Proposed Process Support for Risk Assement of Geodata when Making them Available as Open Data - A Collaborative Effort by Government Agencies
Publish date: 2025-06-04
Report number: FOI-R--5768--SE
Pages: 58
Written in: Swedish
Keywords:
- risk assessment
- collaboration between authorities
- geodata
- digitalisation
- open data law
- consequence
- relevance
- accessibility.
Abstract
The Swedish Defence Research Agency (FOI) and the Swedish Mapping, Cadastral, and Land Registration Authority (Lantmäteriet) have developed a draft risk assessment method, MEGS, for making geodata open data related to Sweden's security. The method, Proposed Process Support for Risk Assement of Geodata when Making them Available as Open Data - A Collaborative Effort by Government Agencies was created in response to the Open Data Act, which mandates a risk assessment prior to data release and requires consideration of aggregation, addressed by MEGS. Risk assessments are often based on probability and consequence, but for complex risks, such as those related to Sweden's national security, this approach is not applicable. Instead, relevance has been introduced for and is replacing probability, and an approach using consequence levels is tested based on potential implications for Sweden's national security. In the proposed risk assessment method, relevance, consequence levels, and proposed criteria for these levels are used. MEGS consists of six steps that lead to a decision basis for whether a specific set of geodata poses a risk to Sweden's security and therefore can, or cannot be made available. The six steps, which include preparatory materials and the implementation of a workshop in collaboration with other stakeholders, are described in detail in the process support guide. A documentation template is also available to assist in conducting the risk assessment during the workshop. The development of MEGS and the considerations behind the method's design are described in a separate report Method for Risk Assessment of Geodata when Making them Available as Open Data.