Actionable Open data: Connecting City Data to Local Actions

Open Data are recognised as invaluable resources at the city level for improving local services, community engagement and businesses initiatives, but their use still struggle to have the desired impact. This work addresses the underuse of Open Data by exploring the connection between data and actions in everyday urban activities implemented by local governments, public agencies, businesses, non-profit organisations and research institutions operating in the city. The empirical results of this exploratory study outline a structural misalignment between a) roles of local actors in city activities and their data-related activities, b) provision of Open Data and information needs of local actors, c) expected uses of data in local actions and forms of support to the users provided by current city Open Data portals. The envisioned alternative approach to foster the use of Open Data at the city level rely on identifying the appropriate data to be produced for supporting local actions, instead than focusing on publishing data disconnected from real information needs of organisations working for local communities.