Swiss Federal Audit Office calls for more commitment on open government data

The Swiss Federal Audit Office (SFAO), the supreme financial supervisory body of the Confederation, today published its report on the implementation of the national open government data strategy. Like Opendata.ch, the report is at the same time critical and cautiously optimistic. The conclusion is simple: the strategy is actually binding — but only in theory.

Opendata.ch sees the concerns we regularly raised as community representatives during the OGD strategy 2014-2018 confirmed by the analysis, recommendations and statements in the SFAO’s audit report. For the coming phase, we likewise call for a binding allocation of resources, that is, in particular, posts and funding both (1.) at the level of the lead office —should the Federal Council assign the lead to one office in future— and (2.) at the level of the General Secretariat of the FDHA. Major operational efforts will continue to be needed, but even more leadership at the strategic level.

We call on the Confederation to cooperate more closely and openly on open data, as equals, with communes and cantons, as well as with civil society and business. Together we must work on an open data culture, and Opendata.ch has long been offering its support for this. We are counting on this offer being taken up, because achieving the goals of both the current and the future OGD strategy requires a Swiss open data community that brings together all relevant players.

We therefore hereby invite the organisations and key people to be mandated at federal level to get in touch with Opendata.ch on this matter before the end of 2018.

For Opendata.ch:
Andreas Amsler, Board member Opendata.ch
Hannes Gassert, Board member, Opendata.ch