In a testament to Lithuania’s commitment to transparency and innovation, the country has risen to 7th place in the European Open Data Maturity Report (ODM) for 2023, marking a remarkable – climb of six spots among 35 participating nations. Categorized as a ‘fast tracker’ since 2020, Lithuania’s progress underscores its dedication to utilizing the power of open data for societal progress and economic vitality. “Open data is a pivotal cornerstone of our economy. The projected utilization of data, estimated to potentially contribute 1.71% to our national GDP by 2026, underscores its profound impact,” emphasized Aušrinė Armonaitė, Minister of Economy and Innovation, acknowledging the significance of open data’s role in Lithuania’s economic landscape.
The Open Data Maturity (ODM) assessment is an annual exercise conducted to measure the progress of European countries in promoting and facilitating the availability and reuse of public sector information. The assessment focuses on four indicators:
Policy – looking at countries’ open data policies and strategies;
Impact – monitoring open data reuse and its impact;
Portal – assessing national portal features that enhance accessibility and support interaction within the open data community;
Quality – focusing on mechanisms that ensure the quality of (meta)data.
Notably, Lithuania has made strides across all evaluated areas. Significant advancements were particularly witnessed in the realm of open data impact, rising from 12th to an impressive 8th position, and in data quality, climbing from 13th to 9th place.
The progression on Lithuania’s National Open Data Portal is equally noteworthy, elevating the country’s ranking from 10th to an outstanding 7th position. Moreover, Lithuania surpasses the EU average in all assessed domains, with a notable 21% lead in the impact of open data, signifying its substantial contributions in this critical sphere.
The nation’s achievement is a result of concerted efforts from both public sector institutions and businesses. Through strategic legislation, emphasis on community education, and the launch of high-value open data initiatives, Lithuania has laid a robust foundation for enhanced data transparency and accessibility.
The ministry, in collaboration with national institutions, aims to expand public and business access to personalized data via the Lithuanian Open Data Portal, a central platform catering to the burgeoning demand for open data in the country. Notably, 2022 witnessed a commendable 13% increase in open datasets and a significant surge in interest, with registered portal users more than doubling to 1,135 individuals.
In the extensive European Open Data Maturity Report involving 35 countries, Lithuania’s performance outshone numerous counterparts. Notably, the country surpassed nations such as Ireland, Italy, Slovenia, Denmark, Norway, and the Czech Republic in the assessment of open data policies and their practical implementation, reaffirming Lithuania’s progress towards data transparency and accessibility.