“Towards a user driven open data ecosystem”
The UNIZAR team is excited to share some of the most important insights and memorable moments from our recent informative and inspiring training week hosted at University of Zaragoza from March 27th to March 31st, 2023. Throughout the week, our primary focus was to train our ESRs with the skills and knowledge needed to improve the open data ecosystem to make it more user-driven and explore new ways to leverage open data to generate value for end users. Our overarching goal was to familiarise our ESRs with open data users, their interests, requirements, and functions within the open data ecosystem.
To achieve this goal, we brought together a diverse group of experts from academia, industry, and government, as well as our ESRs, to engage in discussions and share their knowledge and ideas.
The training week was started by a brief opening from Francisco J. Lopez-Pellicer, coordinator of the H2020 Marie Curie European Training Network programme ODECO at University of Zaragoza.. Over the course of the training week, ESRs, supervisors, and experts participated in a wide range of sessions, including lectures, panel discussions and breakout sessions:
- Day 1:Master Class II
- Open data in practice: Understanding users (needs) & providers (needs) from multiple perspectives
- Day 2: Professional Skills Training:
- Leadership (funding opportunities, gender dimension), social media for research (input and/or dissemination)
- Day 3: :Master Class II
- Open data in practice: Understanding users (needs) & providers (needs) from multiple perspectives, circular economy
- Ethics (professional skills training session moved from Day 2)
- Day 4: ODECO Network Day:
- ESR progress presentations to the ODECO network
- Day 5: Outreach event:
- ODECO Datathon ‘Improving existing data ecosystems’
Throughout the training week, all the participants had the opportunity to share their experiences and insights on these topics, as well as to brainstorm new ideas and solutions.
One of the central subjects that was highlighted throughout the training week was the necessity of co-creation regarding the user needs and user participation in the building of user-driven open data ecosystems. The attendees emphasised the need of data suppliers and users working together to ensure that the data published meets the users’ needs. The attendees discussed concerns about privacy, data security and open access publications were raised, and ESRs called for more openness and responsibility in the collection, dissemination, and use of open data. Finally, ESRs discussed the importance of the need of data visualisation and other tools for making open data accessible and clear to a larger audience at the outreach event “ODECO Datathon ‘Improving current data ecosystems’”.
After each day of training, the ODECO team came together for some social fun to build camaraderie and learn more about the beautiful city of Zaragoza. In social activities we visited the Aljaferia Palace, the historical centre of Zaragoza and the Mobility City Museum. And of course, no training week would be complete without a, followed by the Gala dinner to cap off the experience.
Looking forward to the future, the ODECO team is already excited about the next training week at the University of Camerino in Italy to continue the collaborative learning and sharing of ideas with experts from academia, industry, and government to further enhance the open data ecosystem.
