Multiethnic group of designers and architects working in an office

For municipalities, public organisations and non-profits

Datalab Society Studio for data-driven working in the public sector

Bring policy, financial and operational data together in a controlled platform. With attention to governance, data sovereignty, cost control and robust implementation that fits policy and public responsibility.

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What is Datalab Society Studio?

A complete data solution for public and social-purpose organisations where reliability, explainability and continuity matter more than quick standalone dashboards.

Datalab Society Studio

A data platform for regulated and social-purpose environments

Datalab Society Studio is a data platform with source unlocking, data models, permissions, a data catalogue, dashboards, analytics and, where appropriate, AI. It is suitable for municipalities, provinces, public bodies, non-profits, knowledge institutes and health-care-related organisations.

We explicitly design for robustness, data security, data sovereignty, traceability and alignment with policy. The result is not only technology, but a governable environment in which leadership, policy, operations and information management can responsibly use the same figures.

Datalab can deliver individual parts, such as a data catalogue, dashboard environment or source unlocking, but can also realise the full platform. Because we are also experts in data governance, we carefully embed the solution in existing policy frameworks, decision-making and management processes.

Platform

Robust data platform foundation

A scalable environment where policy data, financial data, operational data, public sources and custom files come together securely.

Sources

Source unlocking and data catalogue

We unlock sources in a controlled way, record provenance and make datasets findable and understandable for the teams that use them.

Use

Dashboarding, analytics and AI

From policy dashboards and accountability reporting to R Shiny, Power BI, forecasting or controlled AI applications.

Governance

Embedded in policy and management

Definitions, ownership, permissions, quality checks, logging and management agreements become part of the implementation.

Applications

What Datalab Society Studio is used for

The first use case can be small, as long as the foundation is right and can grow later.

1 Policy

Policy dashboards and accountability information

Combine indicators, budgets, execution data and public sources into dashboards that support policy choices and accountability. Not as loose exports, but with definitions and provenance that remain explainable.

For municipalities, this may involve the social domain, spatial development, public services, safety or financial management. In health care, it is often about planning, accountability and effectiveness monitoring. For non-profits, examples include impact, activities, donors, projects and accountability to funders.

2 Governance

Data quality, definitions and ownership

Public data requires trust. That is why we establish early which source is leading, how KPIs are defined, which checks are needed and how exceptions are followed up.

This prevents teams from continuing to debate figures and helps information management, policy and operations use the same data model.

3 Sovereign

Local, European, hybrid or on-premises implementations

A standard public-cloud setup does not always fit policy, risk or cost requirements. Datalab Society Studio can run in Dutch or European cloud, on-premises or hybrid environments.

This keeps your organisation in control of data, access, infrastructure and future portability without giving up modern analytics.

4 Cost

A manageable start for smaller organisations

Not every public organisation has a large data team or broad innovation budget. We can start with one dashboard, one data model, one data catalogue or one defined part of the platform and then expand modularly.

We explicitly offer discounts for charities. This keeps the threshold lower for organisations that want to increase their social impact with better data.

Client cases

Public data in practice

The public sector needs more than dashboards. NMVO shows how sharp requirements and data security reduce investment risk. Clingendael shows how many sensitive sources come together in a current dashboard with granular permissions. Both examples make responsible data-driven working concrete and feasible.

Knowledge institute Clingendael: 40+ sources in one secure dashboard How a data warehouse and dashboard combine current security information with granular access control.

"A current view of peace and security by region."

- Jos Meester, Clingendael Institute

Read the Clingendael case Health care NMVO: realistic requirements for secure medicines data How NMVO made a better-prepared software and data platform choice around signalling, feasibility and data security.

"Thanks to Datalab, we are better able to ask the right questions."

- Dorien Verbree, Stichting NMVO

Read the NMVO case

Municipality of Weert

Complete platform for complex data analysis and advanced dashboards.

Municipality of Roermond

Pilot environment for gaining experience with data-driven working, led by Datalab.

Municipality of Nijmegen

Advice on modernising and setting up a sovereign data platform.

Collaboration

Three ways to use Datalab Society Studio

Datalab delivers what fits your capacity: only the foundation, building together or full delivery. Smaller organisations can start compactly, while larger public organisations can set up a complete programme with governance, platform and adoption.

Optie #1

Tooling and foundation only

Datalab delivers the platform, connectors, data models, permissions and quality checks. Your own information, data or BI team further develops dashboards and analyses.

