Why data literacy is a key skill for public servants

By Ania Calderon

Date: 11 January 2021

This article is written by Ania Calderon, Executive Director, Open Data Charter and one of Apolitical’s 100 most influential people in digital government, 2019.

It was published in Apolitical.

Data made tech giants rich — there’s no reason it can’t deliver public value for governments.

Data is the reason why corporations like Google are households names — a fate that rarely befalls government agencies.

The internet has accelerated the collection and accumulation of data and has become the lifeblood of the world we live in. We need to invest in greater data literacy in our public institutions to serve our communities better.

1. Data helps in decision-making

Instead of guessing what our communities need, data can guide not just how we work, but what to focus on.

We produce and consume data when we are online on any device, where our every click and scroll is tracked to analyse our shopping or browsing habits and preferences. When we are listening to music and using any number of streaming apps, we are also giving data to those companies who then comb through the information.

“We can’t expect all public officials to become data scientists overnight and nor do we want this. What is needed is to “translate” data skills into practice”

E-commerce companies collect this data to gain insights about their audience, mostly to make profits. Likewise, public officials can use their data know-how to develop insights that will help us serve our communities more effectively. Investing in data skills for public officials would help change the data value extraction model that currently dominates in order to ensure that principles of public value, justice and equity are at the centre of how we develop and govern data-driven systems.

2. Data is inherently political

Imagine gaining so much insight from data collection that you can use it to track and predict the behaviours of people that will yield the most favourable outcome.

That was what happened with the Cambridge-Analytica scandal and more recently, the scrutiny on Facebook’s power and influence to give rise of hate groups on the social media platform. These are some infamous abuses of power. But like anything that has the power to do wrong, data also has the power to do good — especially for the most vulnerable and marginalised groups.

My organisation, the Open Data Charter, believes that data reflect how power is distributed and aims to help governments shift this power for the good of our communities. Governments make key decisions over how and who collects, shares and uses the information that drives policy solutions. They also regulate companies to ensure they do not abuse our data rights, and in some cases, legislate to mandate making data openly available.

In September 2020, our organisation turned five. In those five years, our founding principles have focused on working together with governments to open up data while also safeguarding privacy and protecting fundamental rights. Data literacy and knowledge can help combat corruption, close the gender pay gap and set the course for climate action.

3. Data is ubiquitous, but not all of it is valuable

When we govern data inclusively and accountably, we value our communities.

According to one source, the sum total of data that Google, Facebook, Amazon and Microsoft store is roughly equivalent to 300 million High-definition (HD) Hollywood films. So much in fact, that it would take 845 lifetimes to watch it all, and that’s assuming you live to the UK average of 81.

That is a lot of data. That data will include everything from memes to personal e-mails and sensitive information. Understanding the benefits, risks and limitations in the collection, sharing and use of data have become fundamental skills that governments need to succeed. Data literacy will steer our public officials to differentiate what is valuable and what requires more policy and protection.

“For those of you on the frontlines of advancing the public good, the governments you work for also need to overhaul their archaic ways.”

Unfortunately, the needle in terms of data literacy has moved very little in the public sector over the course of these last five years, but the more that governments and public officials know about data and its open access and use, the closer we will be to achieving our goals. We want to be able to deliver on the data reforms we set out, and the more data “stewards" and practitioners we have, the closer we will be to achieving it together.

Data skills are not the final destination

I hope these examples have convinced you that public servants need data skills. But the truth is that these data skills are not enough on their own.

For those of you on the frontlines of advancing the public good, the governments you work for also need to overhaul their archaic ways. For example, in dealing with the current Covid-19 crisis, access to timely data is only as useful as the ability of government leaders to share it in transparent and responsible ways, and leverage it to change public health systems. The value of working in the open must be foundational in the dynamic data governance models we are building towards and they require new types of institutions.

We need to invest in building our future data infrastructures that underpin government actions. We need agile, participatory and accountable governance frameworks that continuously improve and respond to changing needs.

We need to understand the different degrees of data literacy required for each public position. We can’t expect all public officials to become data scientists overnight and nor do we want this. What is needed is to “translate” data skills into practice.

Strengthening trust in our governments will require a commitment to these changes and we can start by investing in the people working in them.