End of Commitment Report – Improvement of the transparency portal and increase of open data visualisations

Name of Evaluator

Álex González Ruiz and Anabel Suso Araico

Email

madrid-spain@opengovpartnership.org

Member Name

Madrid, Spain

Action PlanAction plans are at the core of a government’s participation in OGP. They are the product of a co-creation process in which government and civil society jointly develop commitments to open governmen... Title

Action plan – Madrid, Spain, 2022 – 2023

CommitmentOGP commitments are promises for reform co-created by governments and civil society and submitted as part of an action plan. Commitments typically include a description of the problem, concrete action...

Improvement of the transparencyAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, transparency occurs when “government-held information (including on activities and decisions) is open, comprehensive, timely, freely available to the pub... More portal and increase of open dataBy opening up data and making it sharable and reusable, governments can enable informed debate, better decision making, and the development of innovative new services. Technical specifications: Polici... visualizations.

Action

It is planned to introduce improvements in the transparency portal that will make it possible to incorporate new public information, as well as to increase the number of visualizations of open data sets that are offered. These visualizations offer the possibility of consulting the information in a much simpler way that does not require technical knowledge in the field, bringing the value of the information and the usefulness of the portal closer to anyone interested in the functioning of the municipal administration. The visualizers will offer the possibility of consulting the information by means of graphs, diagrams, and cartographic representations of the published datasets.

Problem

Among the municipal websites, the transparency portal and the open data portal stand out for their importance. The volume of information managed and the rapid technical evolution of the IT tools used to make it necessary to improve the transparency portal in accordance with new technical and regulatory requirements and user demands. This commitment aims to facilitate the consultation and understanding of the information for everyone, regardless of their level of technical knowledge in terms of information management and analysis. The incorporation of new public information is foreseen, as well as an increase in the number of visualizations of open data sets so that the information can be consulted in a much simpler way. The visualizers will offer the possibility of consulting the information by means of graphs, diagrams, and cartographic representations of the published datasets.

1.1 What was the overall level of progress in the commitment implementation at the time of this assessment?

Complete

Provide a brief explanation of your answer:

The implementation of the commitment took place up to 31 May 2023. Its key actions can be considered as fully implemented, except in one case (part of activity 6):

1. Identification of technical improvements to be made to the Transparency Portal and new ways of presenting information.
2. Analysis of datasets subject to geo-referencing or graphical representation and preparation of visualizations.
3. Definition and development of new functionalities in the Transparency Portal that allow for easier usability and contribute to improving the user experience.
4. Development and implementation of data visualization changes.
5. Results evaluation and proposal of improvements, in collaboration with the autonomous IT body of the City Council and with the unit responsible for the data. The tasks of improving the quality of the data of the Open Data Portal, an activity extended until September 2024, are still pending to be completed.
6. Dissemination and awareness-raising.

Provide evidence that supports and justifies your answer:

• Open Data Portal of the City Council.
• Transparency Portal of the City Council
• Contract for the analysis, profiling, and cleaning of the datasets of the Madrid City Council Open Data Portal
• I Conference on Visualisations with Open Data on 19/12/2022
• 5th Conference on Transparency and Open Data on 25/10/2022
• Dissemination through X (or Twitter) municipal account @DecideMadrid using the hashtags #TransparenciaMadrid [Madrid Transparency], #VisualizaMadrid [Madrid Visualization], and #DatosAbiertosMadrid [OpenData Madrid]. Some examples of posts about the dissemination of the conference or the visualizations that have been published: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11.
• Monitoring Report on the Third Open Government Plan of the Madrid City Council (December 2022)
• Final Follow-Up Report On The Third Open Government Plan Of The Madrid City Council

1.2 Describe the main external or internal factors that impacted the implementation of this commitment and how they were addressed (or not).

Some of the most important factors that have conditioned the implementation of the commitment are:

• Evolution of IT tools that facilitate the management of the information handled from both portals.
• New technical and regulatory requirements have led portals to commit to web accessibility, in accordance with Royal Decree 1112/2018, of 7 September, on the accessibility of public sector websites and applications for mobile devices, transposing Directive (EU) 2016/2102 of the European Parliament and of the Council.
• The previous existence of both portals and the considerable information and transparency they already had, enabled a greater focus on technical aspects such as data visualization or accessibility.
• This does not mean that a lot of information has not been incorporated into the portals that did not exist before.

1.3 Was the commitment implemented as originally planned?

All of the commitment milestones were implemented as planned.

Provide a brief explanation of your answer:

Given the implementation of the 6 key activities planned from the outset, it can be affirmed that the initial guidelines of the project have been completed.
The data visualizations already existing in the Open Data Portal have been improved and new ones have been incorporated, moreover, the Transparency Portal has also been redesigned, with new functionalities and tools. The accessibility of the published data has been greatly increased thanks to improvements in their visualization, including examples of how to use datasets. On the other hand, visualizations have been made in line with criteria such as citizen interest, public service, transparency, and accountability. Also, this has involved improving the data quality through analysis, profiling, and cleaning.
In addition, two conferences were held at the end of 2022 to disseminate the development. The visualizations have also been disseminated through Decide Madrid’s social networks and internally within the City Council itself.

Provide evidence for your answer:

• Royal Decree 1112/2018, of 7 September, on the accessibility of public sector websites and applications for mobile devices, transposing Directive (EU) 2016/2102 of the European Parliament and of the Council.
• Monitoring Report on the Third Open Government Plan of the Madrid City Council (December 2022)
• Final Follow-Up Report On The Third Open Government Plan Of The Madrid City Council

2.1.1. – Did the government disclose more information; improve the quality of the information (new or existing); improve the value of the information; improve the channels to disclose or request information or improve accessibility to information?

