Open data intermediaries are critical for enhancing value generation from open data. However, empirical research on their business model archetypes remains limited. This gap constrains our understanding of the conditions and potential innovations required to perform the roles of open data intermediaries sustainably. To address this gap, we developed a taxonomy and empirically derived business model archetypes based on 190 open data intermediaries. We identified nine archetypes: collaborative open data platforms, premium self-service data delivery, personalized open data services, interactive apps with other complementary products, open data repositories funded by sponsorship, one-stop packages around an (augmented) open data platform/repository, single-purpose apps, interactive apps without complementary products, and open data advocacy. We also described each archetype’s value proposition, value creation, and value capture dimensions. Our findings support further research into the conditions that contribute to the success of open data intermediaries’ business models and the design of new, innovative ones. They also provide business model inspiration for existing and potential open data intermediaries, thereby encouraging greater exploitation of open data value. ... Read more

Digital literacy skills are paramount today, especially for young people. The Erasmus+ DIRECTORS (DIgital data-dRiven EduCaTion fOR kidS) project aims to promote data literacy in primary education by introducing new teaching methods and materials designed to support curriculum updates. The project targets pupils aged 8−10 and their teachers, focusing on building foundational digital and data skills through hands-on, interactive learning experiences. In 2024, we conducted three workshops of two sessions each in Marija Corica (Croatia) and Delfgauw (the Netherlands): (1) Data in Our Hands (and Mobile Devices), (2) Spatial Data (and Maps) in Our Hands, and (3) Data Sources. The activities encouraged pupils to explore data concepts interactively, using datasets from their immediate environment and transitioning from conceptualizing data in non-digital forms to applying it in digital contexts. The implementation varied between Croatia and the Netherlands, allowing us to compare outcomes due to cultural and infrastructural differences. This paper presents an overview of the workshop design and content, the evaluation results, and the lessons learned. Key takeaways include the necessity of grounding abstract data concepts in tangible, real-world contexts before introducing digital tools. Finally, we discuss future iterations' directions, including better teachers' involvement and addressing technological limitations like device availability and connectivity. ... Read more

Het Europese DIRECTORS-project (DIgital data dRiven Education fOR kidS) is opgezet door de Universiteit van Zagreb (Kroatië) en de Technische Universiteit Delft en bedoeld om datageletterdheid in het basisonderwijs te bevorderen door ervaringen te delen en materialen aan te bieden. Het project richt zich op leerlingen van 8-10 jaar en hun leerkrachten. Dit artikel beschrijft de ontwikkelde lesmethoden en de opgedane lessen bij het implementeren ervan op basisscholen in Nederland en Kroatie. ... Read more

Despite the many promises of open data, numerous challenges inhibit its full potential, such as its poor or inconsistent quality, a lack of complementary assets, and the limited skills of data providers and end-users. Open data intermediaries are instrumental in addressing some of these challenges. They provide specialized resources and capabilities to enhance the supply, flow, or use of open data, or strengthen the relationships among various open data ecosystem (ODE) actors. However, in-depth studies on open data intermediation business models are limited, with most having only offered birds-eye views of those business models. This deficiency has limited our knowledge to develop open data intermediation business models that contribute positively to the ODE. In the geospatial domain, Esri is an important open data intermediary, having been involved in such a role since the 1990s. This article unpacks Esri's open data intermediation business model and analyses its current strengths and weaknesses as well as its potential opportunities and threats to the ODE. Finally, this article recommends factors to consider in developing an open data intermediation business model that supports the sustainability of the ODE. ... Read more

In various official documents, the European Union has declared its goal to pursue a “people-centric” digital transformation. While fuzzy in its formulation, this generally entails the defense of individual rights alongside principles such as economic competitiveness, social inclusiveness, digital sovereignty, and environmental sustainability. Hence—we claim—“people-centric” embeds and demands a “collectual” (collective + individual) equilibrium between individual and collective rights and principles. Concretely, we draw on literature to operationalize such an equilibrium in terms of socio-economic sustainability, inclusiveness, and resilience (SIR). From here, we show that the EU’s current human rights-based approach (HRBA) and its emerging digital single market (DSM) maintain an individualistic focus and economic rationale which fail to be collectual and SIR. We identify data commons as a promising collectual and SIR regime for governing the digital transformation. By addressing current barriers and limitations of data common initiatives, we conceptualize the Data Republic as a theoretical setup that can systemically tackle these limitations and barriers to provide a new way for pursuing a “people-centric” digital transformation in the EU. ... Read more

