After almost a decade since the launch of the Open Data Barometer, this year the new Global Data Barometer (GDB) is launching its pilot edition. From governance to inclusion, there are many elements that are key to understanding this new era of global data. The GDB has been designed to respond to these issues and to fill critical knowledge gaps on how data policy and practice are unfolding in different sectors, regions, and countries around the world.
We are very happy to announce that this first edition’s survey has officially moved into the field to support data gathering from more than 100 countries with the help of several regional hubs around the globe. This work will see the collection of a new research-ready open dataset, leading to in-depth analysis and country and sectoral profiles.
The Global Data Barometer has been designed to fill critical knowledge gaps on how data policy and practice are unfolding in different sectors, regions, and countries around the world.
Building on the previous work of the Open Data Barometer, the GDB will establish a new global benchmark that tracks the extent to which data is governed, shared, and used for the public good. This first pilot edition combines 3 approaches to better understand data practices and policies around the world:
- Investigate core data governance and data capabilities.
- Conduct a deep dive into a larger data ecosystem at the intersection of money, property, and power.
- Explore areas of urgent global concern where data practices are increasingly under pressure—including climate action and health.
The GDB will examine money, property, and power through five different thematic modules that have been developed collaboratively with expert partners:
- Political Integrity – in partnership with the Open Government Partnership and Transparency International.
- Public Procurement – in partnership with Open Contracting.
- Company Information – in partnership with Open Ownership.
- Public Finance – in partnership with Global Initiative for Fiscal Transparency
- Land – in partnership with the Land Portal.
While each of these modules have their own data particularities, they also intersect with regard to anti-corruption, integrity, and accountability, and we will seek to analyse the current state of data around the four pillars of the Barometer—governance, availability, capability, and use.
GDB innovations include the establishment of a network of regional hubs to collect data from more than 100 countries around the world and partnerships with thematic partners
One of the key broader questions we are looking to answer is how well data practices align across different sectors or themes. Another goal is to compare how governance frameworks for specific kinds of data (e.g., data related to beneficial ownership) differ or are tailored to meet specific objectives. We also hope to gather specific use cases to identify bright spots and identify where making data available actually leads to use and benefits.
Along with the thematic partners listed above, we are grateful for the support of the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and additional organizations that provided support to the core team and the hubs such as the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), among others.
We are excited about the data that will be coming over the next few months as well as the opportunities for analysis and future endeavours. It has been a long journey, but we are beginning to see some of the fruits of all the hard work put in by our core team (Tim Davies, Veronica Cretu, Amy Johnson, Nicolás Grossman, David Zamora, and Fiona Chawana). We would also like to take this opportunity to inform you about some changes to our core team, Silvana Fumega (ILDA) has taken over from Tim as the Project Director of the Global Data Barometer. Tim will still be part of the team, and will provide his expertise and support during this pilot.
As this is a pilot edition, we are looking forward to getting into the analysis and reporting of results, and eventually expanding and adapting as we move forward to future editions. We will make sure there are many opportunities for participation along the way. We invite you to share your expertise and knowledge and to build with us toward the future editions!
The Global Data Barometer is hosted by ILDA.
Photo by Veronica Cretu.