{"id":5813,"date":"2026-02-17T10:57:47","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T10:57:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.gov.scot\/digital\/?p=5813"},"modified":"2026-02-17T10:57:47","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T10:57:47","slug":"help-shape-scotlands-open-data-future-imagining-success-in-2036","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.gov.scot\/digital\/2026\/02\/17\/help-shape-scotlands-open-data-future-imagining-success-in-2036\/","title":{"rendered":"Help shape Scotland\u2019s Open Data future \u2013 Imagining success in 2036"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>I\u2019m Martin Macfie, and I lead the Open Data team in the Data Division of the Scottish Government\u2019s Digital Directorate. We\u2019re inviting you to take part in a short workshop to help shape a bold, future-focused message for open data in Scotland.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>What we\u2019ve been working on<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Since publishing the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.scot\/publications\/open-data-scotland-blueprint-unlocking-innovation-collaboration-impact\/\">independent report on open data in Scotland<\/a> in August 2024, we\u2019ve been working across the three themes I set out in my previous <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.gov.scot\/digital\/2024\/08\/29\/open-data-in-scotland-a-blueprint-for-unlocking-innovation-collaboration-and-impact\/\">blog<\/a> \u2013 and we\u2019ve made strong progress:<\/p>\n<p>Under these three themes, we have:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Launched a multi-year programme of work, in partnership with StormID, to replace and enhance the existing <a href=\"https:\/\/statistics.gov.scot\/home\">statistics.gov.scot<\/a> platform, supported by evidence from an <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.gov.scot\/digital\/2025\/12\/02\/shaping-the-future-of-statistics-gov-scot-from-discovery-to-alpha\/\">alpha<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Finalised the data and digital commitment for Scotland\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.scot\/publications\/open-government-action-plan-2021-to-2025-commitment-3-data-and-digital-commitment\/\">current open government action plan (2021-25)<\/a>, and we are supporting the <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.gov.scot\/open-government-partnership\/2025\/12\/08\/what-does-phase-2-of-action-plan-co-creation-mean\/\">co-creation of Scotland&#8217;s next open government action plan<\/a>. One of the new themes in the upcoming plan will be the \u201cEthical use of digital technology, open data and information.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Explored how to implement the recommendations from the independent report by gathering views from public sector, academic, and civil society partners, and by collaborating with organisations such as the <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.gov.scot\/open-government-partnership\/2025\/08\/04\/open-data-working-together-and-innovating-for-impact\/\">University of Edinburgh Business School<\/a>. We\u2019d like to thank everyone who contributed. We learned the importance of purpose-driven publication, stronger feedback loops, and clearer communication of value so that we can build open data together. We presented our findings at the Better Data Community conference in November 2025<strong>. A clear, shared vision for open data in Scotland has emerged as essential to this work<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>To help co-\u2011create that shared vision, <strong>we\u2019re inviting you to take part in a short workshop to help shape a bold, future-focused message for open data in Scotland<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re imagining what success for open data in Scotland could look like in 2036 \u2014 and we\u2019ll be cocreating a message that reflects Scotland\u2019s ambition and leadership in open data. Each 2\u2011hour MS Teams session will explore:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>What\u2019s realistic and achievable<\/li>\n<li>What\u2019s possible with blue-sky thinking<\/li>\n<li>What Scotland\u2019s open data\u00a0future could look like when we allow ourselves to think big<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These workshops will also to help provide evidence to inform the co-creation of Scotland\u2019s next open government action plan.<\/p>\n<p>Your perspective is essential, and we\u2019d love you to join one of two online sessions.<\/p>\n<p>These are taking place on:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>10 am \u2013 12 noon on Thursday 12 March<\/li>\n<li>10 am \u2013 12 noon on Friday 13 March<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Please sign up and join using the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eventbrite.co.uk\/e\/help-shape-scotlands-open-data-future-imagining-success-in-2036-tickets-1982284639719?aff=oddtdtcreator\">Eventbrite<\/a> link<\/p>\n<p><strong>You may also be interested in:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.gov.scot\/open-government-partnership\/2026\/02\/12\/join-us-for-phase-2-open-government-workshops\/\">Phase 2: Co-creating Scotland&#8217;s Open Government Action Plan: 2026-2030<\/a>.\u00a0 This blog announces a publication of independent report on public engagement on trust, and invites people to co-creation workshops in March 2026<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/thedatalab.com\/community-events\/the-data-lab-community-themes-2026\/\">Data Lab Community themed month on Open Data in April 2026<\/a>. More information to follow on\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/community.thedatalab.com\/events\">the Data Lab Community events<\/a>\u00a0 page<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;-<\/p>\n<p><!--StartFragment --><\/p>\n<p class=\"pf0\"><strong><span class=\"cf0\">Have you read our Digital Scotland newsletter?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"pf0\"><span class=\"cf1\">Read the latest edition: <a href=\"https:\/\/tinyurl.com\/38n6nxk7\">https:\/\/tinyurl.com\/38n6nxk7<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"pf0\"><span class=\"cf1\">Subscribe to future editions: <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/3jlynUs\"><span class=\"cf2\">https:\/\/bit.ly\/3jlynUs<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><!--EndFragment --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I\u2019m Martin Macfie, and I lead the Open Data team in the Data Division of the Scottish Government\u2019s Digital Directorate. We\u2019re inviting you to take part in a short workshop to help shape a bold, future-focused message for open data in Scotland. What we\u2019ve been working on Since publishing the independent report on open data&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":317,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,438],"tags":[107,146,440,95],"class_list":["post-5813","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-digital-scotland","category-open-data","tag-data","tag-digital-scotland","tag-open-data-in-scotland","tag-scottish-government"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Help shape Scotland\u2019s Open Data future \u2013 Imagining success in 2036 - Digital<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.gov.scot\/digital\/2026\/02\/17\/help-shape-scotlands-open-data-future-imagining-success-in-2036\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Help shape Scotland\u2019s Open Data future \u2013 Imagining success in 2036 - Digital\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I\u2019m Martin Macfie, and I lead the Open Data team in the Data Division of the Scottish Government\u2019s Digital Directorate. 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