Geomatics is a domain that has gained relevance and importance within the field of Architecture and the Built Environment. Typically, Geomatics education in Delft, Lund, Bochum, Leuven, and Zagreb was best characterised as lecture-based: traditional and relatively passive. This has changed fundamentally after March 2020. In this article, we analyse the development towards more active learning and teaching in five university degree programmes regarding geomatics. This study found two types of active online education: digitisation of on-campus education and implementation of new online active learning and teaching methods, including clips, quizzes, forums, in-depth Q&A, and debates. Despite the use of active learning methods, universities are struggling to maintain the attention of students during lectures and with the design of online assessments. ... Read more

In various official documents, the European Union has declared its goal to pursue a citizen-centric governance of digital transformation. Through a critical review of several of these documents, here we show how “citizen-centric” is more a glamouring than a driving concept. De facto, the EU is enabling a federated data system that is corporate-driven, economic-oriented, and GDPR-compliant; in other words, a Digital Single Market (DSM). This leaves out societal and collective-level dimensions of digital transformation—such as social inclusion, digital sovereignty, and environmental sustainability—which are acknowledged, but not operationalized, by the EU as pillars of a citizen-centric governance. Hence, the door is open to a complementary approach to the governance of digital transformation. We argue that, while a federated data model can constitute the tech-legal backbone of the emerging DSM, a commoning of data, as an ecosystemic approach that maintains a societal and collective outlook by default, can represent a complement to enact a truly citizen-centric governance. ... Read more

Data literacy is an essential skill in today's and future world. Children should be introduced to data literacy concepts in ways appropriate to their age, using real-world data examples and hands-on experiences. As part of the Erasmus+ DIRECTORS project, three workshops (each having two sessions) for children aged 8-10 (ISCED level 1) are currently being developed and implemented in selected primary schools in Croatia and the Netherlands. The first cycle of workshops was completed in November 2024, and the workshops - together with accompanying open educational resources - are now being improved for the final implementation in April 2025. This paper focuses on the engineering principles “hidden” in our DIRECTORS data literacy workshops. While we primarily emphasize data literacy and digital skills, engineering elements are intertwined throughout our whole program and in all data lifecycle phases: collection, processing, analysis, visualization, as well as critical thinking, and drawing conclusions. We give an overview of the engineering principles present in data lifecycle phases of each workshop. We describe which activities were used to implement them, and we discuss the importance of each principle in our workshops, making small steps to a more successful, albeit somewhat “hidden”, engineering education. ... Read more

The world is becoming more and more data driven. There are many ways to collect, analyse and disseminate data, and data ecosystems are among the most important environments that we have for facilitating this. Spatial data is one of the data types in data ecosystems, and data ecosystems play a key role in further value creation of the spatial data created, maintained and shared in the SDI. The workshop on “Data Ecosystems and Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) - facilitators for data value creation” brought together the views from actors ranging from the Local and National Authorities from Norway, Sweden and Denmark, European organisations such as the EC Joint Research Centre, The Alexandra Institute, and researchers working from different domains like spatial data, energy transition and building infrastructure. This report summarises the key takeaways from the presentations and the discussions during the breakout sessions that followed each of the topics as well as presenting a synthesis of the main findings of the workshop including the main take-aways for the SDI community. ... Read more

Open data promises various benefits, including stimulating innovation, improving transparency and public decision-making, and enhancing the reproducibility of scientific research. Nevertheless, numerous studies have highlighted myriad challenges related to preparing, disseminating, processing, and reusing open data, with newer studies revealing similar issues to those identified a decade prior. Several researchers have proposed the open data ecosystem (ODE) as a lens for studying and devising interventions to address these issues. Since actors in the ecosystem are individually and collectively impacted by the sustainability of the ecosystem, all have a role in tackling the challenges in the ODE. This paper asks what the contributions of open data intermediaries may be in addressing these challenges. Open data intermediaries are third-party actors providing specialized resources and capabilities to (i) enhance the supply, flow, and/or use of open data and/or (ii) strengthen the relationships among various open data stakeholders. They are critical in ensuring the flow of resources within the ODE. Through semi-structured interviews and a validation exercise in the European Union context, this study explores the potential contribution of open data intermediaries and the specific ODE challenges they may address. This study identified 20 potential contributions, addressing 27 challenges. The findings of this study pave the way for further inquiry into the internal incentives (viable business models) and external incentives (policies and regulations) to direct the contributions of open data intermediaries toward addressing challenges in the ODE. ... Read more

