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By Geraldine García of the Knowledge and Learning Sector at the Inter-American Development Bank

Open data has become an essential resource for promoting transparency and innovation. The growing enthusiasm for open data is reflected by the adoption of the International Open Data Charter by 20 national and municipal governments since its launch in October 2015.

Nevertheless, as the debate surrounding why data should be open comes to a close, a new one has started that focuses its efforts on how to measure its results and impact.

To analyze the developments on this subject, I’ve compiled the following list of six resources, whose interactive displays and case studies you can use to explore open data’s progress and actual impact at a global level.

1Open Data Inception

This interactive map allows you to explore over 2,500 open data portals around the world that are geotagged by country. The interesting thing about this visualization is that it consolidates different sources of information on the open data portals of cities, countries and organizations in one place.

The aim of this project is to facilitate access to and the search of open data. To that end, it includes a search function so you can quickly filter by topic or place of interest. At the same time, the platform allows you to add portals to the map. You can also access the complete list of portals on the OpenDataSoft website and the API.

2DataPortals.org

This is a map of 519 portals curated by a group of open data experts from around the world, including representatives from local, regional and national governments, as well as international organizations such as the World Bank and numerous NGOs.

Its information is also available on GitHub and in CSV or JSON formats.

3Global Open Data Index

This is an initiative of the Open Knowledge non-profit network, which evaluates the state of government open data around the world. In its third edition launched in 2015, 122 countries and five new datasets are assessed, including data on government procurement, water quality, land ownership, weather forecasts, and health performance.

The index is based on a global survey, a consultation with civil society, and a discussion forum. You can access the complete description of its methodology here.

The main challenge this index reveals is that only 9% (156 out of 1,586) of the world’s datasets are open. In fact, this number represents a decrease in comparison to the 12% recorded in the previous edition.

4Open Data Barometer

The Open Data Barometer aims to demonstrate the impact of open data initiatives around the world. It reveals that only 10% of government data is published as open data. In addition, only 8% of governments publish data on public spending, while only 6% of the assessed countries have opened their data on public contracts.

The Barometer covers 92 countries, which it ranks based on three criteria: First, readiness for open data initiatives. Second, the implementation of open data programs. Third, the impact that open data is having on business, politics and civil society.

As a result, this tool allows for the analysis of global trends, and provides comparative data on countries and regions based on a methodology that includes contextual data, technical assessments and indicators. You can access the visualization of its rankings here, and the complete report here.

It is the third edition produced by the World Wide Web Foundation, as a result of collaborative work with the Open Data for Development (OD4D) network and the Omidyar Network. The initiative includes input from 150 researchers and government representatives, and involves more than six months and over 9,000 hours of research work.

In addition, this edition includes an assessment of countries in relation to the principles of the International Open Data Charter.

5Open Data Inventory

This tool by the Open Data Watch organization assesses the coverage and openness of data available on the websites of the national statistical offices of 125 low- and middle-income countries. Each assessment covers 20 categories of social, economic and environmental statistics.

With its inventory visualization, you can explore coverage and openness scores by country and by overall position in the rankings. In addition, the 2015 edition includes a report which analyzes the state of affairs in terms of the openness of national statistics.

The country with the highest score in the inventory is Mexico (68%), followed closely by Moldova (66%) and Mongolia (64.5%). The county with the lowest score is Uzbekistan in Central Asia (3%), then Haiti (3.7%) and Swaziland in southern Africa (6.4%).

6Case studies on the impact of open data

This year New York University’s GovLab launched a new repository of detailed case studies on the impact that open data is having on the world.  To date, it includes 25 cases and a report with recommendations.

The case studies focus on four ways open data makes an impact. First, improving government. Second, empowering citizens. Third, creating opportunities for citizens and organizations. Lastly, solving public problems.

You can learn more about this initiative and noteworthy case studies in the region by reading this Abierto al público blog post written by GovLab.