Democratising Information: An In-depth Analysis of the Open Data Service of the Suomen Eduskunta
About the Parliament of Finland | Written on September, 2023
Introduction
The Suomen Eduskunta, or Finnish Parliament, stands as a beacon of transparency and public participation in governance, particularly through its open data initiatives. This essay scrutinises the development, current status, and future prospects of the Eduskunta's open data service. Additionally, the analysis delves into the legislative frameworks and policy commitments that have shaped this digital frontier.
Background and Legislative Framework
The foundation for the open data service finds its roots in the Finnish Constitution of 1999, which enshrines the right of access to public documents and recordings. In alignment with the constitution, several directives, starting from 2003, have mandated the production of open data for the reuse of public sector information. These directives have been duly implemented into Finnish national legislation. The governmental commitment to open data can further be traced back to policies linked to government programmes since 2011, which accelerated the production of open data across public sector institutions. By 2015, the Finnish government set a goal to produce open data for all significant public information resources by 2020.
Development and Challenges
The journey of the Eduskunta's open data service began in 2011 with a pilot project designed to understand user needs and requirements. It moved to a more formal phase in 2016, with the launch of a project to develop a product version of the service. However, the evolution hasn't been entirely smooth. One of the challenges has been the fragmentation of the user interface due to the addition of various types of content in different formats. This has consequently led to issues surrounding the usability of data, which the Eduskunta aims to address in the near future.
A major bottleneck is the format in which the data is made available. While current parliamentary documents and voting data are only accessible via Application Programming Interface (API), requiring coding experience, older documents are available in less machine-readable PDF formats. This dichotomy hampers mass readability and limits the utility of the open data to a more specialised audience.
Use Cases and Stakeholder Engagement
The Eduskunta's open data has found applications beyond academic and policy circles. National Broadcasting Company has developed a platform to monitor the activities of members of the parliament, providing monthly newsletters and insights into their roles in parliamentary sessions and committee meetings. Furthermore, projects like Legal Radar and Parliament Sampo have made strides in offering versatile search options and visualisation tools to make the data more accessible and insightful for the general public.
Comparative Analysis and Future Outlook
In an international context, the Eduskunta has made significant strides. As of 2022, the number of parliaments sharing open data has doubled since 2016. However, the Eduskunta aims to further refine its open data service, focusing on improved usability and real-time access to voting data. Plans also include extending the coverage of parliamentary documents and integrating open data into other parliamentary internet services. Future architecture for the public internet services, including open data, is slated to be based on Amazon Web Services (AWS).
Conclusion
The Suomen Eduskunta's open data service stands as a model of transparent governance, deeply rooted in Finnish legislative frameworks and governmental policies. While the service has had its share of challenges, particularly concerning usability and accessibility, it has also shown the powerful impact of open data on public engagement and accountability. As the Eduskunta moves forward with its plans to refine and expand the service, it will not only enhance its domestic standing but also serve as a global benchmark for open governance.