ODGB meets with Minister Eoghan Murphy, T.D. - Blog by Dennis Jennings, Member of the ODGB

The fifth meeting of the Open Data Governance Board took place on Tuesday (12th July) in Dublin.

Since the Board was established, the chair, Emer Coleman, has written about the progress achieved in increasing the number of datasets available through the portal; improving the quality and the level of compliance with the Open Data Technical Framework; and building engagement with data suppliers in public bodies.

To complement the work being done with public bodies, the Board has an important role in building relationships with the people and organisations that are most likely to use the data; and in developing an understanding of how Ireland’s Open Data is or may be used to deliver benefits – economic, social or democratic.

The willingness of public bodies to engage with the work of the ODGB is very encouraging, but – as with all major transformation processes – we need as much support as possible to get buy-in from leaders across the Public Service.

That’s why I was delighted that Eoghan Murphy, Minister for eGovernment (among other things), met with the Board yesterday, and that the Board had an opportunity to brief him on the progress being made. The Minister clearly understands why we are working in this space, and his recognition of the role that the ODGB can play in providing leadership for the Open Data Initiative and in helping to build on the momentum achieved to date, is both welcome and encouraging.

The Minister has offered his support and the Board is very pleased to accept it. We will work with the Minister to identify appropriate events (intensive workshops with dataset end-users, and technical hackathons, being possibilities that spring to mind). The Minister’s support for the Open Data Initiative has the potential to open doors to some key decision makers.

Watch this space for updates!