Open Data, managing data effectively during the COVID-19 pandemic

The Spanish Red Cross pioneered an Open Data strategy during the pandemic by publishing live data on its activity in a totally transparent way. Thanks to Microsoft technology, the platform has been able to provide daily updated data from records ranging from local to state level. 

Since the beginning of the crisis, Spanish Red Cross ensured the continuity  of its essential programs at the same time as strengthening its support for the most vulnerable people during the pandemic. 

Spanish Red Cross launched the “Red Cross RESPONDE Plan” in March 2020: to carry out an immediate response across all its areas of activity: relief, health, social inclusion, education, employment and the environment.

The implementation and development of this project using Microsoft technology, which involved creating from scratch an architecture, access configuration, data flow management, modeling and visualization, was carried out in record time by the hand of the SDG Group. Everything was implemented on The Open Data site of the Red Cross plan RESPONDS on via Azure cloud platform, having previously migrated its database onto the cloud thanks to SQL Integration Services. The publication of the data was automated to take place on a daily basis. Likewise, SQL Server was used as a data warehouse to store the information in Azure, linking the data with Microsoft Power BI for its visualization in clear and intuitive dashboards.

As an organisation dedicated to transparency, Spanish Red Cross has always made information public and collected data to effectively manage its economic, material and human resources. Through the “Red Cross RESPONDE Plan” and thanks to Microsoft Power BI, Spanish Red Cross has been able to provide a truly up-to-date data visualization page on its website, providing information such as the number of volunteers engaged per region or by area of intervention. Disaggregated at a regional level, the data sparked a healthy competition between the regional networks while being a key element of the Spanish Red Cross’s commitment to transparency, much appreciated by public bodies, companies, volunteers, the general public and the media.