Project “OPEN-DIGI-ECONOM” is implemented within the framework of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan 2021–2026 and is financed by European Union funds through the NextGenerationEU instrument.
The OPEN-DIGI-ECONOM project explores how access to open data and public information fosters the digital maturity of public administration and the broader digital economy.
The project aims to develop and validate innovative models for assessing the maturity, availability, quality, and actual use of open data portals at both national and local levels, with a particular focus on regional (county-level) authorities in Croatia and within the European context. It is based on the integration of methodologies from business economics, digital technologies, data science, and public administration.
Through multiple research streams, the project will conduct a comprehensive analysis of the institutional and technical maturity of open data portals, as well as the role of security and compliance with cybersecurity frameworks in shaping the maturity of electronic public services they support. Core quality dimensions of public data websites—such as accessibility, usability, and alignment with regulatory and technical standards—form key components of the Open Data Maturity (ODM) index and its relationship to the use of e-services. Their contribution to achieving higher levels of overall digital economy maturity will therefore be examined in detail. In addition, the project will seek to identify latent data quality indicators through text mining of available open datasets.
The project’s results will support the development of benchmarks, self-assessment tools, and practical recommendations for both the public and private sectors. In the long term, the project contributes to the creation of a national digital maturity model, the training of research staff, the improvement of education quality in the fields of open data and the digital economy, and the support of public policies related to open data and digital transformation.