From the evolution of public data ecosystems to the evolving horizons of the forward-looking intelligent public data ecosystem empowered by emerging technologies
It addresses the need for practical validation of a theoretical model to enhance PDE management strategies for public sector and societal use, though it is incremental as it builds on prior work.
This study empirically validated a six-generation evolutionary model of public data ecosystems (PDEs) by examining implementations in five European countries, focusing on the 6th generation 'Intelligent Public Data Generation' driven by emerging technologies like AI and LLMs.
Public data ecosystems (PDEs) represent complex socio-technical systems crucial for optimizing data use in the public sector and outside it. Recognizing their multifaceted nature, previous research pro-posed a six-generation Evolutionary Model of Public Data Ecosystems (EMPDE). Designed as a result of a systematic literature review on the topic spanning three decade, this model, while theoretically robust, necessitates empirical validation to enhance its practical applicability. This study addresses this gap by validating the theoretical model through a real-life examination in five European countries - Latvia, Serbia, Czech Republic, Spain, and Poland. This empirical validation provides insights into PDEs dynamics and variations of implementations across contexts, particularly focusing on the 6th generation of forward-looking PDE generation named "Intelligent Public Data Generation" that represents a paradigm shift driven by emerging technologies such as cloud computing, Artificial Intelligence, Natural Language Processing tools, Generative AI, and Large Language Models (LLM) with potential to contribute to both automation and augmentation of business processes within these ecosystems. By transcending their traditional status as a mere component, evolving into both an actor and a stakeholder simultaneously, these technologies catalyze innovation and progress, enhancing PDE management strategies to align with societal, regulatory, and technical imperatives in the digital era.