To achieve sustainable development goals, georeferenced data and geographic information systems play a crucial role. Yet, the way in which these data and systems are summoned upon rests on positivist assumptions which overlook both epistemological and ethical concerns. This is epitomized by the integrated geospatial information framework (IGIF) of the United Nations, which, from the perspective of sustainable development, aims to provide guidance for the management of geoinformation and related tools, considering these as mirrors of the physical world. In this respect, the article has three main goals. First, it delivers an epistemological and ethical critique of the IGIF, by highlighting its internal tensions. Second, it suggests how the IGIF and similar geoinformation initiatives can benefit from an ethical reflection that allows to conduct georeferenced practices in a fair(er) way. Third, it designs an ethics assessment list for self-evaluating the ethical robustness of geoinformation initiatives as ecosystems. ... Read more

Open data has many potential benefits including stimulating innovation, enhancing accountability and transparency, and improving the reproducibility and dissemination of research (Janssen et al., 2012; Uhlir and Schröder, 2007; Zhu et al., 2019). However, there are various shortcomings in the current open data initiatives such as the mismatch between the supply and demand of open data, the lack of appropriate software to process data, and confusion regarding data licenses (Johnson et al., 2017; van Loenen et al., 2021). The role of open data intermediaries is considered important to address these weaknesses. Open data intermediaries facilitate the use of and access to open data (Chattapadhyay, 2014; González-Zapata and Heeks, 2015) and build connections among open data stakeholders (Mayer-Schönberger and Zappia, 2011). It follows that open data intermediaries are regarded as one of the priority areas in open data research (Davies and Perini, 2016). Nevertheless, in-depth studies on open data intermediaries are scarce. Within the limited studies, they are found to face several challenges that may undermine their potential contribution to other open data stakeholders. For example, lack of financial planning (Flores, 2020), over-reliance on volunteers (Reggi and Dawes, 2016), and difficulty in securing data experts (Andrason and van Schalkwyk, 2017). Some of these challenges are associated with the lack of development of open data intermediaries’ business models (Kitsios et al., 2021; Reggi and Dawes, 2016). Before any research-based development of their business models can be carried out, a clear view of the existing business models is needed. Given this, the objective of this extended abstract is to review existing business models of open data intermediaries from the academic literature through a systematic literature review (SLR). Section 2 provides a brief background on the concept of a business model. Section 3 describes the research method. Section 4 presents the findings. Last but not least, Section 5 discusses the findings and proposes considerations for future studies. ... Read more

Children in the primary educational level learn about fundamental reading, writing and mathematics skills as a basis for future learning. In some European Union countries, they are also taught basic informatics and computer usage. However, only a few efforts are made to start teaching them about (open) data literacy. When teaching about data, multiple stages of the data value chain can be tackled, adapted to children’s capabilities; from data production or collection to data usage or impact. Such teaching can be more theoretical, with already prepared examples, or a complete hands-on experience, where the data is collected from the environment, further analyzed, visualized and the conclusions about data are made. In this paper, we will present the currently available research on the approaches to teaching children about data. We will also discuss the potential benefits and the main issues impeding such an effort. Finally, we will propose the way forward for informal active learning about data for lower-level primary school children, based on the hands-on workshops using environmental data. ... Read more

A new active teaching and learning approach has been implemented in the BSc course Open Urban Data Governance.. This course is part of the minor Spatial Computing for Digital Twinning in the Bachelor of Architecture, Urbanism and Building Sciences at the Faculty of Architecture and The Built Environment, TU Delft, and offered TU wide as an elective. At the start of the course the students were tasked to collect and analyse noise level data, and to reflect on this process. In the second (main) assignment they had to develop an urban challenge to be answered with geo-data. Also here a reflection was required including an assessment of the FAIRness of the data. Both students and teachers highly appreciated the new approach. Through applying active teaching and learning we created an example of the theory on students’ activities. This approach also links students’ real world experiences to the content of the course, which allows them to put theory into context. Teachers especially appreciated the interaction with the students, the depth of the discussions, and were impressed by the steep learning curve of the students. Students enjoyed the freedom to operate, the frequent feedback sessions and the application of theory into practice. For the next year the lectures will take into account that ‘minor’ students do prepare well for their classes. ... Read more

To harness the promises of digital transformation, different players take different paths. Departing from corporate-driven (e.g., the United States) and state-led (e.g., China) approaches, in various documents, the European Union states its goal to establish a citizen-centric data ecosystem. However, it remains contentious the extent to which the envisioned digital single market can enable the creation of public value and empower citizens. As an alternative, in this article, we argue in favor of a fair data ecosystem, defined as an approach capable of representing and keep in balance the data interests of all actors, while maintain a collective outlook. We build such ecosystem around data commons—as a third path to market and state approaches to the managing of resources—coupled with open data (OD) frameworks and spatial data infrastructures (SDIs). Indeed, based on literature, we claim that these three regimes complement each other, with OD and SDIs supplying infrastructures and institutionalization to data commons’ limited replicability and scalability. This creates the preconditions for designing the main roles, rules, and mechanisms of a data republic, as a possible enactment of a fair data ecosystem. While outlining here its main traits, the testing of the data republic model is open for further research. ... Read more

The role of open data intermediaries is considered instrumental in the supply and use of open data. There are various definitions of open data intermediaries in the literature and some of them are quite different from each other. These definitions
can benefit from harmonization so knowledge about open data intermediaries can be developed on top of a shared understanding of what open data intermediaries mean. The objective of this article is to propose a common definition of open data intermediaries. We first carried out a systematic literature review and compiled the definitions of open data intermediaries from the literature. We found that each definition can be broken down into four basic components: (i) Who are the actors of open data intermediaries? (ii) What do they do? (iii) Where are they located in the open data lifecycle? and (iv) Why are they needed? We then conducted another round of data gathering and analysis to substantiate the four basic components. We proposed the following common definition of open data intermediaries: Third-party actors who provide specialized resources
and capabilities to (i) enhance the supply, flow, and/or use of open data and/or (ii) strengthen the relationships among various open data stakeholders. ... Read more

This research aims to assess available spatial open data related to access to hospitals in the three largest Croatian cities (Zagreb, Split, Rijeka), with a future aim to create digital services as an ecosystem that will be used in everyday situations, as part of the concept of “digital society”. Data analysis is performed for the following datasets: hospitals, hospital specialization, public transport (tram, bus), bike routes, car routes, parking and parking for people with disabilities. The future aim is to create a new mobile, multilingual and voice-based application that would enable quick access to information on hospital access, relying on the principles of the open data ecosystem, which would improve over time. There are four specific aims: (1) to identify and analyze portals and open datasets of the selected categories for the three largest Croatian cities; (2) to analyze existing open data assessment frameworks and detect gaps; (3) to create a conceptual open data assessment framework as an open data ecosystem that integrates new end-user perspectives; and (4) to analyze existing open datasets for the three largest cities in Croatia, based on supply and demand by researcher/developer categories, using the newly developed framework. The results show that existing open datasets related to hospital access in the three largest Croatian cities are scattered across different portals. Analyzed frameworks existing on the supply side of open data are more focused on the status of the components, lacking evaluation scales and not including end-user-driven aspects, which would be crucial for the open data ecosystem. As a result, the new “Hospital Access Framework” is created as a conceptual ecosystem, including five categories: supply, demand by researcher/developer, demand by end-user, legal aspect and impact. Analysis of existing open data for the three Croatian cities is performed for two categories (supply and demand by researcher/developer), for which KPIs, indicators and evaluation scales are developed. The other three categories are not analyzed, since the application cannot be developed from existing data, which are insufficient for the creation of a smart application. Results show that existing open data related to hospital access are incomplete or do not exist at all (hospital specialization, parking for people with disabilities, data on multilingualism and voice enabling). Average scores of the supply category are higher than those for demand by researcher/developer, although they are below the average grade, showing a lack of available data that could be used for further development. The new conceptual “Hospital Access Framework” open data ecosystem would benefit from end-user interaction, therefore, improving over time with end-users through interaction. ... Read more

There is an increasing need for spatial data to be used for informed decision-making and as a resource for developing innovative products and services. A Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) facilitates access to and sharing of spatial data by providing a framework in which technical and non-technical aspects are established. Traditionally, SDIs are developed by and for government organisations to share spatial information within government. Non-government parties may also use SDIs to access government spatial data, either as open data or as fee-based data. There are also non-government SDIs, such as company SDIs used to share spatial information within a private sector organisation. OpenStreetMap is another example of a non-government SDI, whereby citizens have created a worldwide map based on crowd-sourced information and contributions from private and public sector organisations. The concept of Open SDIs has emerged from an increased interest in open data initiatives steered by national and international directives, such as the EU Open Data Directive (Directive (EU) 2019/1024), as well as the large investment of European public authorities in developing SDIs. Open SDIs are SDIs in which citizens, research institutions, private organizations and other businesses and non-governmental actors are recognized as key stakeholders of the infrastructure (Vancauwenberghe and van Loenen, 2018; Vancauwenberghe et al., 2018). The concept of Open SDIs is about openness to new stakeholders in the open data ecosystem, in which stakeholders can be both producers and users of spatial data. Open SDIs are also linked to developments and trends in other domains, such as open government, open data, open science, and open software. This new paradigm regarding Open SDIs means that new particular skills are required, which currently are not offered by traditional SDI education ... Read more