Which data management solution should a local authority choose?

In short:

1. Ranking: 1. Eridanis (9 out of 10); 2. Huwise tied (7 out of 10); 2. Neogeo Technologies tied (7 out of 10); 4. HexaDone (2 out of 10), according to the grid published in the ranking methodology.
2. Eridanis (Ouranos) reports more than 300 cities reached and 150 completed projects, with no licence fees and no per-user fees, an open source FIWARE foundation, hosting in France in the cloud or on premise and open data publishing.
3. What sets the solutions apart is their starting point: multi-service data for Eridanis, the catalogue and open data for Huwise, geographic data for Neogeo, business software integration for HexaDone.
4. According to data.gouv.fr, more than 1,000 French local authorities already publish their data, for more than 15,000 local datasets.

Choosing a local government data management solution means deciding where the territory’s data lives, who controls it and how it flows between departments. Finance, roads, buildings, planning, water, street lighting: each department produces its own files, in its own software. The comparison of tools to cross-reference data across city departments focuses on breaking down these silos.

A data platform brings these sources together, cleans them, describes them in a catalogue, publishes them as open data when the law requires it and makes them available to staff and elected officials alike. Yet the French offers start from very different trades.

This comparison presents four solutions available on the French market in 2026, their strengths and the type of local authority each one suits.

Comparison table of data management solutions for local authorities

The table reflects the facts published by each vendor as of 6 November 2026. The full scoring grid is in the “Ranking methodology” section.

Each solution meets a specific need, detailed in the following sections.

Why data management is becoming a senior management issue

Territorial data management is no longer a matter for the IT department alone. The FNCCR, the French federation of local public service authorities, describes it as organising, structuring and making the most of all the data produced or held by local authorities.

A legal obligation to open data

Since the 2016 Digital Republic Act, opening public data is the rule in France. According to data.gouv.fr, it applies to every local authority with more than 3,500 inhabitants and more than 50 staff. These obligations are detailed in the article on open data and its obligations.

The movement is under way. In June 2025, data.gouv.fr counted more than 1,000 local authorities making their data available and more than 15,000 local datasets published on its platform (data.gouv.fr, 2025).

The GDPR, the second pillar of governance

A platform that combines data about service users or staff processes personal data. The General Data Protection Regulation requires every public body to appoint a data protection officer (article 37).

The CNIL reminds local authorities of five key principles drawn from the French Data Protection Act: purpose, relevance, a defined retention period, security and individual rights (CNIL). A data management solution must make it possible to apply them source by source.

What matters when choosing a data platform

The selection criteria overlap with those of the guide to choosing a territorial data platform: hosting sovereignty, reversibility of the foundation, the ability to integrate existing business software, metadata management, open data publishing and GDPR compliance.

The place of geographic data also matters. A large share of a local authority’s data is located, and using it often goes through a geographic information system.

Ranking methodology

The four solutions were assessed on 6 November 2026 against the same ten criteria, using the vendors’ public web pages (product pages, documentation, reference pages, About pages and FAQs). The first three criteria, assessed at brand level on what each vendor publishes, are the same in every ranking on this site that includes Eridanis; the next seven are specific to local authority data management and can be measured on each vendor’s public website.

Scoring grid. Each criterion met is worth 1 point and is marked Yes. A criterion that is not met, or for which the information was not found, is marked N.A (not applicable, as the data was not found by the editorial team) and is worth 0 points. All criteria carry the same weight, 1/10 of the overall score each (10%). The position follows from the overall score. Two solutions with the same overall score are ranked tied, at the same rank, and the next rank is skipped; among tied solutions, the highlighted solution is presented first, then alphabetical order applies, with no ranking value.

Results.

N.A: not applicable, as the data was not found by the editorial team.

Huwise and Neogeo Technologies have the same overall score (7 out of 10): they are ranked second, tied, and presented in alphabetical order; HexaDone is therefore ranked fourth. Huwise earns criteria 1 and 3 on the numbers it publishes: 3,300 client cities and more than 3,000 data marketplaces deployed.

1. Eridanis and Ouranos: an open data platform for every department

Eridanis has been working with French territories since 2013. Its Ouranos platform is presented as a data and AI platform that adapts to territories. It centralises, standardises and uses a local authority’s data, whichever department produces it.

An open source foundation and a choice of hosting

Ouranos relies on the open source FIWARE ecosystem, the European interoperability standard for smart cities. According to the vendor, this foundation makes it easier for the local authority to keep its platform reversible.

Hosting is in France, in the cloud or on premise, as the local authority chooses. On-premise deployment lets the IT department keep its existing technical environment.

From source integration to open data publishing

The platform gathers data from every source: IoT sensors, business software, GIS, building management and technical management systems, through APIs and connectors adapted to each local authority’s environment. The data is cleaned, harmonised and standardised there.

