Two Business Information Systems Chairs at TUD Dresden University of Technology are setting up the innovative research project “Open Data for the Public, Business, and Administration.” It's part of the Smart City Dresden pilot project and aims to make the public data available on the city's open data portal easier to find and use. Their research identifies needs and requirements for the use of open data so as to create added value for the public, businesses, and public administration.

Since 2019, the City of Dresden has provided free access to data sets collected by the city administration on their open data portal. Topics covered range from the environment and climate to population, construction and housing, and transportation. This initiative puts Dresden among the front-runners in Germany. An analysis of German cities conducted by Berlin-based consulting firm Finatycs in February 2025 showed that Dresden ranks third after Hamburg and Berlin in terms of the number of data sets (1,117) made publicly available. However, there is still room for improvement “in terms of the findability and user-friendliness of the information provided.”

And this is precisely where the research project comes in, headed by the Chair of Business Information Systems, esp. Information Systems in Industry and Trade, and the Chair of Business Information Systems, esp. Business Engineering, in cooperation with the Municipal Statistics Office. In analyses and pre-tests, the team was already able to identify some initial potential shortcomings, including a lack of technical knowledge among users, insufficient data quality, and a lack of knowledge about specific applications for the data sets.

The researchers are now conducting a large-scale questionnaire-based survey over a period of six weeks. They are investigating which factors significantly influence the use of open data portals and to what extent user attributes promote or inhibit the initial and repeated use of open data.

If you live in Dresden and regardless of whether you already have had experience with open data or not, you are cordially invited to participate in the survey at the following link: https://www.soscisurvey.de/ODPSurvey/?r=ddps. The survey takes around 10 minutes to complete and is completely anonymous.

About the Smart City Dresden pilot project

In the Smart City Dresden pilot project (2022-2026), which is funded by the federal government, innovative measures are being tested in sample districts of Dresden to improve the city's sustainability, public welfare and quality of life.

The project is managed by the City of Dresden (the city's own IT services company) and works together with TU Dresden. For example, WISSENSARCHITEKTUR – Laboratory of Knowledge Architecture is responsible for scientific support and synthesis research. Research teams from several faculties also support municipal smart city initiatives with their specialist expertise.

About the City of Dresden’s Open Data Portal

A city council resolution in 2019 led to the launch of the Dresden Open Data Portal, which aims to digitalize the city administration and increase transparency. It provides neutral, open data sets from the City of Dresden in machine-readable and standardized formats at no charge. The database comprises 14 categories, ranging from population, transport, and elections to infrastructure and the environment. The open data portal can be found at https://opendata.dresden.de/.

Contact:

Dr. Katja Bley
Chair of Business Information Systems, esp. Information Systems in Industry and Trade
Tel.: +49 351 463-33535
Email:

Richard Rau
Chair of Business Information Systems, esp. Business Engineering
Tel.: +49 351 463 39935
Email: