Introduction
In recent years, many public administrations have launched open data portals, yet citizens still often ask: “What happened to our proposals? How far along are the projects?”. Raw data alone is not enough. To strengthen participation, institutions need clear, up-to-date and verifiable public dashboards that connect numbers, decisions and responsibilities.
The EU Directive 2019/1024 on Open Data and PSI reuse made data openness an obligation across Europe, while in Italy the Agency for Digital Italy (AgID) issued specific guidelines on data openness and reusability. But the true leap happens when these datasets become public-facing dashboards accessible to everyone.
This article provides practical guidance for designing dashboards that genuinely matter, linking open data with digital democracy, trust and accountability.
Why it matters: from data to trust
European evidence shows that open data creates value only when paired with tools that make it understandable and reusable. The Open Data Maturity Report 2023 highlights that the most advanced countries are those connecting open data portals with concrete services and public dashboards. According to AgID, Italy ranks seventh in Europe for open data maturity — a solid baseline, with plenty of room for strengthening participation.
The OECD stresses that open government works when transparency and participation go hand in hand. Citizens must be able to see what is happening, understand who is responsible, and verify whether commitments are met. Public dashboards are one of the most effective tools to achieve this.
- They show the status of proposals, projects and spending.
- They align offices, policymakers and citizens around shared evidence.
- They enable continuous monitoring rather than end-of-project summaries.
- They support local media, associations and civic groups in distributed oversight.
For anyone working on participation, digital democracy or public policy, dashboards are a cornerstone of a larger ecosystem made of deliberation, digital tools and civic culture.
How to design a public dashboard that truly works
Step 1 – Define objectives and a few clear metrics
An effective dashboard begins with a simple question: what should citizens understand at a glance? In a participatory process, core dimensions typically include:
- Number of proposals received, validated and approved.
- Process phases (open, under review, in implementation, completed).
- Budget allocated and spent.
- Physical progress of each project (percentage, milestones).
The goal is to avoid “encyclopedic dashboards” and focus on a few meaningful metrics. Articles like What is participatory budgeting and how does it work and Global Experiments in Participatory Budgeting: Lessons from Around the World show how numbers and process phases must be interpreted together.
Step 2 – Data sources, metadata and update frequency
A credible dashboard does not just display numbers; it also clarifies:
- Data source (responsible unit, information system).
- Last update and frequency (daily, monthly, quarterly).
- Data limitations (estimates, provisional values, possible delays).
- Direct links to the dataset on the national catalogue dati.gov.it or the local portal.
The AgID Open Data Guidelines clearly state that metadata, licences and update policies are integral to proper data openness. Making these visible in the dashboard brings citizens closer to the logic of open data without forcing them to navigate technical documentation.
Step 3 – A readable and accessible design
A good public dashboard respects digital public service principles: short texts, essential charts, coherent colours, and accessible components. In many cases, all you need is:
- A bar chart showing proposals and projects by phase.
- A progress indicator for each project.
- A simple table with a few columns (title, district, budget, status).
As described in Digital democracy and smart cities: international experiences, cities that invest in simple, mobile-friendly dashboards tend to involve residents, associations and local media more effectively.
Step 4 – Connect dashboard, datasets and the participatory process
A meaningful dashboard is never isolated: it connects to both the open dataset and the participatory process that produced it. Ideally, each chart or table should allow citizens to:
- Open the source dataset (for deeper analysis or reuse).
- Trace back to the public consultation or deliberative pathway (e.g., participatory budgeting).
- View the related formal decisions (minutes, resolutions, determinations).
This logic echoes the operational approach described in Checklist for a transparent public consultation, which highlights the need to make each step traceable.
Use cases: municipalities, associations, even buildings
Public dashboards powered by open data are useful in many settings:
- Municipalities and Regions: monitoring calls, PNRR projects, urban plans, and programme agreements. The article on E-democracy experiences in Italian regions shows how some regions already use monitoring portals for participatory policies.
- Participatory budgeting: dashboards showing proposals submitted, shortlisted, approved projects, and implementation status.
- Schools, networks and associations: community micro-grants, district projects, and participation indicators.
- Residential buildings: even at micro scale, dashboards can make decisions, expenses and works carried out more transparent.
How Concorder helps build dashboards that matter
Concorder is a platform for digital democracy and deliberation designed to transform proposals, votes, meetings and decisions into structured, reusable data. Every proposal, vote or AI-assisted meeting record is stored in a traceable way, ready to feed public dashboards and open datasets.
In a participatory budgeting process, for example, Concorder allows you to:
- Manage community idea and proposal collection.
- Run technical assessments and public voting.
- Automatically generate minutes and summaries using AI support.
- Export data on projects, phases and budgets, ready for open data publication.
The article Using Concorder for participatory budgeting illustrates how the platform supports each phase. Public dashboards then become the visible layer of a structured internal process — not just a graphic exercise.
Conclusions and next steps
Open data only makes sense if it helps citizens, administrators and organisations make better decisions. Public dashboards are a practical way to connect digital democracy, transparency and accountability: they follow the full policy cycle, from proposals to delivery.
For municipalities, regions, schools or residential buildings willing to improve, the path begins with clear objectives, well-documented datasets, simple dashboard design, and a direct link to traceable participatory processes.
If you want to understand how to structure digital participation pathways that generate data ready for dashboards and open datasets, Concorder can support you end-to-end, from consultation to reporting.
👉 Discover all the features on Concorder, or book a free demo to explore real use cases and dashboards already in action.
