Publish Terrain, Climate, and Water Data (DK0067)

What is the social problem that the commitment will address?
Data about terrain, climate and water has traditionally been compiled and owned by a number of different public authorities. There is a need to increase the availability of relevant data across the various authori-ties for use in the ever-increasing tasks and investment involving ar-eas such as urban planning, climate adaptation, watercourse manage-ment and challenges of rising ground water levels. Furthermore, ac-cess to previously inaccessible data will be increased. User work-shops and analyses have indicated that previous challenges caused by rising ground water levels only partially have been addressed and therefore this commitment has a particular focus on this issue.

What does the commitment entail?
The commitment collects terrain, climate and water data from a num-ber of authorities and actors. A Hydrological Information and Forecast-ing System (HIF) will be set up to provide a unified approach to data. Part of HIF will involve modelled calculations of strata close to the sur-face, with a view to mapping where past, present and future ground water levels were/are/will be in proximity to the surface.

How will the commitment contrib-ute towards solving the social problem?
All measures in this initiative are based on needs that have been ex-pressed by users who work with water supply, water drainage, climate adaptation, dissemination of water, climate and terrain data, agricul-ture, urban planning etc.

Why is this commitment relevant to OGP values?
The projects under this commitment differ in nature and will be able to create quality improvements and add value for a number of admin-istrations and private stakeholders. This value is partly due to the gen-eration of data that results in an improved basis for decision-making. Data in the commitment will be publicly accessible, which means that all actors, e.g. authorities, advisors, citizens and interest groups will be able to access the data, which may form part of the basis for decision-making by public authorities. Publicly accessible terrain, climate and water data help to inform the dialogue about the best way for us to manage climate change. It is important that transparency and trust will be assured in the decisions that are intended to secure Denmark for the future in a time where torrential rain is more frequent, winters are wetter and summers are dryer. Open terrain, climate and water data will help to increase the legitimacy of coming years’ climate adapta-tion, urban planning and investment in infrastructure.

Additional information
Total budget of DKK 43 million. This does not include the cost of sala-ries for the involved parties. The commitment is part of the Joint Public Digitisation Strategy 2016-2020 (commitment 6.1 Joint terrain, climate and water data). Other plans for the sector: Supply strategy, 2016.

4. Joint public collaboration on terrain, climate and water data

Main Objective

"The commitment collects terrain, climate and water data from a number of authorities and actors. A Hydrological Information and Forecasting System (HIF) will be set up to provide a unified approach to data. Part of HIF will involve modelled calculations of strata close to the surface, with a view to mapping where past, present and future ground water levels were/are/will be in proximity to the surface." [10]

Milestones

• Hydrological Information and Forecasting company Part 1: collection and presentation of data
• Hydrological Information and Forecasting company Parts 2-4: Calculations of groundwater in proximity to the surface and water flow in watercourses
• Technical improvement of Point Discharge System (PULS)
• Watercourses reference
• Collection of watercourse data (Form data and hydrometric data)

Editorial Note: For the complete text of this commitment, please see Denmark's action plan at https://digst.dk/media/21659/ogp-nap-2019-2021-english.pdf, pp. 17-18.

Commitment Analysis

This commitment aims to improve use of and access to data on the Danish environment, with an emphasis on future challenges related to climate change. Specifically, it plans to create a Hydrological Information and Forecasting System (HIF) that will include standardised datasets on climate, terrain, and water. The data collected by the HIF will be publicly available, making the commitment relevant to the OGP value of access to information.

Danish municipalities are required by law to develop climate adaptation programmes. [11] However, the information used to devise these programmes is administered by a broad range of public institutions without a common data infrastructure. The recent effects of climate change in Denmark (such as flooding) have increased the value of data cooperation across municipalities and sectors to manage such changes more effectively. [12]

If created, the HIF could improve transparency in a relatively specialised area by providing a single point entry to terrain, climate and water data that historically has been collected and/or distributed by a number of sector specific public authorities. A single point of entry to this data, combined with easily understandable presentation (visualisation etc.), could also facilitate better dialogue and a higher degree of understanding between citizens and decision-makers. According to the Danish Agency for Data Supply and Efficiency, the intention is also to improve decision-making and the public's understanding of decisions related to climate adaptation. [13] Furthermore, it could increase the availability of environmental data that may have been difficult to retrieve due to differences in administrative practices in various public authorities. It could also be useful for IT companies who need environmental data for software applications and technical solutions to climate challenges based on hydrological and terrain-related data.

While this commitment is not expected to change governmental practice, it could lead to more effective data management and inter-municipality cooperation in climate change and data transparency. Although not directly included in this commitment, according to the Danish Agency for Data Supply and Efficiency, this could also facilitate greater public dialogue around issues related to local climate plans. [14]