February 28, 2024
In June 2024, the Implementing Regulation on High Value Data (DVO-HVD) will come into force as European legislation aimed at making so-called high-value datasets more easily accessible. It obliges administrative bodies in possession of such data to publish it free of charge and under an open license, among other things. A handout on the subject, jointly produced by byte and DKSR, explains which data is covered, how local authorities can best proceed and what added value the new regulation brings.
The HVD Regulation is intended to pave the way for a European single market for data, which should ensure data sovereignty and global competitiveness in the long term. The regulation is the result of a comprehensive initiative that also includes the Data Act and the EU’s AI Act. belong. With the help of the various legal regulations, the EU is creating the basis for handling data in a way that aims to counter the multinational digital corporations and has been designed in line with European ideas: the use of open technologies and standards, a focus on data sovereignty and regulations on the ethical use of new technologies. European digital policy thus pursues the goal of a secure and sustainable digital transformation that puts people at the center.
A central component of this policy is the accessibility of data that forms the basis of urban and economic transformation, which is regulated in the DVO-HVD, among other things. The high-quality datasets described in the regulation are primarily data with increased socio-economic potential, such as population statistics and weather measurements. They enable the improvement of administrative services, the development of new business areas for (municipal) companies and create transparency for civil society.
However, there is still room for interpretation in the text of the EU regulation and its annex. To date, there is also no official information on the practical implementation of the DVO-HVD in Germany from the responsible Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWK). The handout from byte and DKSR is intended to provide local authorities with an initial overview: What data must be published? Who is responsible for publication and how should this be done?
What exactly is high-value data?
In principle, six categories of high-quality datasets are defined that are to be made available openly: Geospatial (including a. INSPIRE), earth observation and environment (incl. a. INSPIRE), meteorology, statistics, business and mobility (incl. a. INSPIRE). Responsibility for publication lies with the administrative body holding the data, from the ministries and their subordinate departments to local authorities and municipal institutions. The corresponding costs are to be borne by the public authorities themselves. The data sets should be published in a machine-readable format such as CSV or JSON and be available via an application programming interface (API). An open license is to be used, which allows unrestricted reuse and includes an identification as HVD in the data description.
Where specified in the annex to the regulation, the data should be available as a mass download. The current interpretation of the DVO-HVD does not oblige the collection of data that is not yet available, nor, according to initial statements by the BMWK, does existing data have to be published – unless other specifications require publication. Data that (must) be published must meet the requirements set out in the HVD Regulation.
What can local authorities do now?
Even though the regulation will not come into force for a few months, local authorities should use the time now to get an overview of their own data and make preparations for publication. This is where a data inventory comes in handy: What data sets exist, how can they be described and where and in what format are they available? The handout uses a list of questions and a table to help create such an initial data catalog and identify possible HVDs and the relevant contact persons in the organization. In a second step, the guide uses questions and examples to help you prepare for publication.
To publish the data, For example, a data repository can be used via the company’s own website. And to enable optimal use of the data and make it easily accessible to a broad public, a dedicated data portal is suitable. It structures data for the best possible further use and is easy to use thanks to its functional user interface. Baye rian municipalities could use the Open Data Bayern infrastructure created by byte, on which municipalities can create their own instance, to publish the data.
Here you can download the handout on the EU Implementing Regulation on High-Value Datasets (DVO-HVD).
Do you want to get started now and need a data portal?
Based on the “Piveau” data management system developed by Fraunhofer FOKUS, DKSR offers open data portals for local authorities. Piveau provides you with a simple and cost-effective solution that meets the requirements of the HVD-DVO and enables you to take advantage of the benefits of open data. We also offer you a low-threshold introduction for administrative staff in our one-day workshop on data law.