"Interoperable Europe Newsletter" Newsletter Issues

Last chance to register for SEMIC 2019 in Helsinki! (03/10/2019)

Interim evaluation shows good performance of ISA² Programme (27/09/2019)

The European Commission published the results of the interim evaluation of the ISA² Programme. The outcome adopted on 23 September 2019 has the form of a report to the European Parliament and the Council of the EU. Overall, the interim evaluation concludes ISA² has been performing well so far, while it also identifies three areas for possible improvement.

Digital Government Factsheets available in html and as linked open data (30/09/2019)

To support interoperability principles of openness, transparency and reusability, the National Interoperability Framework Observatory has published the latest edition of the Digital Government factsheets in both linked open data and HTML open formats. This way, it is significantly expanding the reach and impact of the information gathered in the factsheets but also its potential reuse.

How to link data spaces for citizens? Join us at SEMIC 2019 to discover the role of semantic interoperability! (26/09/2019)

‘Space’ can have various meanings, such as ‘a continuous area or expanse which is free, available, or unoccupied’ or ‘the freedom to live, think, and develop in a way that suits one’. Both definitions can give us an idea on what trans-European data spaces may represent in digital public services. At SEMIC 2019, we would like to explore the link between semantic interoperability and trans-European data spaces.

EUPL in a nutshell (27/09/2019)

Watch the video interview presenting the European Union Public Licence (EUPL) in a nutshell. It is a unique open source licence created by the European Commission and available in 23 EU languages. The EUPL is also legally consistent with the copyright law of all EU countries, and compatible with other open source licences.

Multilingual and interoperable - EU Public Licence is the choice for software integrators (27/09/2019)

Among ISA² solutions, the European Union Public Licence (EUPL) is very specific. Its goal is to provide a modern licensing tool to all software licensors in Europe: European institutions, national administrations and even to private developers. Read more about the use of the EUPL in the blog post by legal expert Patrice-Emmanuel Schmitz.

User Testimonial by Martin Serrano Orozco (30/09/2019)

The use of the EUPL helped the team achieve the objective of having a fully open source-based project. I would highly recommend the use of the EUPL in research projects as it creates a community with a strong philosophy of sharing and compatibility, said Martin Serrano Orozco, Senior Research Fellow / Internet of Things & Stream, National University of Ireland – Insight Centre for Data Analytics.

European Week of Regions and Cities 2019 (27/09/2019)

Annual four-day event during which cities and regions showcase their capacity to create growth and jobs, implement EU cohesion policy, and prove the importance of the local and regional level for good European governance. Do not miss ISA² sessions on Citizen-centric services by Digital Innovation Hubs and Joinup, and visit our stand in the expo area!

Access to Base Registries Webinar (23/08/2019)

The aim of the webinar is to share and discuss best practices among EU countries related to the creation of their registry of registries. The organisers will also collect feedback concerning the progress of the second phase of the ISA² action Access to Base Registries.

Webinar - Going beyond bars and lines: practising non-standard data visualisation (23/08/2019)

Join the last data visualisation webinar! It will be the opportunity to discover visualisation in data analysis, to get to know different data types and visualisations that fit to them, and to learn how to introduce lesser known chart types to readers.

Organising interoperability for digital public services (30/09/2019)

The organisational and integrated public service governance aspects of interoperability are a crucial element in the development and delivery of digital public services. Ongoing work under ISA² is focused on providing guidance on the implementation of these concepts.

Best moments from Sharing & Reuse Conference 2019 (30/09/2019)

This year's Sharing & Reuse Conference held in Bucharest brought many insightful presentations on sharing and reuse of IT solutions and open source, as well as the announcement of the Sharing & Reuse Awards 2019 winners. Watch the conference highlights!

APIs for CPSV-AP based Catalogue of Services (27/09/2019)

This new report looks at how public administrations should deal with automating data exchange using APIs and what important factors they need to take into account. The report was published in the context of the ISA² action Catalogue of Services.

Check out the programme of SEMIC 2019! (16/09/2019)

First-ever Interoperability Academy Winter School is coming in December (23/08/2019)

The ISA² Programme, together with the KU Leuven Public Governance Institute, is pleased to announce that the first-ever Interoperability Academy Winter School will take place in Leuven, Belgium on 11-13 December 2019. We invite students, professionals, academics, and others interested to participate.

