(from left to right) Birk Weiberg in conversation with Eliane Burri, Marcel Bleuler and Hanna Della Casa. Photo: Sabine Dani.
Marcel Bleuler took part in the panel discussion at the DIZH Plenary Assembly on 2 July 2025, representing the Public Data Lab. Together with representatives from two other DIZH innovation structures, he discussed digitality and sustainability within their respective projects.
Andrea Schweizer, the new Rector of the PH Zurich (PHZH) and a member of the DIZH Steering Committee, welcomed participants to the DIZH General Assembly on 2 July 2025. The subsequent panel, moderated by Birk Weiberg, Managing Director of the DIZH, featured representatives from three DIZH innovation structures: Eliane Burri from the project Digital Interfacing: The Minimalist Manifesto, Hanna Della Casa from AgroPionier and Marcel Bleuler from DIZH Public Data Lab. The three panellists discussed how they define sustainability within their projects and the role digital technologies play in that context.
DIZH has published a report covering the entire panel discussion. Below, we focus on Marcel Bleuler’s contributions regarding the Public Data Lab.
Sustainable data use
“Within the Public Data Lab, there are different forms of sustainability,” says Marcel. One example is the Lab’s commitment to sustainable data use. “There’s a wealth of publicly available data from government offices and organisations. We aim to use these existing datasets and apply innovative methods to develop new indicators, so that the data can be better utilised and more value can be extracted from it.” Sustainable data use also includes the principle of open data, Marcel adds: “Together with Opendata.ch, another partner of the Public Data Lab, we ensure that the indicators and the code used to calculate them are published.” This allows others to reuse or further develop the indicators.
“It’s important to me to raise awareness within civil society about how data is generated and processed”
Sustainable social impact
“Through our collaboration with the Cantonal Statistical Office, we ensure that the results of our research, for example, on multiple deprivation, can feed into political discussions and decision-making processes,” Marcel explains. “The DIZH structure is designed to be sustainable in the sense that it provides a foundation for concrete measures that influence social structures.” However, Marcel is convinced that innovation in research alone is not enough to make such measures and developments viable. “It’s important to me to raise awareness within civil society, for instance, about how data is generated and processed,” he continues. Civil society does not need to understand every technical detail of data processes and technological innovations, but it should be aware of these specialised mechanisms and their impact on societal development. Marcel speaks of relationship-building and of an affective relationship between civil society and data. “This relationship is essential for building trust – trust in processes such as how we define societal wellbeing, how we measure it, and what decisions are made based on it. This trust is especially crucial as we look to a future in which data, and ultimately automated data processes, will significantly shape social structures,” he concludes.
More than digital
The Public Data Lab relies on digital technologies, for example, in the development of new indicators, but not exclusively, says Marcel. “Through art and design, we aim to build trust in data-driven decision-making and in our project,” he explains. Although the Public Data Lab is still in its early stages, Marcel adds, “Thanks to our diverse perspectives and approaches, I’m confident that we can foster innovation while at the same time creating a cultural context in which that innovation is trusted.”