The final version of the brief that was initially drafted in October 2021 i out. Special thanks to Jonathan Crusoe, Daniel Dersén, Sumbat Daniel Sarkis, Per Hagström for  valuable contributions!

The aim of the brief, and of the interviews that lead up to it, was to carry out awareness-raising and to engage stakeholders in discussions about the state of open data and the possible actions towards further data openness in Sweden. This awareness raising activity was based on case study findings conducted earlier this year and included interviews with different types of stakeholders engaged in open data topics (i.e. academics, public officials, journalists, and active users/practitioners of open data). It resulted in this brief and in an Open Letter to public officials and policy makers with recommendations about the way forward in the field of open data in Sweden.

The brief was drafted in the framework of the project “Open data for civic participation”, run by Open Knowledge Sweden together with the NGO “My Voice” in Latvia and with Belarusian partners. This project is implemented with the support of the Nordic Council of Ministers’ funding programme for NGO co-operation in the Baltic Sea Region. The goal of the project is to exchange knowledge and experiences between the NGOs in Sweden, Latvia and Belarus about the availability and the use of the open data for civic participation, and ultimately to make civic activism more informed and effective.