Videos from the Sharing & Reuse Conference are published! (23/08/2019)

Watch the speeches and presentations from the 2nd edition of the Sharing & Reuse Conference on open source policies and strategies, and their implementation in the EU countries. The videos include the presentations of solutions shortlisted for the Sharing & Reuse Awards, as well as the Awards ceremony. The event took place in Bucharest, Romania on 11 June.

Annual work programme for single digital gateway implementation is adopted (23/08/2019)

Annual work programme for the implementation of the single digital gateway regulation was published on 31 July 2019. The work programme specifies actions to facilitate the implementation and provides a detailed timeline for the various steps. The document covers the period from July 2019 to December 2020.

Call for expression of interest on Data Ecosystems for Geospatial Data (23/08/2019)

The Joint Research Centre will launch a procurement aiming to investigate how Spatial Data Infrastructures can evolve into data ecosystems and support the goals of digital government in Europe. This procurement is organised in the context of the ELISE Action (European Location Interoperability Solutions for e-Government) of the ISA² Programme.

Blog post: Organising interoperability for borderless digital public services (23/08/2019)

The organisational and governance aspects of interoperability are a crucial element in the development and delivery of European digital public services. Ongoing work is focused on clarifying and providing guidance on the implementation of these concepts. Read more in the blog post.

2nd EIF workshop on Organisational Interoperability and Integrated Public Service Governance (29/07/2019)

In this workshop organised by ISA², you will meet experts from various EU countries and academia to learn and discuss how the European Interoperability Framework (EIF) can improve organisational and governance aspects of digital public services. It is a follow-up of the first workshop held in March.

Digital Excellence Forum @ ICT Proposers' Day 2019 (23/08/2019)

This event will provide an opportunity to discuss the main policy drivers of the digital transformation and how the EU research and innovation agenda can contribute to them. ISA² co-organises a session on Deployment, best use of digital capacity and interoperability on 20 September (15:00-16:15). You can also visit our stand in the expo area.

Video: Interoperability Governance in a nutshell (26/08/2019)

Watch the video interview with the programme officer Georges Lobo on how interoperability governance contributes to the Digital Single Market. He explains the concepts behind interoperability governance on examples from practice.

Revamped Digital Government Factsheets and Infographics for 2019 now available! (26/07/2019)

After a long wait and rigorous data collection process, the new 2019 Digital Government Factsheets are now published. These factsheets are a prime source of country intelligence on all digital government-related matters in Europe, capturing information on the long-term trends shaping this policy area.

Have your say on the future of ISA² (26/07/2019)

ISA² has been supporting modernisation of European public administrations through interoperability since its launch in 2016. The programme will end in 2020 but interoperability activities will continue under the new Digital Europe programme. You can now participate in a public consultation on the orientation of Digital Europe’s first two years.

More accessible and easier to maintain – new Online Collection System for European Citizens' Initiatives (26/07/2019)

A new release of the Online Collection System (OCS) for the European Citizens’ Initiative is out! This version includes major upgrades in terms of accessibility and maintainability of the application. The OCS is a tool that permits the collection of statements of support in a way that complies with the Regulation on the European Citizens' Initiative.

Updated location privacy guidelines reflect one year of GDPR (26/07/2019)

Location data can become personal when linked with other data. An updated version of the Guidelines for Public Administrations on Location Privacy reflects the recent development in the data protection field and its impact on location data.

First version of Representation of Powers and Mandates Ontology is available (26/07/2019)

Information on legal entities and their powers and mandates is essential for businesses when establishing relationships with governments, customers or other businesses. However, the cross-border exchange of information is limited due to the lack of semantic standards. To tackle this issue, ISA² released the Representation of Powers and Mandates ontology.

A new component for document management improves LEOS, a tool for legislation drafting (26/07/2019)

The LegIT ISA² action is glad to announce the release of a new component - ISA² Open CMIS Repo. It is an implementation of the CMIS open standard for document management. Together with that, an upgraded version of LEOS, a tool that facilitates drafting of legislative texts, has been made available.

GeoDCAT-AP in a nutshell (29/07/2019)

Watch a short video with project officers Susanne Wigard and Pavlina Fragkou introducing GeoDCAT-AP. They explain the way GeoDCAT-AP describes geospatial datasets, dataset series and services, thus making it easier to discover geodata.

