Story
bydata, Bavarias new and scaling (open) data initiative.
Story
bydata, Bavarias new and scaling (open) data initiative.
The challenge.
At the start of our work, the Free State of Bavaria in Germany was critized as Janus-faced, the active civil society disappointed, there was no open data portal and few cities and government agencies dealt with the topic of open data.
With the “digital plan”, the government decided to build a central portal and competence center for the topic to utilize the potential of data for administration, companies and start-ups, research and civil society.
The approach.
In the Bavarian State Ministry for Digital Affairs and its Digital Agency “byte”, we set out to be transparent, be top-notch, and be fast. As product owner and team lead, it was my responsibility to make this a reality.
Transparent: Thanks to user research with Wikimedia, the Open Knowledge Foundation, data start-ups, and motivated individuals in a wide variety of communities, we could gain a clear picture of what is needed and communicated openly about our plans.
Top-notch: We used cloud-native, open source software, decided to host in the public cloud (a novelty for the state context!), developed the novel idea of “mini portals” for all data providers, and built a team envied across Germany and the EU.
Fast: Though we were bound to government processes and procurement, we built an MVP in 3 months, were live in 4.5, with a mature product launched 4 months later at the famous Bits & Pretzels conference.
Got stuff done.
Introducing: Bavaria, now a new frontrunner for open data.
The results.
1 year after the start, Bavaria gathered 17k+ datasets by 100+ providers in a portal named #1 in Germany by the Open Knowledge Foundation, and built a cross-functional competence center with an extensive service portfolio, both recognized internationally and by the EU.
Another year later, the first other state replicated Bavaria’s portal, the data capture is improved through a first-of-its-kind cross-administrative cooperation between Bavaria and the national level, and the bydata idea is expanding to linked open data and a platform for urban digital twins.
Together, we made Bavaria #openbydata.
Want to get stuff done, too?