The document discusses barriers to the use of open government data (OGD) in Switzerland, particularly among political intermediaries. Key barriers identified include governance, cost, legal issues, and lack of skills. The paper suggests enhancing support for data processing and visualization to improve OGD usage and proposes further research on governmental actions to facilitate visualization and data exploration.

1. Berner Fachhochschule | Haute école spécialisée bernoise | Bern University of Applied Sciences
Barriers to OGD use an visualization
The case of intermediaries in Switzerland
▶ E-Government Institute

2. Berner Fachhochschule | Haute école spécialisée bernoise | Bern University of Applied Sciences
Identify barriers to OGD use
Aim and context of the research

3. Berner Fachhochschule | Haute école spécialisée bernoise | Bern University of Applied Sciences
The promise of OGD
open data + fancy portal = use
data + easy to use visualization
tools = visualizations everywhere
What we see
▶ No massive use of data can be
observed, therefore cost of data
and access to it is not the only
barrier
▶ The number of visualization as
preferred way to communicate
key messages drawn from
datasets is slowly increasing, but
a massive visual turn cannot be
observed

4. Berner Fachhochschule | Haute école spécialisée bernoise | Bern University of Applied Sciences
Potential barriers to OGD
In literature we have found several
categories of potential barriers:
▶ Governance issues
▶ Cost issues
▶ Legal issues
▶ Data/Metadata issues
▶ Access issues
▶ Skills issues
Actions suggested to increase use
and visualisation include the
offering and support not only for
data but also it’s processing,
statistical analysis and visualisation.

5. Berner Fachhochschule | Haute école spécialisée bernoise | Bern University of Applied Sciences
▶ Strategic ecosystem thinking includes:
▶ Identifying the different actors in the ecosystem
▶ Understanding the transactions and their specific value to the
participants
▶ Looking at the ressources needed by the different actors
▶ Finding indicators for the health of the ecosystem
Ecosystem approach to the issue

6. Berner Fachhochschule | Haute école spécialisée bernoise | Bern University of Applied Sciences
We have loooked at political parties, associations and NGOs, media in
Switzerland
▶ literature based
▶ All actors who are bridging the gap between data producers and
data consumers
▶ Actors with knowledge, skills and ressources to make sense out
of OGD
▶ context based
▶ Strong role of associations and NGOs due to a formalised
consultation process
▶ Need for clear communication in the context of direct democratic
rights
Focus on political intermediaries

7. Berner Fachhochschule | Haute école spécialisée bernoise | Bern University of Applied Sciences
▶ How do the political intermediaries perceive the role and importance
of OGD visualization?
▶ What are the barriers to wider use of OGD by political intermediaries?
▶ How can the production data visualization by political intermediaries
improved in terms of frequency and quality?
Research questions

8. Berner Fachhochschule | Haute école spécialisée bernoise | Bern University of Applied Sciences
Interviews and process simulation
Methodology of the study

9. Berner Fachhochschule | Haute école spécialisée bernoise | Bern University of Applied Sciences
▶ Interdisciplinary team of e-government scholars and visual
communication researcher
▶ Three steps in the process
▶ establish quality criteria for OGD visualization
▶ Semi-structured interviews with intermediaries
▶ Visualisation process simulation
▶ 3 interviews each with 3 groups of intermediaries
Intedisciplinary multi-method approach

10. Berner Fachhochschule | Haute école spécialisée bernoise | Bern University of Applied Sciences
Context Formal Criteria Narration Quality Intention and Means
intention and key
message
target audience
characteristic of the data
actors involved as
 data supplier
 visualization
designer
 publisher of the
visualization
channels of distribution
tools used
type of graphic used
colour climate:
consistency
typography: readability,
emotional involvement
theme used: adequacy in
regards to the data and
intention
hierarchy of the
elements: size, colour,
position and movement
layout grid: elements
used, flow of
information
overall impression: calm
or nervous
overall consistency of
the design elements
effectiveness of user
prompt (interactivity,
instruction, user
navigation)
adequacy of the
narration structure
(linearity, character of
the narration: functional
vs. emotional)
over-all educational
value of the narration
main take-away for
potential audience
impression for a
potential audience:
novelty, scandal, blame,
…
general style: factual,
reliable, irritating, etc.
overall adequacy to
context
Quality criteria for OGD Visualisations

11. Berner Fachhochschule | Haute école spécialisée bernoise | Bern University of Applied Sciences
Skills, ressources and text orientation
Key findings

12. Berner Fachhochschule | Haute école spécialisée bernoise | Bern University of Applied Sciences
Main barriers in media
http://www.nzz.ch/schweiz/die-wahren-interessen-der-lobbyisten-1.18255372
▶ value assesment based on
traditional quality criteria of
news stories
▶ high investments needed for
visualisation
▶ skills are slowly developing
(depending on company size)

13. Berner Fachhochschule | Haute école spécialisée bernoise | Bern University of Applied Sciences
Main barriers in political parties
https://apps.opendatacity.de/vds/
▶ lack of ressources and skills in
central party offices
▶ singular experimental initiatives
among members of the
parliament which are seen as too
costly
▶ parties have currently a strong
preference towards language
based communication but are
closely following the
development of visualisation use
in the media

14. Berner Fachhochschule | Haute école spécialisée bernoise | Bern University of Applied Sciences
Main barriers in associations and NGOs
http://www.baumeister.ch/fileadmin/media/3_Politik_und_Kommunikation/Zahle
n_und_Fakten/zahlen-und-fakten_2014_d.pdf
▶ lack of ressources and skills
▶ strong preference towards
written communication
▶ burdensome process for data
collection
▶ spreadsheet application are used
as tools thus limiting the quality
of visualizations

15. Berner Fachhochschule | Haute école spécialisée bernoise | Bern University of Applied Sciences
Process simulation
▶ visualisation task executed with
different tools and with different
level of expertise
▶ high barriers for effective data
gathering and processing
confirmed
▶ lack of context information as an
additional burden

16. Berner Fachhochschule | Haute école spécialisée bernoise | Bern University of Applied Sciences
How can the barriers to OGD use be
lowered?
Conclusions and further research

17. Berner Fachhochschule | Haute école spécialisée bernoise | Bern University of Applied Sciences
Further research topics on possible gov activities
data.gov.in
▶ Supportive actions in data
provisioning
▶ Portal functions for
visualization in order to
facilitate data exploration
and foster a visual approach
▶ Support in political-
administrative system
▶ Support offers to MPs by
parliamentary services
▶ data provisioning together
with governemt
communication
▶ Add data visualisation as
indicator for use and impact of
OGD to current monitoring

18. Berner Fachhochschule | Haute école spécialisée bernoise | Bern University of Applied Sciences
Further research topics on private services
▶ Research in possible
standardisation for visualisation
processes with the aim to
provide intermediaries with
professional visualization at
lower prices
▶ Market driven provisioning of
training in visualization

19. Berner Fachhochschule | Haute école spécialisée bernoise | Bern University of Applied Sciences
Thank you for your attention!
jerome.brugger@bfh.ch