1.4 The difficulty of sharing data

City divisions currently engage in very little data sharing, combination and utilisation with each other, and the sharing of data across division boundaries is seen as difficult or even impossible. The main reasons data from different sources is so rarely combined include the lack and shortcomings of information systems that support sharing, problems with the structuring and semantic interoperability of data, insufficient individual identifiers, restrictions imposed by legislation and the difficulty of assessing the legal basis for processing data.

The lack of information systems that support sharing is also linked to the lack of City-wide guidelines, master data management and data architecture. As a result, development projects involving the combination of data are carried out via data transfers between divisions, i.e. by copying the required data from one division’s system to another’s using various methods. While this kind of data transfer is a functional solution, after the transfer the copied data only serves the needs of a single division and the individual use case. With this in mind, the City’s data architecture should be designed so as to enable the saving and sharing of data between City divisions and interest groups. Well-designed data architecture would also make it possible to scale the sharing of data based on different needs.

Helsinki does not currently have a clear process for assessing the legal perspectives associated with the combination and wider utilisation of data. This kind of process and associated guidelines have only been prepared for the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) by the City’s data protection team. However, the services produced by the City are steered by other pieces of legislation as well, compliance with which is assessed by the lawyers of City divisions. Assessing the legal aspects associated with the combination and utilisation of data requires the contribution of lawyers from multiple divisions, which slows down assessment.