In Smart Cities Data constitutes a very valuable asset and an essential resource for almost any activity in our society and, especially, in urban areas. Hence our Working Group I is working on the need for adequate management of all this data that is produced in our cities, because it will be key to understanding what is happening and thus facilitate making appropriate decisions that respond to the demands and needs of citizens.

The first step in all open data policies must be based on an active strategy that allows data to be shared and, even more importantly, that it is easy to find, understandable to all users and easy to reuse. This last point is essential, since those who reuse the data will be the ones who will be able to extract practical applications from it, so it is essential to maintain a permanent communication and collaboration channel from the Administration.

However, despite the importance of data, there is no single formula that guides us in the application of open data to improve public services in cities. With enormous potential, data are assets whose final application will depend on each specific case. In this way, the opening of public data has the capacity to define new services, products or applications, which is why it will function as a catalyst for innovative projects.

In this sense, Before taking the first steps in a project related to open data, we must take into account the legislation, regulations and recommendations that already exist, both nationally and internationally., among which we can highlight: Law 37/2007 on reuse of public sector information, the national technical standard of and the Standards for Smart Cities that are being developed within the AEN/CTN 178 Technical Committee of AENOR, among many others.

Consult the report prepared in 2014 on Open Data:

Illustration: Andalusia is digital