The Use of Open Government Data in Swedish Municipalities : In Relation to Creating Environmental Values

Abstract: Background: In recent years, more and more municipalities have started to publish more and more Open Government Data (OGD) and, in relation to this, the number of users of this data has also increased. But while the publication and use of data has increased, there is still a lack of understanding of who uses the data and for what purpose. Furthermore, the municipalities have also had little control over what values are created with the help of the data that is published and in particular environmental values, which makes it of great interest to investigate. Aim: The thesis aims to investigate the use of Open Government Data (OGD) in Swedish municipalities and explore how it contributes to creating environmental values after it has been implemented, who is using OGD, and for which reason OGD is used. To investigate this following research questions were used: Who uses municipal open data resources and for what purposes? What environmental values are created through the use of OGD in Swedish cities and municipalities where it has been implemented? Method: This paper applies the qualitative research methodology. To collect data for the paper, semi-structured interviews with both private individuals and employees in Swedish municipalities were used, which were conducted digitally via Zoom with video and audio. In relation to the interviews, secondary data was also collected from Dataportal.se in the form of a large number of datasets consisting of metadata. The collected data was analyzed through a thematic analysis and two different frameworks. In total, 11 interviews were conducted and about 400 datasets were collected as a basis for the work. The key findings and conclusion: reveal that various stakeholders, including individuals, companies, schools, and municipalities, are major users of OGD. Municipalities mainly use OGD for decision-making and to increase transparency with citizens, while individuals, companies, and organizations utilize it to increase transparency, make informed decisions, and influence events. Transparency, informed decision-making, and empowerment can be seen as shared benefits observed among the municipalities and individuals using OGD. The main environmental values created through OGD include resource minimization (e.g., reducing food waste), air quality monitoring, infrastructure planning, and waste management where OGD enables citizens to work with municipalities towards environmental policies and goals, promoting engagement and informed decision-making.