Carrying out Data Dialogues (DEHHB0001)

Commitment ID

DEHHB0001

Commitment Title

Data Dialogue: Four events are to be held, initiated by the Senate Chancellery of Hamburg in cooperation with various stakeholders. The aim is to explain the topic of data in an appealing and understandable way for different interest groups.

Problem

The datafication of our society is a development that confronts everyone with numerous challenges. Every citizen, public administration, business, and civil society generates and uses data every day. Despite its increasing relevance, the current discourse on data and the datafication of society is sometimes very abstract and quite difficult to access.  In addition, the subject area is still understood as a niche or expert topic. As a result, several complex issues arise, e.g.: How can we create suitable access to the topic of data for different interest groups to ensure awareness and a sovereign and self-determined way of dealing with data/datafication? How can we create transparency and actively counter fears/concerns that arise in the population due to increasing datafication?

Status quo

There are several units within the city`s administration that dealing with the topic of data management, data literacy and raising awareness for the topic by addressing challenges of the citizen’s everyday life that can be solved with data-based solutions. Nonetheless these actions still show potential when it comes to coordination, communication within and outside of the public administration and to the necessary skills to make full use of the services. The data dialogue aims at addressing these issues within and without the public administration to strengthen data skills for the public servants and to make a strengthen the skills of informed citizens.

Action

In an increasingly digitalized world, more and more information is provided through digital gateway. One objective of the Data Dialogue will be to create a room for capacity building to improve access to digitally provided information and, in conjunction with this, to promote capacity building and expertise.

Moreover, with the commitment, we create different spaces for dialogue that will deliberately rely on plurality in the choice of topics and audiences, to highlight the importance of data for society and to jointly develop strategies for action for the city of Hamburg. The dialogue will integrate existing Hamburg initiatives that already deal with the communication of knowledge about data and the creation of new approaches to the topic.

How will the commitment contribute to solving the public problem described above?

Establishing new and connecting existing rooms for dialogues of issues related to urban data governance. Some of our objectives are:

• to support data sovereignty using multiplier effects by the respective organizations/target groups.
• to exchange and mesh innovation projects within public administrations across disciplinary boundaries.
• to take up specific data topics from the City of Hamburg.
• to strengthen data literacy (civil society in general, and for relevant target groups, e.g., public administrations).
• to support the discourse on data and how to deal with it in the city of Hamburg.
• to strengthen the networking of stakeholders in the City of Hamburg and beyond.
• to pick up on new impulses and developments, communicate them and continue to think about them.
• to publicize existing initiatives, offers and structures in the City of Hamburg.

to position the City of Hamburg as a key player in Germany in the field of data.

What long-term goal as identified in your Open Government Strategy does this commitment relate to?

The topic of data and its management are important pillars to strengthen open governance and social participation. This is reflected in various activities, such as the Digital Strategy for Hamburg from January 2020 as well as the Transparency Act from 2012 which is a model example of transparency legislation in Germany. In addition, the Senate Chancellery Hamburg consolidated competences related to digitalization and data in the new unit Department for IT and Digitization since 2018. With the Urban Data Hub, Hamburg also has an internal innovation and technology consultancy that is continuously expanding its Urban Data Platform.

In reference to the existing initiatives, we see the commitment as an addition to make the topic of data accessible to a broader public. The focus will not only be on the use of data from the public sector perspective, but rather on the interface to business, science, and civil society with all their synergies. The format is to be established in the long term.

Primary Policy Area

Digital Governance

Primary Sector

Public Services (general)

What OGP value is this commitment relevant to?