Executive Summary

H2020 projects are to provide a first version of the Data Management Plan
(DMP) within the first six months of the project, with a view to being updated
during the project lifetime. The present document presents the initial DMP for
the WeGovNow project, thereby describing the project’s current view on the
data management life cycle for the datasets to be collected, processed or
generated for the purposes of the WeGovNow pilot evaluation. This refers to
the handling of evaluation data during and after the project. According to the
workplan, the current version of the DMP will be updated on the basis of a
dedicated evaluation framework to be developed until project month 12 (D4.1).
The final DMP will be presented in a dedicated deliverable (D6.3). The current
view can be summarized as follows:

  * Data set references and names will be specified on the basis of the evaluation framework to become available by project month 12 (D4.1). 

  

  * Qualitative evaluation data on positive and/or negative impacts of utilising the WeGovNow platform and services, as perceived at the part of the participating municipalities, will be generated. These will be augmented by quantitative data to be collated (e.g. time spent on utilising the WeGovNow platforms by municipal staff). 

  

  * Qualitative evaluation data on positive and/or negative impacts of utilising the WeGovNow platform and services, as perceived at the part of civil society stakeholders (e.g. representatives local NGOs participating at a given pilot site) and citizens, will be generated. 

  

  * Quantitative data on WeGovNow platform and service utilisation which can be automatically derived from the technical infrastructure to be piloted (e.g. platform utilisation statistics) will be aggregated. 

  

  * Currently it is envisaged that any aggregated data and case level data will be made available in an anonymised manner towards the end of the project for non-commercial, research purposes upon request. 

  

  * All data will be stored at the project coordinator’s corporate technical infrastructure, protected against unauthorised access and backed up at different levels, including regular off-premise backups. 

  

#  Introduction

According to available guidance, H2020 projects are to provide a first version
of the Data Management Plan (DMP) within the first six months of the project
1  . The initial DMP should be updated - if appropriate - during the project
lifetime. The present document is a first version of DMP for the WeGovNow
project. It describes the project’s current view on the data management life
cycle for the datasets to be collected, processed or generated for the
purposes of the evaluation of the three WeGovNow pilots. This refers to the
handling of evaluation data during and after the project. In particular, the
current document sets out an initial view on what data will be collected and
processed (Chapter 2). It also initially describes the methodology (Chapter 3)
and standards (Chapter 4) which will be applied. Furthermore, it is described
how data are expected to be shared with any external parties (Chapter 5) and
how these will be preserved (Chapter 6). According to the workplan, the
current version of the DMP will be updated on the basis of a dedicated
evaluation framework to be developed until project month 12 (D4.1). The final
DMP will be presented in a dedicated deliverable (D6.3).

#  Data set reference and name

Based on the evaluation framework to become available by project month 12,
data set references and names will be specified.

#  Data set description

In accordance with the project’s workplan, the WeGovNow platform and services
will be piloted under day-to-day conditions in three municipalities from
project moth 18 onwards. All three trial sites will be evaluated according to
a common evaluation programme. According to the workplan the initially
described evaluation approach (Annex I) will be consolidated by project month
12 and reported in a dedicated deliverable (D4.1) respectively. The current
view is that different sets of evaluation data will be generated:

  * Qualitative data on positive and/or negative impacts of utilising the WeGovNow platform and services, as perceived at the part of the participating municipalities, will be generated by means of key informant interviews (staff). It is anticipated that these will take the form of semi-structured interviews. Interviews will be undertaken in pairs to enable detailed note-taking. Interview notes will be typed up according to agreed formats and standards. The ultimate number of interviews will depend on the local context within which the WeGovNow platform and services are to be implemented at each pilot site. At the current stage, it is anticipated that 3 to 5 key informant interviews will be conducted per pilot site. These will be augmented by quantitative data (e.g. time spent on utilising the WeGovNow platforms by municipal staff) which will be gathered either by means of retrospective interviews or staff diaries. The ultimate decision about 

  

the data collation techniques to be applied is expected to depend on the local
circumstances prevailing at each of the pilot sites, e.g. when it comes to the
feasibility within the participating municipalities’ day-to-day operations.

  * Qualitative data on positive and/or negative impacts of utilising the WeGovNow platform and services, as perceived at the part of civil society stakeholders, will be generated by means of key informant interviews (e.g. representatives local NGOs participating at a given pilot site) and focus groups (e.g. citizens). The key informant interviews are expected to be conducted as described above. The ultimate number of interviews will again depend on local circumstances (e.g. the no. of local NGOs utilising the WeGovNow platform in a given pilot site). It is currently expected that 4 to 8 key informant interviews will be conducted per pilot site. Focus groups will involve two evaluators, and be conducted in the vernacular. Whether recorded or not, the event will be transcribed or documented using agreed formats and standards for handling the issue of multiple voices, interruptions, labelling of participatory and visual activities, and so on. The evaluators will be reasonably fluent in both English and the main language in which focus groups will be conducted, so that transcriptions will be translated into English only where the researcher is fluent in both languages and better able to transcribe in English, or to enable analysis of particular sections of the text. This will help avoid unnecessary effort. 

  

  * Quantitative data on WeGovNow platform and service utilisation which can be automatically derived from the technical infrastructure to be piloted (e.g. platform utilisation statistics) is expected to be aggregated in anonymous form. During the development phase of the platform, it will be clarified what data can be expected to be made automatically available for this purpose. In any case, no personal data is expected to be derived from the platform for evaluation purposes. 

  

As the pilot evaluation will refer to a newly developed platform, these data –
or similar data – is not available from existing sources. Any quantitative
data to be generated throughout the project’s piloting duration will be stored
and analysed with help Microsoft Excel based tools. Qualitative data to be
generated will be stored in Microsoft Word format.

#  Standards and metadata

During the evaluation plan development phase lasting until project month 12,
metadata, procedures and file formats for note-taking, recording,
transcribing, and anonymising semistructured interview and focus group
discussion data will be developed and agreed. This will also be achieved for
any quantitative data to be generated throughout the WeGovNow pilot duration.

#  Data sharing

Based on the evaluation framework which will be developed by the end of
project month 12, the project will formulate a strategy to grant open research
data access, in accordance with the rules of the Horizon 2020 programme.
Currently it is envisaged that any aggregated data and case level data will be
made available in an anonymised manner towards the end of the project. Access
will be provided freely to non-commercial, research purposes upon request.
Requests for data access can be made via the project website or direct contact
to the project co-ordinator or evaluation WP leader. Access to the dataset
will be granted after signature of a data access request form, regulating
inter alia proper mentioning of the data source. The dataset will be made
available for at least three years after the ending of the formal project
duration.

#  Archiving and preservation

Based on the evaluation framework that will become available by project month
12, a description of the procedures that will be put in place for preservation
of the evaluation data will be described and the current Data Management Plan
will be updated respectively. It is envisaged that the data will be stored in
the form of Microsoft Excel files and Microsoft Word files at the project
coordinator’s corporate technical infrastructure. These will be protected
against unauthorised access and backed up at different levels, including
regular off-premise backups. The evaluation data to be generated in the
framework of WeGovNow is currently envisaged to be preserved for a period of
at least three years after the ending of the project duration. The exact
volume of the data to be preserved cannot be determined at the current stage
of the project. It is however envisaged that the volume will be at an order of
magnitude not involving any additional cost for data storage / preservation
worth to be noted.