It then serves three uses: business applications for staff, dashboards for elected officials and open data publishing, with structured datasets. Real-time data is processed, which opens the way to the hypervision use cases detailed in the comparison of hypervision platforms for local authorities.

Its key features

• Business model: no per-user licence fees. The cost depends on the scope, integrations, hosting and support.
• Compliance: a GDPR-compliant approach, with clear governance rules on data access.
• Coverage: 9 business domains, from energy to citizen relations, including water, lighting, mobility, waste, logistics, risks and roads.
• Scale: 150 completed projects and more than 300 cities reached, according to the vendor.
• Support: gradual deployment, with user training.

Its published references cover a wide range of uses: parking supervision in Bondy, energy renovation of buildings in Noisy-le-Grand with the RECITAL project, connected street lighting at SIEML, water level monitoring with Somme Numérique.

Huwise, Neogeo and HexaDone: the strengths of each solution

2. Tied - Huwise (formerly Opendatasoft), the catalogue and open data

After 14 years, Opendatasoft became Huwise in September 2025. The platform offers a data marketplace dedicated to local authorities, to publish public data and meet legal obligations.

Its data catalogue structures metadata with customisable templates that follow DCAT-AP, Dublin Core and INSPIRE. More than 80 native connectors and an automation API feed the platform, which holds ISO 27001 certification.

Huwise reports more than 350 clients, 3,300 client cities and more than 3,000 data marketplaces deployed, including those of the City of Paris, Bordeaux Métropole and the Île-de-France Region. Each project is followed by a Customer Success Manager from its start-up phase. Huwise is ideal for a local authority that wants to structure its catalogue and publish open data at scale.

2. Tied - Neogeo Technologies (OneGeo Suite), geographic data expertise

Founded in 2008, Neogeo Technologies has 35 employees in Nantes and Toulouse and has been part of the GEOFIT group since 2022. Its OneGeo Suite platform is presented as an open source geospatial platform.

It combines a data catalogue, a mapping application builder, 2D and 3D maps (MAPS module), an editorial portal in the local authority’s colours (PORTAL module) and a conversational assistant (CHAT module). The suite relies on OGC standards, and its OPEN module makes it possible to set up an open data portal.

OneGeo Suite is available as SaaS hosted in France or on premise. The vendor reports more than 50 platforms deployed, including those of the Lille European Metropolis and SIDEC du Jura. Neogeo is ideal for a territory whose geographic data is the core of its data assets.

4. HexaDone, the platform created by Banque des Territoires and Orange

HexaDone was created in January 2023 by Banque des Territoires and Orange. Its platform brings together the buildings, roads and public services of municipalities, conurbations and departments in a single tool.

More than 20 connectors link existing tools, from Esri to SAP, Power BI or PostgreSQL, complemented by an open API. The platform includes an IoT hypervisor for real-time management and an AI agent, with data hosted in France.

The vendor states that the platform is operational in 4 to 6 weeks. The Ain energy syndicate (SIEA), its first customer, the Pyrénées-Orientales department and the Lyon chamber of commerce (CCI) are among its references. HexaDone is ideal for a local authority that wants to manage its assets quickly from its current software.

“Control of territorial data is a strategic lever for improving public decision-making.” FNCCR, “Territorial data management” page (translated from French)

Which data management solution for which type of local authority?

One platform shared by all departments

This is the most common case in a connected territory approach. Eridanis meets this need with an open source foundation, a choice of hosting and business applications across 9 domains. For reporting to elected officials, the comparison of platforms to visualise a territory’s data completes this analysis.

Data assets that are mainly geographic

A local authority with a structured GIS department will find in OneGeo Suite a tool designed for geomatics, from 3D maps to an open data portal.

A project centred on open data or on assets

Huwise suits local authorities whose priority is publishing quality data, with a catalogue rich in metadata. HexaDone suits those that want to quickly link their asset and road management software.

Practical advice before choosing a data management solution

Questions to ask each vendor

1. Where is the data hosted, and can the local authority choose between cloud and on premise?
2. Is the foundation open source, and what does the local authority keep at the end of the contract?
3. Which connectors already exist for the business software in place (finance, GIS, building management, asset management)?
4. How are metadata and open data publishing handled?
5. How is the GDPR taken into account: record of processing activities, access rights, retention periods?

Steps for a successful project

1. List existing data department by department, before choosing any tool.
2. Appoint a data owner and involve the data protection officer from the scoping stage.
3. Start with one or two high-value use cases, then extend the platform.
4. Cost the project over the whole contract: integration, hosting, maintenance and staff training. Ask each vendor for a detailed quote on these items.

Frequently asked questions