October’s CKAN Ecosystem Catalog Site of the Month is Durban EDGE, the economic intelligence platform of eThekwini Municipality’s Economic Development Directorate in South Africa. Established in 2011, the portal and supporting website bring together economic data, research, and analysis for public, research, and municipal use.
Durban EDGE was built by Open Cities Lab (OCL), a South African civic technology organization that works with local governments to develop open-source data and digital systems, with unique dedication to building local capacity rather than simply delivering standalone tools.
We selected Durban EDGE in part because it offers a useful example of what data sovereignty can take shape in practice and outside of more common discussions about jurisdiction, ownership, and control over data. Here, it is also visible in the less formal work of building institutional and relational capacity to make decisions about data locally.
This is nicely illustrated through the MijiBora approach, OCL and eThekwini brought neighboring municipalities together to develop their own data strategies and governance practices, learn from one another, and document approaches that might be adapted elsewhere. Rather than imposing a common model or asking the municipalities to navigate these challenges out on their own, the MijiBora Community of Practice supported municipal staff with tools and a peer network through which to address shared problems collaboratively while also retaining ownership of their own approaches locally.
We are delighted to feature Durban EDGE this month and to highlight the work of eThekwini Municipality and Open Cities Lab. If you’re working through similar questions around data governance, local capacity, or data sovereignty, we’d be interested to hear how you’re approaching them.