Check-list

As part of the EU, Finland has committed to the principle by which it will only ask citizens and companies for the same data once. This is referred to as once-only principle.

Data should only be collected once and then shared and used together. 

To make it possible for different organisations to utilise each other's data efficiently, the data must be interoperable

• semantically
• technically
• legally
• organisationally.

These four levels of interoperability are based on the EU’s European Interoperability Framework (EUR-Lex)Opens in a new window..

Consider:

1. Why should your organisation open, share or utilise data?
2. What data sharing-related responsibilities and roles do your organisations have?
3. Which of your organisation's data is in demand?
4. What needs could other organisations have?

Read more about mapping benefits on the Map the benefits page of this guide.

Find out

1. what data your organisation has
2. which systems the data is contained in
3. the form in which data is transferred
4. how public your data is
5. what data you need more of
6. whether and how your organisation’s data has been described.

Read more about information management on the Get an overview of information management page of this guide.

Many laws and regulations restrict an organisation’s ability to utilise, share and open data. Carefully determine your organisation’s obligations and rights related to data sharing and information management.

Read more about the most relevant laws on the Pay attention to laws and provisions page of this guide.

1. There are always risks associated with opening, sharing and utilising data. Read more about risk management principles
2. Take care of data protection processes in your organisation.
3. Protect your infrastructure from security risks.
4. Take comprehensive security into account when making data openly accessible.

Read more about restrictions and risks on the Assess and manage risks page of this guide.

Find out

1. what technical solutions are already used to process data
2. what kind of information systems are already in use
3. what kind of data transfer solutions are already in use.

Read more about mapping technical solutions on the Map the existing technical solutions page of this guide.

Technical interoperability requires interoperable

• data formats
• interface structures
• error processing
• databases
• information systems
• telecommunications connections.

When data is transferred technically between organisations, a decision must be made on which channel, i.e. the technical data transfer solution, is used to transfer or make the data available to another organisation.

Read more on technical interoperability, on the Ensure technical interoperability page of this guide.

The Suomi.fi Data Exchange Layer is a uniform and secure solution that enables your organisation to manage data transfer related to electronic transactions with other organisations.

The Data Exchange Layer is used to transfer data with public administration organisations and it requires a secure method of transmission.

Your organisation can use Suomi.fi Open Data when it intends to share data openly. You can also search for open data that your organisation can use in Suomi.fi Open Data.

For it to be possible to utilise the same data between different information systems, the data must be

1. available in digital format
2. structured, i.e. machine-readable.

The quality of the data contained in the dataset may affect its usability elsewhere. Determine the quality of the data by considering how well

1. the data describes reality
2. the data has been described
3. the data can be used.

Read more about the format and quality of data on the Map data format and quality page of this guide.

The recipient and the sender of the data must understand the meaning and format of the data in the same way.

For this purpose, the parties who exchange data must agree on:

• concepts defining the data
• data structures, definitions and relationships between them as data models
• code sets give detail to data specifications.

You can use the interoperability method (Digital and Population Data Services Agency) to coordinate definitions between different actors. Also take into account any national or international standards.

The Interoperability Platform consists of three tools:

• Suomi.fi GlossariesOpens in a new window.
• Suomi.fi Code SetsOpens in a new window.
• Suomi.fi Data VocabulariesOpens in a new window.

Read more on semantic interoperability, on the Ensure semantic interoperability page of this guide.

Describe data and publish the descriptions so that those who need these can find them, understand their purpose and utilise them.

1. Certain public sector datasets must be described in Suomi.fi Restricted Data.
2. Describe the concepts, data models and code sets used by your organisation on the Interoperability Platform (in Finnish).
3. Describe the data you have opened in Suomi.fi Open Data.
4. Describe the data you have shared through the Suomi.fi Data Exchange Layer in the API CatalogueOpens in a new window.

Read more about describing data on the Describe the data page of this guide.