For organisations with their own data capacity
Clear architecture, handover and management agreements

Data warehouse setup Sovereign Cloud Dataplatform DBT & data modelling

Optie #2

Build together

We build the foundation and first applications together with policy, information management, operations and key users. This creates results while knowledge grows inside your organisation.

Practical for municipalities and public bodies
Governance and adoption grow with the solution

Data strategy & consulting Dashboards & BI Power BI consultancy

Optie #3

Complete programme

Datalab guides the full process: selecting use cases, setting up governance, unlocking sources, building dashboards, taking users along and developing further.

Also suitable without your own data team
From exploration to management and further development

Data strategy & consulting Data warehouse setup Dashboards & BI

Open source

Open tooling fits public responsibility

Datalab likes to work with open source tooling where it fits. For organisations that work with public funds, strict accountability lines or transferability requirements, that is often logical: choices remain explainable, technology remains inspectable and dependence on one supplier is reduced.

Transparent and controllable

Components, data models and ways of working are easier to assess, transfer and document.

Modular to build

Start small with a dashboard, data catalogue or platform component and expand without starting again.

Less vendor lock-in

Open standards and portable architecture keep future choices open.

How do we start?

From public data question to a manageable platform with clear governance and a route that fits your organisation.

Choose public value and policy context

We choose a sharp first question: policy steering, accountability, operations, data security or cost control. Policy, GDPR, information security and decision-making are included from the start.

Resultaat: a clear scope with administrative context.

Define governance and ownership

We determine definitions, data sources, data owners, access rights, quality checks and accountability lines. This prevents governance from having to be repaired afterwards.

Resultaat: agreements about data that are workable and explainable.

Choose platform and deployment route

We choose the right technical route: Dutch or European cloud, on-premises, hybrid or conventional cloud with a migration path. We consider robustness, management, cost and sovereignty.

Resultaat: a feasible architecture without vendor interest.

Develop the platform and first data products

We unlock the first sources, set up the platform and build the first data products: dashboards, analyses, reports or applications that deliver immediate value.

Resultaat: a working foundation with visible applications.

After step 4, the route splits

5a. Continue independently

Your team builds further

Your own team takes over dashboards, analyses or further data models. Datalab remains available for platform management, review, training and deeper expertise.

5b. Fully managed

Datalab handles delivery and management

We build the platform, technically embed governance, deliver dashboards or analytics applications and support users in daily adoption.

The middle route is often most practical: Datalab builds the foundation and first applications, while your team gradually does more itself. Capacity grows without the programme stalling.

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Frequently asked questions

Questions about Datalab Society Studio

Practical answers about public data, governance, sovereignty, cost and collaboration.

Is Datalab Society Studio only for municipalities?

No. The solution is intended for municipalities, provinces, public bodies, knowledge institutes, health-care-related organisations and non-profits. The common denominator is that data must be reliable, explainable, secure and manageable.

Which services and consultancy pages connect to this?

Datalab Society Studio is the complete solution route for public organisations: from governance and platform to adoption. For defined parts, our services connect to it: Data strategy & consulting for governance, roadmap and choices, Dashboards & BI for dashboarding, Data warehouse setup for the data foundation and the Sovereign Cloud Dataplatform for sovereign platform choices. Consultancy is different: it adds temporary specialist capacity alongside your team, for example a data strategy consultant, Power BI consultant for dashboarding or DBT and data modelling consultancy for the data model.

Can you also implement locally, on-premises or sovereign?

Yes. Datalab Society Studio can run in Dutch or European cloud, on-premises, hybrid or in a conventional cloud environment with a migration path. Also read our page about the Sovereign Cloud Dataplatform.

Where does data governance appear in the programme?

From the start. We define definitions, source owners, ownership, access rights, quality checks, logging and management agreements before dashboards or analyses are rolled out broadly. Governance is not an appendix afterwards, but part of the implementation.

Is this feasible for small public organisations or non-profits?

Yes. We can start compactly with one data question, one dashboard, a data catalogue or a limited platform setup and then expand modularly. This keeps the first step manageable, even without a large data team.

Do you offer discounts for charities?

Yes. For recognised charities and non-profit organisations with limited resources, we offer discounts. We align the discount with the purpose, scale and available capacity, so valuable social-purpose data projects do not fail because of a high entry threshold.

Do you also use AI or advanced analytics for public data?

Only when the foundation is right. We first look at data, permissions, traceability, model use and risks. Forecasting, R Shiny, Power BI, Python/R analyses or controlled AI applications can then be set up responsibly. Also see our ethical framework.

Discover what Datalab Society Studio can do for your organisation

Start small with one use case or discuss a complete data journey for your public organisation.

Schedule a call