The Transparent Cities program (Transparency International Ukraine) has studied the publication of open data in the context of war. 18 regional centers took part in our research.

The average rate of data publication for all cities is low and amounts to 25.1%. Together, the cities were supposed to publish 1,026 mandatory sets.  Instead, only 258 sets were published.

Only 4 out of 18 cities have published more than 20 datasets out of 57 mandatory ones. Ternopil published the most datasets — 32 out of a possible 57 sets, which accounts for 56.1% of the total. In addition, the top four cities are Uzhhorod, Vinnytsia, and Lutsk.

“Martial law is not a reason ‘to postpone’ transparency and accountability everywhere. It is important for local authorities to find resources and opportunities to ensure these principles at the pre-war level wherever possible. We understand that some data are not subject to publication and cannot be made public during martial law. However, we are convinced that local authorities should focus their efforts on ensuring the openness of the data that became relevant during the war and can be published,” says Olena Ogorodnik, manager of the Transparent Cities Program.    

In most cities, the benefits of publication remain blocked.

Now, it is essential for people to know where the shelters are. However, not all local officials were able to collect and publish this information in a centralized way. Only 9 city councils (Zhytomyr, Ivano-Frankivsk, Odesa, Rivne, Sumy, Uzhhorod, Khmelnytskyi, Chernivtsi, Chernihiv, and Sumy) have published data on the location of civil defense shelters.

We emphasize that unreasonable restriction of access or closure of information managers’ pages is not about data protection, but about violation of the law. In addition, to assess the potential harm from the publication, we recommend applying the three-part test provided for by Ukrainian law.

Read more in our study “Open Data of Cities in War Conditions: Current State, Challenges, Prospects.”