Digital transparency – measuring development and progress at the local level in Colombia
In Columbia, a digital portal has recently been published that will help monitor the implementation of the Agenda 2030 at a national and regional level. The South American Republic is breaking ground in terms of its commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and is one of 18 countries that will report progress to the UN in July 2018.
Municipalities can also help collect and visualise data that can form a basis for policy making. For the very first time a digital portal with this purpose has been launched called TerriData, with technical assistance of the FOINCIDE Project. In order to ensure flexibility and user friendliness, an app is also being developed which will be publicly available in May.
TerriData allows officials, citizens and other stakeholders to access information and measure progress. It is partly inspired by the Swedish system KOLADA and enables the collection, visualisation and comparison of key data and statistics from all municipalities and regions in the country. In this first phase, TerriData displays 398 indicators in 11 dimensions. The function of the “Open Comparison” means that anyone can compare the data sets between the municipalities.
The project FOINCIDE (Fortalecimiento Institucional y Ciudadano para el desarrollo Territorial) has assisted the development of TerriData and aims at strengthening participative methods in four pilot municipalities in order to improve the prospects for peace and sustainable development. It is implemented by SKL International with technical assistance of RKA on behalf of the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SALAR) and is funded by SIDA in close cooperation with the DNP, the Colombian Ministry of National Planning.
