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The Riksdag’s Open Data -Strategy, Content and Lessons Learned
Karin Hedman & Anna Olderius
Once upon a time…
In 2010 the Riksdag opened up its databases
Cornerstones
The Swedish Constitution states that…
"Every Swedish citizen shall be entitled to have free access to official documents, in order to encourage the free exchange of opinion and the availability of comprehensive information"
Ch. 2, Art. 1 of the Freedom of the Press Act. The principle of public access to official documents.
The communication strategy states that the communication shall be
Open“It should be easy to contact the Riksdag, to receive answers to questions, search for documents and visit parliament. The Riksdag Administration shall work actively to promote greater accessibility and transparency with regard to the work and decisions of the Riksdag and the Riksdag Administration.”
Useful“The Riksdag Administration's communication shall be based on the recipient's needs and shall be adaptable to the needs, knowledge and conditions of different target groups.”
Strategy
for open data
Our strategy for open data
• Openness and transparency - the Riksdag’s open data as a strategic choice for communication
• A dedicated website for the Riksdag’s open data;
• Free to use – no registration
We can’t solve all our users needs! • We present our data in one way on website/www. • Make our data available to others to use as they
see fit.
Principles
• Majority of the information on the Riksdag web site is also available through open data.
• As much and raw as possible (more than we use ourself)
• Persistant URL:s / addresses and formats
• Use Open standards and formats
Fully transparent digital development
The content
What happens in the Riksdag?
What are the decisions?
How did the parties and MPs vote?
What do the MPs say?
13.869 Private members’ motions – by one click!
Content
This is what our open data contains of:
Lists and pages with:
• Calendar
• Documents (legislative process)
• MPs
• Committee reports
• Voting results
• Reports
Various functions
• API
• Datasets (XML, CSV, JSON/P, RSS, HTML, Text, SQL)
• Support to build your own database
• Reports
The Use
The open data is used for…
• Analyse result of voting
• News articles that scrutinize what MPs do
• Comparing studies on what is said in the chamber
• Smaller applications and websites that visualize the work of the Riksdag
• Content in commercial products
Lessons Learned
Critical success factors
• The strategy of using open data as a platform for the website = legitimacy. Proof of concept.
• Know your data sources – getting flows under control.
• Crucial that the developers have a thorough knowledge of the Riksdag’s activities (or – of how the organisation works)
• It is crucial that the developers work in a team with other specialists, such as editors and graphic designers
• Gradual development, one step at a time
• Get to know your users!
Thank you!
Karin Hedman Anna Olderius
