Lutsk City Council adopts the international Open Data Charter
Lutsk City Council, Ukraine joins ODC’s global network of government adopters
- Why did your government adopt the Charter and what benefits do you hope to gain?
By adopting the Charter, our local government hopes to gain the opportunity to cooperate with other international partners, learn open data best practices and exchange experience with peers worldwide.
The Charter will open new opportunities for sustainable development of our community especially in respect of fostering citizens engagement in policy-making processes and making governing transparent and accountable.
2. How have you approached the guiding principle of becoming open by default?
The Municipality of Lutsk is experienced in dealing with public information. Since 2015 we have been working with The Unified State Open Data Web Portal collecting and updating data of local importance. Additionally, we have a mandatory list of datasets, which we must publish according to Ukrainian legislation.
At the same time, our open data policy stays in line with public opinion. In this respect we constantly conduct public surveys to prioritize data collection and publishing according to the public interest.
3. What challenges have you encountered from developing and implementing your open data policy and which area would you seek most support from the Charter network?
At the moment the Russian war is a main challenge. After the martial law was imposed in Ukraine the majority of datasets were closed for public. And now as a local government we need to be in balance of being open and staying safe.
Another challenge is poor data collection culture.
Despite these challenges we are convinced that participation in Charter network will improve our capacities in the field of open data. Our specialists will eagerly learn new approaches and tools to create and manage data.
4. Based on your experience, what is your top tip for government officials implementing open data initiatives?
Open data makes a social life more transparent and easier. Our top tip for government officials is to create an open data ecosystem, that encourages data opening and usage.
We use a lot of open data tools in Lutsk City territorial community but this system can be enhanced. We believe the more you add the more you gain.
5. Is there a particular policy challenge or sector that your open data strategy will seek to tackle?
The main challenges are: to make open data a basis for adopting local government decisions and creating services for citizens as well as use open data as a channel of communication between the authorities and civil society.