Yes

Degree of result:

Outstanding

Explanation: In narrative form, what has been the impact on people or practice.

The combination of the redesign of the Transparency and Open Data portals, the improvement and expansion of the available data, and the development of visualizations make it easier for citizens to consult and understand the information regardless of their level of technical knowledge in information management and analysis, as proposed in the commitment. A more intuitive and attractive operation of the portals through visualizations promotes a greater interest of citizens in the information available, showing them that the combination of datasets makes it possible to access a large amount of information quickly. This, in turn, has far-reaching implications for transparency and accountability, providing the public with a knowledge base for decision-making, whether for public authorities or for citizens as a whole.
Furthermore, these changes have been developed based on the application of three basic criteria: the visualization of the information most in demand by citizens, the information most directly related to accountability to citizens, and that which emphasizes permanent communication channels with the population.
The recent changes, as noted above, have already led to considerable increases in the audience of both portals. In addition, the work carried out as part of the commitment has earned the City Council the recognition awarded by the Autonomous University of Barcelona with the INFOPARTICIPA seal, which recognizes the way the institution has improved the transparency and the publication of Open Data.
Finally, both portals have also obtained AENOR ICT accessibility certification for people with disabilitiesA government is not open unless it is accessible to all, and governments are working to ensure people with disabilities are afforded equitable services and opportunities to participate. Technical spec....

Provide evidence for your answer:

• Open Data Portal of the City Council.
• Transparency Portal of the City Council.
• Contract for the analysis, profiling, and cleaning of the datasets of the Madrid City Council Open Data Portal.
• Monitoring Report on the Third Open Government Plan of the Madrid City Council (December 2022)
• Final Follow-Up Report On The Third Open Government Plan Of The Madrid City Council

2.1.2. – Did the government create new opportunities to seek feedback from citizens/enable participation inform or influence decisions; improve existing channels or spaces to seek feedback from citizens/enable participation/ inform or influence decisions; create or improve capabilities in the government or the public aimed to improve how the government seeks feedback from citizens/enables participation/ or allows for the public to inform or influence decisions?

Yes

Degree of result:

Outstanding

Explanation: In narrative form, what has been the impact on people or practice.

The increase in the attractiveness and technical accessibility, and the refinement and expansion of the information published on both the Open Data Portal and the Transparency Portal has provided citizens with new opportunities to inform themselves and thus obtain a more solid knowledge base from which to support their political participation. This is based on, as we have said, a comprehensive improvement of these portals in terms of content, functions, visualization, and accessibility.

Provide evidence for your answer:

• Open Data Portal of the City Council.
• Transparency Portal of the City Council.
• Contract for the analysis, profiling, and cleaning of the datasets of the Madrid City Council Open Data Portal.
• Monitoring Report on the Third Open Government Plan of the Madrid City Council (December 2022)
• Final Follow-Up Report On The Third Open Government Plan Of The Madrid City Council

2.1.3 Did the government create or improve channels, opportunities or capabilities to hold officials answerable to their actions?

Yes

Degree of result:

Outstanding

Explanation: In narrative form, what has been the impact on people or practice.

In relation to the accountability to citizens matters, the new visualizations implementation and the improvement of other existing ones in the Open Budgets application of the Madrid City Council, in the contract and subsidy visualizers of the Open Cities Project, and in the Register of requests for access to public information, have played a fundamental role. Other relevant published visualizations are the Human Resources Statistics, the Contracts Register Report, and the visualization of public ongoing projects.
Regarding the Open Data Portal, visualizations have been added to different services offered by the City Council that allow citizens to observe their availability and execution (on requests for access to public information, municipal energyEnsuring universal access to sustainable, dependable, and affordable energy is critical to every aspect of prosperity. Increasing public oversight and transparency in the energy sector can help to ens... consumption and generation, socio-demographic indicators, public health inspections, cleaning and rubbish collection activity, etc.). Moreover, adding the work of internal dissemination in terms of open data that this process has entailed, allows the different administrative bodies to become aware of the importance of public information in a reusable format for access by citizens and also for their own management.
Most of this information was already published by the City Council. Particularly innovative has been its visualization – although this has taken place after a process of improving the quality of the data, in the case of the second portal – improving the channels of accountability to the public.

Provide evidence for your answer:

• Open Data Portal of the City Council.
• Transparency Portal of the City Council.
•  Data Portal.
• City of Madrid Open Budgets
• Transparency Ordinance Monitoring Commission
• Open Cities Project
• Registration of requests and claims for access to public information
• Contract Registry Report
• Monitoring Report on the Third Open Government Plan of the Madrid City Council (December 2022)
• Final Follow-Up Report On The Third Open Government Plan Of The Madrid City Council

2.1.4 Other Results

Not Applicable

2.2 Did the commitment address the public policy problem that it intended to address as described in the action plan?

Yes

Provide a brief explanation of your answer:

As defended in the previous sections, the actions carried out correspond to those designed in the action plan and the achievements of the commitment respond to the objectives set.

Provide evidence for your answer:

• Final Follow-Up Report On The Third Open Government Plan Of The Madrid City Council

3. Provide at least one lesson or reflection relating to the implementation of this commitment. It can be the identification of key barriers to implementation, an unexpected help/hindrance, recommendations for future commitments, or if the commitment should be taken forward to the next action plan.

One of the most interesting issues in commitment implementation is the realization of visualizations based on criteria such as citizen interest, public service, transparency, and accountability, beyond the mere data availability or the technical difficulties involved in combining vast datasets. Although the cleaning and correction of incomplete, outdated, poor quality, and/or fragmented data will continue until the end of September 2024, it is noteworthy that the technical and economic effort that this obstacle involves the principles of open governance.