Metadata for open data representation: a proposal for the Brazilian Open Data Portal

uma proposta para o Portal Brasileiro de Dados Abertos

Abstract

The 21st century has been marked by the development of communication and information technologies and the immeasurable speed of data production and consumption. Among the diverse data available on the web, there is open data that can be freely used, reused and redistributed by anyone, subdivided into various types, including open government data (OGD), which are those originated from administrative and governmental functions and considered pillars of democracy and transparency. Brazil has shown itself to be a pioneer when it comes to making open government data available that can be reused and redistributed by society. However, there are still gaps in the regulations, especially related to the representation, organization and access to this data, a scenario in which Information Science can present tools and methodologies to support data governance. This context motivated this research, which sought to answer the question: what metadata can be used to represent the open data of the Brazilian federal government? The general objective was to propose a metadata model for the representation and organization of information on the Brazilian Open Data Portal. To this end, an applied, exploratory and descriptive study was carried out to meet the specific objectives: (i) to identify, in the Brazilian academic literature, models, metrics, frameworks and similar instruments that address the publication, evaluation, life cycle or treatment of open data or DGA, in order to identify approaches, techniques and methods used; (ii) to map documents and legislation on open data in the Brazilian federal government ((laws, decrees, regulations, ordinances, resolutions and instruments); (iii) to identify and analyze the types and formats of open data published, standards and metadata used on the Brazilian Open Data Portal; and (iv) to propose a descriptive representation structure for the open data of the Brazilian federal government using metadata. To achieve objective (i), an integrative review of the national literature was carried out in the Brazilian Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations, which resulted in the observation of an unequivocal concern with the challenges arising from the lack of standardization and heterogeneity of the data, as well as the identification of good practices for the treatment of open data. In objective (ii), the main documentation and instruments related to the research were mapped, such as the Electronic Government Metadata Standard and the Electronic Government Controlled Vocabulary. In objective (iii), documentary research and direct observation were carried out on the Brazilian Open Data Portal and, as a result, the elements of organization and representation of information on the Portal were identified. Finally, for objective (iv), the previous results were systematized to present recommendations for the hierarchical structure, divided into categories, for the Brazilian Open Data Portal, metadata structure and correspondence with the Data Catalog Vocabulary metadata standard. It was concluded that the recommendations of this dissertation can support significant changes in the Brazilian context, promoting interoperability and accessibility for the effective reuse of data by society, highlighting the essential role of information professionals in the development of open data policies.