Description
Non-profit organizations are advocating ad hoc for open data since the end of 2011, with little resources and with no clear strategy except that of making the Romanian Government more transparent and more accountable. The aim of the project is to create a structured Coalition of organizations which promotes transparency through the use of open data, developing specific activities which increase the advocacy capacities of the organizations and the level of public awareness concerning open data. At the end of the project the Coalition will number approximately 50 members and around 160 people will be informed about the concept and use of open data, after being actively involved in the project activities. The promotion of open data is made through a series of trainings with those who are responsible for opening up the data and with those who have to inform the citizens and monitor the governmental activities around open data. Also, a series of web applications for citizens will be developed, reusing public sector information. The beneficiaries of the project are NGOs which promote transparency and good governance, as well as public servants and citizens as a whole.
Summary of project results
Before the implementation of the project there was no established cooperation between the public authorities and civil society regarding the implementation of open data public policies, so the main result of the project was the establishment of a strong Open Data Coalition which has the expertise to be the governmental partner in implementing open data commitments. The Coalition is dynamic - any organisation interested in open data can join - and it now is a recognized partner by the Government. The aim of the project was to extend the Coalition to 40 members, starting from the initial 5, scope which has been reached by the end of the project. The Coalition became known and recognized at national and local level and it is considered the reference in terms of open data expertise in Romania. It also developed communication and organising procedures between its members. During the implementation of the project, guides on open data for public officials and for journalists were drafted, public reactions on national legislation were delivered and various software applications for communities were designed. A wide range of target groups were involved in the project activities, as beneficiaries of training courses, as volunteers for the public good and creators of open data applications, as active advocates or beneficiaries of open data public policies. The main benefit of the Open Data Coalition was the multi-stakeholder network which was created and gathered members from various fields of activities, but with one common goal regarding access to data, which made open data movement such a strong movement in Romania due to the EEA Grants support.
Summary of bilateral results