The Policy Compass project aims to develop online tools to improve policy analysis and evaluation. It will integrate tools for (1) constructing metrics like prosperity indices using open data, (2) building causal models of policies using fuzzy cognitive maps, and (3) facilitating online debates and mapping arguments. The platform will simplify using and visualizing open data, help analyze policies, and raise public discourse on measuring economic and social progress. It seeks to make policymaking more evidence-based, transparent and accountable.

1. EVIDENCE-BASED, TRANSPARENT AND
ACCOUNTABLE POLICYANALYSIS AND EVALUATION:
THE POLICY COMPASS APPROACH
Ourania Markaki, Panagiotis Kokkinakos, Sotiris
Koussouris, Habin Lee, Obaid Abdul Fatah, Martin
Löhe, Yuri Glikman
9 July 2014 t-Gov Workshop 2014 – Brunel University, West London

2. Project Overview
Policy Compass
http://policycompass.eu/
•STREP Project, co-funded by the European Union under
the “ICT for Governance and Policy Making” theme (ICT-
2013.5.4, Grant Agreement No: 612133)
•Project start: 1 October 2013
•Duration: 36 months
•Project Coordinator: Fraunhofer FOKUS (Germany)
•Consortium: 7 organizations from 5 different countries
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3. Policy Compass Consortium
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4. The Problem
• Wealth of information readily
available on the internet
• Lack of consensus about a
suitable metric for measuring
progress
• Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
• Human Development Index (HDI)
• Genuine Progress Index (GPI)
• Difficulty of tracking political events
to their practical effects
The Opportunity
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Context
easy to-use tools for both the lay public and
professional policy makers to improve the
quality and transparency of the policy analysis
and monitoring phases of the policy life-cycle.
open
public data
social
media
fuzzy
cognitive
maps
e-participation platforms
& argumentation
technology

5. The Policy Compass Promise:
Concept and Main Functionalities
• A research prototype of an easy-to-use, highly visual and intuitive tool for:
• Constructing prosperity and other policy metrics with an easy-to-use visual
language for defining variables and functions over open data sources.
• Constructing graphs and charts visualizing metrics for selected
geographical regions and time periods.
• Annotating graphs and charts with political or policy events
• Constructing causal models with an easy-to-use visual tool for Fuzzy
Cognitive Maps (FCM).
• Sharing and debating prosperity graphs and FCM across popular social
media platforms.
• Summarizing and visualizing the debates in argument maps and
conducting structured surveys about policy issues
• Aggregating opinions on policy issues, to formulate a common position
using delegated voting via the Adhocracy platform.
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6. 9 July 2014 t-Gov Workshop 2014 – Brunel University, West London 6
Methodological Approach
Policy
Compass
Online
Deliberation
and
Argument
Mapping
(ODAM)
Building
Causal
Policy
Models
(BCPM)
Evaluating
Performance
of Policies
(EPP)

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Evaluating Performance of Policies (EPP)
EPP1. Data
Discovery
and
Processing
• Search for Open Data Sources
• Importing Data Series to Policy Compass
• Search Policy Compass Platform for existing metrics
EPP2.
Metrics
Definition
• Selection of Predefined Metrics
• Construction of Composite Metrics
EPP3.
Metrics
Calculation
and
Visualisatio
n
• Application of metrics on Open Data sets
• Visualisation of Metrics over Time
EPP4.
Improving
Understand
ing of
Trend
Lines
• Comparison of Metrics Trend Lines
• Search into Events registry to identify time points where graphs show abnormalities
• Annotating Graphs points through linking with Events
EPP5.
Seeking
further
explanation
of Policy
Impacts
• Seeking for existing Policy Models explaining interrelations and causal effects
• Identifying factors contributing to certain policy output/impact and their weighting
EPP5.
Sharing
Knowledge
and
Results
• Pushing Visualisation snapshots and metrics to the Policy Compass deliberation
tools
• Sharing Visualisations and Composite Metrics to Web2.0 channels
to BCMP
to ODAM

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Building Causal Policy Models (BCPM)
BCPM1.
Discovering
Open Data
related to
Policies
• Search for relevant available (open) data on the World Wide Web.
• Construct a library of data to be used for link data with impacts.
BCPM2.
Creating/Refi
ning Causal
Networks
• Create a new Policy Model or Edit an existing One
• Create concepts by relating data with their impacts
• Create Causal Networks by defining directional links
BCPM3.
Turning
Causal
Networks to
Fuzzy
Cognitive
Maps
• Setting fuzzy values on the Causal Model
• Turning the policy model into a Fuzzy Cognitive Map
BCPM4.
Simulating
FCMs and
Visualising
Impacts
• Select Simulation Variables for the FCM
• Perform Simulations
• Visualise Simulated Results for better understanding of Impacts
BCPM5.
Sharing
Knowledge
and Results
• Pushing Simulations snapshots to the Policy Compass deliberation tools
• Sharing Fuzzy Congintive Maps to Web2.0 channels
to
ODAM

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Online Deliberation and Argument
Mapping (ODAM)
ODAM1.
Initiate/Participat
e in Deliberations
• Create a new deliberation topic or participate in an existing topic
ODAM2.
Transforming
Structured
Discussions into
Argument Maps
• Identifying statements and opinions voiced
• Transforming statements and opinions into arguments
• Deriving the discussion argument map
ODAM3.
Navigating
Argument Maps
• Navigate through the argument maps to better understand the
relations and the debates amongst different positions.

10. • The Policy Compass will be
realized as an online Web
platform integrating the
tools developed in the
project.
• The platform will provide an
open API for integrating its
datastore and services into
external platforms, and
widgets for integrating its
user interfaces into
selected eParticipation
platforms and social
networks.
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Technical Approach

11. Added Value of the Approach (1/2)
• Simplify the way to utilize, interact, mash-up, visualize
and interpret the increasing amount of international open
economic data and wealth indicators.
• Improve the analysis and evaluation of policies
• Broaden the use of open data by citizens to support and
improve policy making.
• Raise and objectify the European public discourse on how
• to measure growth in the economy and society
• to develop holistic prosperity and progress indices
• Facilitate more objective, evidence-based and transparent
policy deliberations.
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12. Added Value of the Approach (2/2)
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• Visualize the effects of their politics
• Communicate policy outcomes to citizens clearer
• Stimulate public debate
• Build confidence in progress towards societal goals
• Create their own prosperity /community development indices
• Monitor and control the indicator modeling process
• Leverage open statistical data
• Monitor and critically discuss the quality of public policies
• Explore the effects and costs of policies
• Engage in the development of prosperity indices
• Participate in on-line debates
• Improve the objectivity and evidential basis of their
arguments
• Learn about the social and economic consequences of
policies
Decision
Makers
Civil Society
Citizens
and especially
the Younger
Generation

13. www.PolicyCompass.eu
www.twitter.com/PolicyCompassEU
www.facebook.com/PolicyCompass
PolicyCompass
Thank you!