The openness of public data or Open Data is to put the information that the public sector holds within reach of everyone in digital formats, standardized and open, following a clear structure that allows their understanding, facilitating access to this information in order to encourage its reuse.
In this way, society, citizens, companies, universities and anyone can easily access public information in open formats so that everyone can use it and encourage them to be used for everything that is desired.
The Barcelona Open Data Challenge program works to increase the number of people with knowledge and skills to handle open data so that they can take advantage of all the benefits they bring. It is preferably aimed at students 3rd , 4th of ESO and educational cycles of the educational centers of the city of Barcelona, under the tutelage of the teaching staff, which has the possibility to enroll in a specific training plan.
Using the data available on the Open Data BCN portal, the students analyze various aspects of our city and the activity of its inhabitants. From a preliminary selection the finalist projects are defended before a jury composed of university professors and well-known experts in data analysis, which rewards the best valued. The competition culminates with a final public act of presentation of the projects.
During the 2019 edition, 260 students of 3rd and 4th of ESO and of training cycles of eight institutes, with the support of their teachers, participated. In the closing gala held on Wednesday , May 8 , international video experts from Spain, the USA, the Netherlands and Japan took part. There were 8 finalist projects from the different participating centers on a wide variety of topics such as gentrification , the evolution of commerce , migratory processes , animal rights or the economy of the neighborhoods.
The Vila de Gràcia Institute with the work " The gentrification in the neighborhoods in Barcelona" won the first prize of this second edition with the elaboration of a gentrification index for the neighborhoods of Barcelona, prepared by students from the Open data analysis published in the Open Data BCN portal.
Candidatures may be submitted to the Third edition of the program as of 20/20/2020 until 04/17/2020. The bases will be available soon through the Open Data BCN web portal .