The municipality of Sittard-Geleen future-proofs its data strategy with data virtualisation

No more data copies. No vendor lock-in. Instead, real-time insights, maximum flexibility and collaboration based on open source. That is the value the Municipality of Sittard-Geleen gains with data virtualization powered by the Frank!Framework.

The challenge: fragmented data and increasing pressure

The municipality faced a complex challenge: how do you combine data from countless sources – relational, unstructured, sensor data – without making copies or building custom logic for every application? On top of that came the need to follow Common Ground principles, reduce vendor dependency and strengthen digital sovereignty.

“We wanted to move away from the idea that you need to build separate logic for every data product,” says Patrick Duchateau, information management advisor. “It costs time, is error-prone and isn’t scalable.”

The solution: open source data virtualization

After a thorough exploration of multiple approaches, the municipality chose a logical data warehouse strategy in which data virtualization plays a central role. In collaboration with WeAreFrank!, Apache Drill was adapted for municipal needs and integrated into the Frank!Framework. The result is a single point of access to all data sources without physically moving any data.

“You retrieve data in real time from the source. That gives us speed, consistency and flexibility,” says Charlotte Schoonbrood, enterprise architect. “We no longer need to rebuild logic separately in every tool.”

The collaboration: agile, open and future-focused

The collaboration with WeAreFrank! is characterized by open communication, an agile way of working and joint development. There is an SLA and a lifecycle management contract to guarantee continuity and support.

“WeAreFrank! doesn’t just think along, they follow through.”

“We really operated as one team,” says Patrick. “Every two weeks we reviewed priorities, test results and improvements together. WeAreFrank! doesn’t just think along, they follow through.”

Value: scalable, shareable and affordable

Because the solution is open source, other municipalities can easily adopt it. Sittard-Geleen explicitly invites them to join in building, testing and co-funding the solution.

“We want to build an active community,” Patrick explains. “This helps accelerate data-driven working across the entire public sector without duplicate costs or closed ecosystems.”

Ready to get started?

The technologies used are freely available:

• Documentation: drill.apache.org/docs
• Source Code: github.com/apache/drill
• Helm Chart: wearefrank.github.io/charts/drill

Would you like to help shape the future of municipal data integration with us? Contact WeAreFrank! or reach out directly to Patrick Duchateau from the Municipality of Sittard-Geleen.