Capgemini arm bags European Commission data infrastructure project

The European Commission (EC) has awarded a three-year contract to Cagemini Consulting as part of its project to get member countries to make the most out of data.

Capgemini has worked on the European Data Portal, which is a core part of the EC’s open data strategy, since it was launched in 2015. The new contract means it will continue for at least three more years.

The multi-million Euro contract extension will see Capgemini Consulting coordinate other suppliers to the project, including its own IT services arm Sogeti.

The European Data Portal offers access to public data resources across Europe through the single point of contact – the portal itself – offering more than 800,000 datasets across 34 countries. It also offers support to member states through communities, and provides evidence of the socio-economic benefits of reusing public data resources.

Making huge volumes of data, currently held by public sector, available through the platform will save citizens and organisations time and money when trying to get the data they need, as well as help them make informed decisions.

When the platform was launched, a Capgemini study estimated the value for the open data market 2020 at €75.7bn. The European Union (EU) launched the European Data Portal to collect information about the data made available in each European country.

“The European Data Portal is uniquely positioned in setting the standard and supporting European countries to close the gap and reach higher levels of open data maturity,” said Dinand Tinholt, vice-president lead at Capgemini Consulting. 

The agreement will include the measurement of open data maturity in Europe and will assess the market value of the data economy in light of the current and planned developments.