Interview on GeoDCAT-AP - Insights from Agency for Digital Italy (26/07/2019)

Agency for Digital Italy (AgID) decided to implement GeoDCAT-AP to achieve an interoperable integration and coordination of two Italian catalogues - the national catalogue for spatial data and the national open data portal. Read more in the interview with Antonio Rotundo and Gabriele Ciasullo from AgID.

SEMIC 2019: Linking data spaces for citizens (29/07/2019)

Registration is now open for the annual semantic interoperability conference! The event is organised by ISA² in collaboration with the Finnish Presidency of the Council of the EU. It will bring together policy makers, IT practitioners and researchers interested in topics related to semantic interoperability for public administrations.

FG IV - Scientific Project Officer in the field of Innovative Public Services (29/07/2019)

The Digital Economy Unit of the Joint Research Centre is looking for a Scientific Project Officer to work on the Innovative Public Services project supported by ISA². The position is based in Ispra, Italy. If you are interested, click on the link below and go to the section "Growth and Innovation". The deadline for applications is 4 September 2019.

Register now for SEMIC 2019! (27/06/2019)

New report on digital government in the European Semester process published (21/06/2019)

After undergoing a significant overhaul, the new edition of the European Semester report has been published. The study seeks to assess how the European Semester, the cycle of EU economic and fiscal policy coordination, is addressing the issues related to the promotion of digital government in the EU countries.

Check out presentations and photos from Sharing & Reuse Conference 2019 (24/06/2019)

Nearly 150 participants attended the Sharing & Reuse Conference 2019 that took place on 11 June in Bucharest, Romania. An additional 300 people from all over the world followed the event via live stream. The presentations of all speakers and photos are now available.

Winners of Sharing & Reuse Awards 2019 made public! (21/06/2019)

The European Commission announced the results of the Sharing & Reuse Awards 2019 on 11 June during the Sharing & Reuse Conference. The first team won €15,000 and the runner-up €10,000 in each of four categories. The solutions at the 3rd and 4th place received a certificate of excellence.

Study on Interim evaluation of ISA² by CEPS available (24/06/2019)

New materials on the ISA² interim evaluation are available. You can read the full text of the evaluation study by the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) and its executive summary, as well as the synopsis report of the consultation activities. The European Commission will draw its evaluation conclusions based on the CEPS study by 30 September.

Teams from Austria, Italy and Greece are the winners of EU Datathon 2019 (21/06/2019)

The 3rd edition of the EU Datathon culminated on 13 June 2019 with the final in Brussels, where 12 teams pitched their skills and ideas against each other to win 3 different challenges. The competition was organised by the EU’s Publications Office, in partnership with the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the EU, and was supported by ISA².

Joinup: The repository of open source IT solutions (24/06/2019)

Joinup is a collaborative platform created by the European Commission and funded by the ISA² Programme. It provides tools that aim to help eGovernment professionals share their experience and best practices with each other. Watch the video interview to learn more about what Joinup offers.

Putting the "e" in eGovernment (24/06/2019)

Joinup’s raison d'être is, simply put, to consolidate in a single point-of-reference all scattered open source interoperability solutions that reside in disparate online locations. Read the blog post about current developments and future improvements by Joinup project managers.

User testimonial: Daniel Melin (24/06/2019)

“Interoperability and cross-border solutions are foremost a solution for increased transparency, open government and democracy. Joinup is the perfect tool for this,” says Daniel Melin, Senior Procurement Officer - ICT, Swedish National Procurement Services. Read the full testimonial.

CCCEV - a key enabler of the Once-Only Principle (21/06/2019)

The Once-Only Principle requires administrations to exchange information directly between each other, after having received consent from the citizen. The Core Criterion and Core Evidence data model (CCCEV) supports this exchange. It defines in a generic way the structure of a criterion, for example, having a driving license. CCCEV can be universally applied for any kind of criterion and evidence.

Webinar on CCCEV evolution: past, present and future (24/06/2019)

The Core Criterion and Core Evidence Vocabulary (CCCEV) has been developed as part of the e-Government Core Vocabularies solution under the ISA² Programme. The webinar will present the evolution of CCCEV and give an outlook on future changes.

