographic Information Systems
Palavras-chave
Open Geodata Reusability Users’ requirements Impact