Despite the significant potential of open data for innovation and societal participation, its utilization by citizens, developers, and businesses falls short of expectations. The main reasons for this include insufficient data quality, limited accessibility, and lacking competencies, all of which can create insurmountable barriers during the value creation process. This paper examines the open data value chain and identifies central challenges in the form of value generation gaps that hinder the effective use of open data by key stakeholder groups (citizens, developers, and businesses). On this basis, it proposes specific software artifacts (open data app portal, AI interface, feedback channels) that can support these stakeholder groups in overcoming the identified value generation gaps. Additionally, the paper discusses the special role of public administration as an open data provider, and thus as an important actor in reducing usage barriers. The proposed solutions aim to increase the visibility and utilization of open data, as well as improve communication between data providers and users, to generate sustainable and measurable added value.