Virtual event
How to Unlock Hidden Data in Local Government
Exclusively for public servants and policymakers
Wednesday, Apr 15, 2026
Time is displayed in your local time zone
Speakers
What to do next
- Catch up on the 10-minute highlights above or dive into the full recording
- Join the Local Government Community
- Check out our upcoming event How to Win Budget Approval
Resources
Join the Local Government Community
The Local Government Community is an online space to connect with peers working to improve local communities. Whether you focus on the procedural tasks of local government or service areas this community is for you.
Event Description
Most local government organisations are sitting on mountains of unused data. Learn to locate your data and break through departmental silos.
Public servants are often told to “use data” to inform decisions, but it’s rarely clear where to find it. Much of it sits behind departmental silos or informal systems, difficult to access or even locate.
This event will explore where data lives within local government organisations, what kinds of data are most useful for policy and service delivery and how to navigate the relationships, permissions, and blockers that get in the way.
You’ll move past the frustration of inaccessible evidence by learning how to map your surrounding data ecosystem and apply practical strategies for securing the information you need. Hear from practitioners who’ve successfully unlocked data in their local government organisations and leave with tools and ideas you can put to work immediately.
Image Credit: Unsplash
Speakers
Greg Jordan-Detamore
Civic Technology Consultant
USA
Ewout Runhaar
Directeur Data & Chief Data Officer, City of Amsterdam
Netherlands
Fernando Fernandez Monge
Senior Associate, Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative
Spain
Greg Jordan-Detamore, a civic technology leader specializing in human-centered design and government digital transformation. With extensive experience across the gov-tech and civic-tech ecosystem, he excels at bridging the gap between policy and implementation. He has worked with governments around the world—particularly at the local level—on open data, data governance, and access to public services.
Ewout Runhaar, who combines his background in political science, business management and IT as Director of Data and Chief Data Officer of the city of Amsterdam. He is driven by the fundamental impact of new technology on how governments function: the risks when it goes wrong, and the value when done right.
Fernando Fernandez Monge, who is a senior associate at the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative, where he conducts research focused on the capabilities that city governments need to innovate and govern data to make cities more equitable and responsive to citizens’ needs. He has written several teaching cases and academic and policy papers on public innovation, data governance, and city leadership and management. Prior to the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative, he was a governance specialist at the World Bank, and earlier in his career he practiced international law at the Spanish law firm, Uria Menendez. Currently, Fernando is carrying out empirical research comparing international leadership practices in local government as well as work that examines the factors explaining European city governments’ access to and use of proprietary data for public interest.
