organisational structures

One of the core innovations around Open Data is always the content of what is being openly published and how it's being made use of. In this session of the ISCN Global Mixer we want to look at how Open data can drive more inclusive policies, as shown by care economy indicator systems in Mexico City and Buenos Aires and reuse cases from the Global South.

Key takeaways

• Open data creates public value: Making information accessible enables evidence-based decisions that improve lives.
• Care economy as a lens: Data about caregiving helps expose invisible work and inequalities, informing fairer policies.
• Local action, global relevance: Examples from Latin America highlight transferable strategies for cities worldwide.
• Reusability matters: When data is open, it can be repurposed by researchers, NGOs, and civic innovators to solve real problems.
• Collaboration drives impact: Partnerships between governments, civil society, and international networks enhance sustainability.
• Trust through transparency: Publishing and sharing data openly fosters accountability and strengthens public trust.

When governments commit to open data, communities benefit from more informed, inclusive, and equitable policies. Across the Global South, cities are demonstrating how transparency and data reuse can empower decision-making and strengthen social care systems. Natalia Carfi from Open Data Charter explored how open data initiatives in Mexico City, Buenos Aires, and other regions are driving new approaches to understanding and addressing care needs in urban environments.

While many governments publish datasets, the content – what data is shared and how it is used – determines its real social value. By focusing on care economy indicators, cities like Mexico City and Buenos Aires have turned abstract principles into actionable insight. These systems track who provides and receives care, where support gaps exist, and how policies can better reflect the realities of women and families balancing unpaid care responsibilities.

Beyond Latin America, reuse cases from across the Global South illustrate how open data can serve as a bridge between communities, policymakers, and service providers. Examples include data-driven resource allocation, mapping of care infrastructure, and social policy design based on lived experiences. In each case, the key lesson is that open data becomes transformative only when it connects directly to human needs.

The conversation also underlined the importance of governance frameworks such as the Open Data Charter, which help ensure consistency, ethics, and interoperability. These frameworks enable cities to adapt and scale successful approaches without reinventing the wheel. By prioritising accessibility, clarity, and participation, open data initiatives can strengthen democratic practices and deliver tangible improvements in people’s everyday lives.

Ultimately, the session demonstrated that open data is not only a technical issue but a social and cultural one. By embracing openness as a tool for inclusion and empowerment, cities can better understand and respond to the realities of care work, inequality, and resilience – paving the way toward more equitable, informed, and human-centred urban development.

This event is part of the ISCN Global Mixer, a series of events organized by the International Smart Cities Network. The presentations cover a wide range of topics related to international smart city approaches and provide exciting insights into urban digitalization worldwide - in just 30 minutes.

Many actors and stakeholders of Smart City development keep underlining that the concept is not only about technological innovation and approaches but also about institutional and social changes.

Most would agree that the “human factor” is crucially important, and not only so on the receiving end of implementations and solutions, but also in their coordination and operation, where very often public servants and municipal administrations are strongly involved. Yet, if we look at the programmes of many Smart City expos and other exchange formats around the world the focus continues to be often through a technical lens or a governance lens that is too far away from the actual subjects.

Shifting this focus was the ISCN Global Mixer on Creating Value Through Employee Experience: The LA-BORA! gov Journey. Luana Silveira de Faria, head of LA-BORA! gov innovation lab within the Brazilian Ministry of Management and Innovation in Public Services gave a fresh and incredibly sincere input on what engaging public servants in new ways can mean.

Luana cautioned against taking the potential on social and institutional innovation lightly. She stressed the immense and evidence-based impact behind the service catalogue of LA-BORA! gov: “This is not here because we think this is cool or this is nice (…), we have data and surveys and research that support these topics that we cover.” Some of these topics are adaptive strategic planning, data storytelling at work, or building psychological safety. One of our speaker’s favorites are the games and icebreakers that foster creative confidence and can intentionally build relationships.

Two impressive figures that are backing up the success story further: LA-BORA! gov counts 218,000 impacted public servants and has a satisfaction level from participants in its programs and services at 99% – according to surveys and feedbacks that are anonymous!

[The content of our service catalogue in the lab] is not here because we think this is cool or this is nice (…), we have data and surveys and research that support these topics that we cover

After having walked us through the story of LA-BORA! gov, and a passionate and convincing plea for fostering employee experience, Luana closed her presentation with an intriguing quote from Minouche Safik, Director of the London School of Economics: 

In the past jobs were about muscles, now they are about brains, but in the future they’ll be about the heart.

Further links

• LA-BORA! gov’s website with more information.
• Connecting with Luana Silveira de Faria via Linked-in.
• Contacting the ISCN for any further questions on the ISCN Global Mixer in general or this session specifially.
• Overview of the ISCN Global Mixers and the opportunity to register for them.