GeoDCAT-AP: Adoption and implementation experiences of the geospatial extension to DCAT-AP (21/06/2019)

The webinar on the GeoDCAT Application profile for Data Portals in Europe (GeoDCAT-AP) will present examples of GeoDCAT-AP implementation in EU countries, as well as the integration and possible adoption in specifications published by standardisation bodies.

Follow Sharing & Reuse Conference via live stream (10/06/2019)

New study on 'Blockchain for Digital Governments' published (27/05/2019)

The study "Blockchain for digital government - An assessment of pioneering implementations in public services" has been published by the ISA² ELISE Action. The publication analyses 7 blockchain-based services developed in Europe, with an active participation of public authorities from both national and local levels.

Video: NIFO in a nutshell (27/05/2019)

Watch the interview with Miguel Alvarez Rodriguez on the National Interoperability Framework Observatory (NIFO). In the short video, he explains what the objectives of NIFO are and how users from Europe and beyond can benefit from joining the NIFO community.

Get to know NIFO, the observer of digital government and interoperability in Europe (27/05/2019)

Among ISA² actions, NIFO is a bit unusual. Its goal is not to develop software or a data specification. NIFO is providing policy makers, researchers and practitioners with the latest developments on digital government and interoperability across Europe. Read the blog post by Miguel Alvarez Rodriguez to learn more.

User Testimonial: Tomáš Kroupa (27/05/2019)

Tomáš Kroupa, Ministry of Interior, Czech Republic: We have used the NIFO questionnaire as a checklist for our ongoing national interoperability initiatives. While having focused quite rigorously on the legal interoperability already before NIFO, it helped us initiate more activities in the area of organisational, technical and semantic interoperability as well.

DCAT-AP - a key for European data publishers to reach data consumers and create a European open data ecosystem (24/05/2019)

The DCAT Application profile for data portals in Europe is a result of European efforts for standards-based harmonisation of dataset and data catalogue specifications. It aims at creating a European data ecosystem by increasing the discoverability and reuse of open government data and improving the interoperability of data portals.

Sharing & Reuse Conference 2019 (27/05/2019)

The second edition of the Sharing & Reuse Conference is organised by the ISA² Programme under the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the EU. Participants will have the opportunity to learn about open source policies and strategies, and their implementation in EU countries. The European Commission will also announce the winners of the Sharing & Reuse Awards 2019.

Webinar: Mastering Joinup to your advantage (27/05/2019)

This webinar aims to provide you with all the needed background information, key concepts, and guidelines for effectively using Joinup to your advantage. You will also get a glimpse of some interesting and upcoming improvements. The webinar will start today at 11:00 AM.

URBIS Smart City Fair (27/05/2019)

URBIS Smart City Fair will offer a unique space for sharing ideas and practical designs on how to develop the concept of a smart city in central Europe. In the Digital City track, Jean-Paul De Baets will have a keynote speech on the ISA² Programme. You can also visit our stand in the expo area.

Digital Assembly (27/05/2019)

The Digital Assembly 2019 is a forum for stakeholders to take stock of the achievements of the Digital Single Market Strategy, draw lessons and to exchange views on the contours of a future digital policy. It is co-organised by the European Commission and the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the EU.

Webinar on the governance models, ecosystems and benefits of APIs for public sector organisations (27/05/2019)

The ELISE Action has launched a webinar series called 'Rapid Studies', looking at various aspects of the digital transformation of government in relation to geospational data and technologies. The next webinar will look at issues of governance, data ecosystems and the broader benefits of Application Programme Interfaces (APIs).

EU Datathon 2019 (24/05/2019)

The EU Datathon 2019 aims to promote the reuse of open data from across the EU. This year, 99 teams submitted creative ideas and 12 teams have been shortlisted to develop their app that they will present at the final conference. During the event, visit also the Semantic Interoperability stand supported by ISA².

Read the presentation on ISA² Interim Evaluation Study (28/05/2019)

On 7 May 2019, ISA² organised a final workshop session on the interim evaluation of the programme. The aim of the event was to present the results of the evaluation study conducted by the Centre for European Policy Studies. The presentations from the workshop are now available.

Last chance to register for Sharing & Reuse Conference! (23/05/2019)