Research

Presenting on how Open Government Data may be used to drive public service co-creation at Open Data Day Estonia 2018.

I am currently conducting a PhD at Tallinn University of Technology’s Ragnar Nurkse Department of Innovation and Governance titled “Government as a Platform: Open Data as a means for the coproduction and customization of public services”. This research posits that open data may help drive a shift in how public services are conceived, developed, and delivered by enabling enhanced levels of co-creation.

The PhD aims to analyze this shift, understand how it occurs, and provide a model and framework for understanding how open government data is enabling and driving the co-creation of new public services. Additionally, the research project aims to look at potential implications for community empowerment, innovation, and enhanced levels of participation in democratic processes.

I am also working as a researcher on the Horizon 2020 funded project, OpenGovIntelligence. This project aims to demonstrate how open government data may be used to modernize public administrations and the co-creation of new public services. In addition to open government data and co-creation, my research interests also include data analytics, complexity, machine learning, artificial intelligence, innovation, and government transformation.

Research Interests

  • Open Government Data
  • Co-Creation
  • e-Government
  • Complexity
  • Machine Learning
  • Artificial Intelligence

Project Involvement

  • GovAiLab

    The GovAiLab is based at Tallinn University of Technology in the School of IT. The aim of GovAiLab is to help develop the Estonian public sector's expertise, experience, competence, and usage of artifical intelligence.

  • Hello, World! Artificial Intelligence and its Use in the Public Sector

    I worked with the OECD's Observatory of Public Sector Innovation to draft a working paper on Artificial Intelligence and how it may be used in the public sector.

    Artificial Intelligence (AI) is an area of research and technology application that can have a significant impact on public policies and services in many ways.

    Governments can use AI to design better policies and make better decisions, improve communication and engagement with citizens and residents, and improve the speed and quality of public services. While the potential benefits of AI are significant, attaining them is not an easy task. Government use of AI trails that of the private sector; the field is complex and has a steep learning curve; and the purpose of, and context within, government are unique and present a number of challenges.

    To help governments learn about and explore AI in an effective and ethical way, this paper includes guidance on:

    • Providing support and clear direction and create space for flexibility and experimentation
    • Determine whether AI is the best solution for a given problem
    • Providing for multi-disciplinary, diverse, and inclusive perspectives
    • Developing a trustworthy, fair, and accountable approach to using AI
    • Securing ethical collection of, access to, and use of quality data
    • Ensure government organisations have access to adequate funding, capability, capacity, & infrastructure
    • Recognising the potentially significant shifts that AI might bring in the future.

  • Estonian Open Government Data Portal

    I have been involved with Open Knowledge Estonia's effort to rebuild the Estonian Open Government Data portal. In practice, this means that I am responsible for the development and maintenance of opendata.riik.ee.

  • OpenGovIntelligence (H2020)

    OpenGovIntelligence aims to modernize public service delivery by developing a public service delivery process based around co-creation and the exploitation and use of linked open statistical data.

    The OpenGovIntelligence project aims at stimulating sustainable economic growth in Europe through fostering innovation in society and enterprises. Towards this end, OpenGovIntelligence suggests a holistic approach for the modernization of Public Administration (PA) by exploiting Linked Open Statistical Data (LOSD) technologies. This includes new business processes, policies, and tools that will enable the active participation of the society and enterprises in data sharing and in the co-production of innovative data-driven public services.