icegov2012 proceedings

In order to have elements of analysis to produce knowledge,
experiences of other countries in the implementation of actions
and policies of open data were studied. Focus groups led by
experts on specific topics were carried out, as well as case studies
were conducted in eight local national public institutions, mainly
ministries and administrative departments.
Case studies aimed to assess the implementation of the strategic
framework along with the methodological and technological tools
developed by GEL program. This analysis involved a catch effort
through interpretation by the research team against focus groups
and case studies.
A benchmarking study including United Kingdom, Canada, USA,
Australia, Spain and Chile open data models, helped to identify
the main steps needed to develop the framework: a) definition of
the objective situation; b) gap analysis between the objective
situation and the current situation; c) definition of the necessary
components for the model; d) definition of the proposed
architecture for each of the perspectives; e) identification of
elements and organizational structure, actors and components
required to implement the initiative; f) identification of
technological and regulatory elements; g) identification of sociocultural
elements to cope with change; and h) identification of the
mechanisms, actions and budgets required to implement the
initiative.
Through quantitative analysis, results of case studies were
evaluated using surveys to officials of the organizations involved.
Such surveys measured the quality of the concepts, content and
language used in the proposed framework, which were studied
through scales from 1 to 5. Concepts were transformed variables,
identifying areas of improvement used for the formulation of the
final version of the framework toolkit.
3. OPEN DATA MODEL
3.1 Objectives
The open government data model in Colombia seeks to fulfill the
following objectives:
o Support the generation of economic and social progress in
the country by allowing citizens and business to have access
to public information, so that it can be used or transformed
for developing government services that create value to
society in general.
o Promote transparency in the country by means of information
available to citizens and businesses.
3.2 Principles
Taking into account the objectives, the expectations of the
Colombian Government, and the best practices identified, the
following are the fundamental principles for open government
data, illustrated in Figure 1. Basic principles are grouped into
four perspectives: politic and legal, socio-cultural, organizational
and budgetary, and technological.
Politic and legal principles guide the policies handling political
and legal efforts, and establish responsibilities and competences
for its enforcement; sociocultural principles lead strategies, tools
and actions necessary for the promotion and appropriation of good
practices, and guidelines for policy massification by public bodies
and third party application developers; Organizational principles
give directives in policies, business processes, competencies,
roles, organizational structures and resources required to
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implement the initiative in public administration; and
technological principles guide the definition of protocols,
standards, tools and methodological guidelines necessary to
implement the strategy.
Socio-cultural principles
§� Pursue balance between supply and demand.
§� Seek for support from software development
communities, private companies and
academia.
§� Promote of interaction and feedback from
citizens and businesses about the relevance,
quality and timeliness of published data.
§� Focus on the satisfaction level of citizens,
businesses, the public and the media.
Strategic lines
and
fundamental
principles
Politic and legal principles
§� Support from all levels of government.
§� Phase out restrictions that limit access and use of
public information (such as payments or licenses).
§� Legal establishment of responsibilities and
competencies.
§� Progressive coverage of the initiative, for all
branches of government and private agencies
exercising public functions.
§� Agencies responsible and autonomously publishing,
hosting, maintaining and updating data
§� Support from a legal system that integrates open
data guidelines and policies.
Organizational and budgetary principles Technological principles
§� Leadership, control and monitoring of the
implementation strategy from the central level.
§� Encouraging and supporting generation of local
and thematic initiatives.
§� Considered a common practice throughout
public agencies.
§� Supported by a sustainable budget.
§� Aligned with e-government GEL maturity model.
§� Encouraging quality of data being published.
§� Data easily found by others at a central point.
§� One main data catalog for the country and
multiple synchronized federate catalogs at local
and thematic levels.
§� When possible, government should guarantee the
authenticity of published data.
§� Multiple publication mechanisms to suit the
conditions of the different public agencies.
Figure 1. Fundamental principles for open government data
3.3 Model components
Based on the principles outlined before, Colombian open
government data model has been structured. It was organized for
describing the elements that should be considered at the strategic,
tactical, operational and support levels, as displayed in Figure 2.
This model seeks to generate value-added services to society
through the development of applications made by third parties
(development communities, infomediaries industry, and
academia), using open government data from public agencies.
The elements associated with the model are described below.
3.3.1. Strategic Elements
Strategic elements describe the articulation that must exist
between the proposed open data strategy and the general GEL
strategy. It contributes to the achievement of GEL vision under
the following considerations:
1) Facilitate the efficiency and collaboration within and
between state agencies as well as society as a whole.
2) Strengthen the conditions for increasing competitiveness and
improving the quality of life.
3) Contribute to increase transparency in public administration.
4) Promote citizen participation using electronic media.
3.3.2. Tactical Elements
Tactical elements sought to link operational and strategic
components. For materializing this, an element of institutional
articulation and public policy was formulated through which the
responsibilities and powers of each of those involved in the open
government data initiative in Colombia were defined. Three main
indicators that allow the monitoring and continuous evaluation of
the open data initiative were defined:
1) Compliance: Monitoring the level of compliance of open
data policies and regulations by government agencies,
through the criteria defined in GEL manual.