{"id":35273,"date":"2024-05-02T12:05:09","date_gmt":"2024-05-02T11:05:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digileaders.com\/?p=35273"},"modified":"2024-05-02T12:05:09","modified_gmt":"2024-05-02T11:05:09","slug":"open-datas-unmet-promise-and-its-impact-on-scotlands-local-democracy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/digileaders.com\/open-datas-unmet-promise-and-its-impact-on-scotlands-local-democracy\/","title":{"rendered":"Open data&#8217;s unmet promise and its impact on Scotland\u2019s local democracy"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Over the last 10 years, the discussion on open data has gained significant traction in the UK. Open data was championed as the key to unlocking transparency, driving efficiencies, and delivering real-world outcomes. However, the issue of open data\u2019s usability is often overlooked. After all, merely making digital information available doesn\u2019t guarantee its practicality or accessibility. This reality was highlighted by the obstacles encountered by my team at Z\u00fchlke during our recent <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zuehlke.com\/en\/insights\/data-maturity-challenges-scottish-transport-network\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">investigation into Scotland\u2019s transport network<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After diving into the seemingly \u2018open\u2019 datasets across the Scottish transport network, what we found did not embody \u2018openness\u2019 at all. Outdated datasets, unstructured information, and missing data were all major obstacles to carrying out effective analysis and problem-solving.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But don\u2019t assume this is a technical problem. These challenges have real-world consequences that impact people\u2019s everyday experiences.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A notable example is the impact on public transport journeys, particularly to and from rural Scotland, where the lack of connectivity between transport providers leads to significant waiting times.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The challenges we encountered during our research extend beyond technical difficulties\u2013 they have a direct impact on democracy at the grassroots level.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Imagine a scenario where community activists want to improve local transport links, advocating for changes in bus\/ferry\/train schedules and enhanced connectivity between various modes of transportation. How can they substantiate their arguments if the relevant data is inaccessible or unusable?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the context of Scotland, the consequences of this data usability gap become even more significant. Long waiting times between connections, as we&#8217;ve illustrated through our examination of transport schedules, compound the challenges faced by locals. Not only do they directly suffer from poor scheduling, but they are also unable to do anything about it. So, this is not merely a matter of convenience; it&#8217;s about fostering a space where citizens can actively participate in discussions that impact their daily lives.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In Scotland, the focus must shift towards making data usable, ensuring that it empowers local communities rather than hindering their efforts. By doing so, we will lay the foundation for a more transparent and accountable democracy, where citizens have access to the information necessary to actively participate in decisions affecting their daily lives.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Let\u2019s move beyond the general rhetoric of open data and focus on making it truly accessible and usable for the citizens it aims to serve. By connecting the dots between open data challenges and their real-world implications, we pave the way for a future where local democracy thrives, powered by transparent, accessible, and usable data.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>Originally posted <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zuehlke.com\/en\/insights\/data-maturity-challenges-scottish-transport-network\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">here<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"btn-container\"><a class=\"btn btn-md btn-primary\" href=\"https:\/\/digileaders.com\/topic\/govtech\/\">Read More GovTech <i class=\"far fa-caret-right\"><\/i><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Over the last 10 years, the discussion on open data has gained significant traction in the UK. Open data was championed as the key to unlocking transparency, driving efficiencies, and delivering real-world outcomes. However, the issue of open data\u2019s usability is often overlooked. After all, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":51,"featured_media":35275,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-35273","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","topic-public-sector","topic-govtech","topic-data-analytics"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Open data&#039;s unmet promise and its impact on Scotland\u2019s local democracy | Digital Leaders<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Over the last 10 years, the discussion on open data has gained significant traction in the UK.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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