On Saturday 7th March 2020, the tenth Open Data Day took place with people around the world organising over 300 events to celebrate, promote and spread the use of open data.
Thanks to the generous support of this year’s funders – Datopian, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, Hivos, the Latin American Open Data Initiative (ILDA), Mapbox, Open Contracting Partnership and Resource Watch – the Open Knowledge Foundation was able to give out more than 60 mini-grants this year.
Sadly several events had to be cancelled or delayed as the COVID-19 pandemic affected countries around the world but some of our grantees were able to swiftly adapt their plans in order to deliver engaging virtual Open Data Day celebrations.
The community registered a total of 307 events on the Open Data Day map with events taking place in every timezone and the Open Knowledge Foundation team captured some of the great conversations across Asia/Oceania, Africa/Europe and the Americas by using Twitter Moments.
Mini-grant scheme
This year’s tracks for the Open Data Day 2020 mini-grant support scheme were:
- Environmental data: Using open data to illustrate the urgency of the climate emergency and spurring people to take a stand or make changes in their lives to help the world become more environmentally sustainable.
- Tracking public money flows: Expanding budget transparency, diving into public procurement, examining tax data or raising issues around public finance management by submitting Freedom of Information requests.
- Open mapping: Learning about the power of maps to develop better communities.
- Data for equal development: How can open data be used by communities to highlight pressing issues on a local, national or global level? Can open data be used to track progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs?
Below you can read reports from all of the events which took place thanks to these mini grants:
Environmental data
- Escuela de Fiscales – Open data for environmental activism in Argentina
- Adamawa Agricultural Development Programme – Managing fisheries in Nigeria using open data
- Afonte Jornalismo de Dados (Afonte Data Journalism) – Connecting environmental politics and data in Brazil
- Department of Agriculture at the Asuogyaman District Assembly in Ghana – Discussing agriculture, rainfall and climate data in Ghana
- Tangaza University College – Opening up data to counter climate change in Kenya
- University of Dodoma – Teaching girls about environmental data in Tanzania
- iWatch Africa – Tracking deforestation in West Africa with satellites and drones
- Africa Open Data and Internet Research Foundation – Raising awareness of open data in Ghana
- Sustenta – Sustainable development, climate change and podcasting in Mexico
- Grafoscopio / HackBo – Creating the Coronapedia, a COVID-19 information site for Colombia
- Youth for Environmental Development – Mapping waste dumping locations in Malawi
- WikiRate – A climate data sprint in Germany focused on renewable energy
- Open Cities Lab – Creating open air quality data with low-cost sensors in South Africa
- ACCESA – Exploring climate change data in Costa Rica
- Young Volunteers for the Environment – Promoting the use of data for environmental protection in Togo
- Técnicas Rudas – Designing a zine about environmental data in Mexico
Tracking public money flows
- Spotlight for Transparency and Accountability Initiative – Transparency, accountability and freedom of information in Nigeria
- EldoHub – Tracking spending by Kenya’s county governments
- FollowTheMoney Kaduna – Freedom of information and open contracting in Nigeria
- Alliance of Independent Journalists – Improving journalists’ data literacy in Indonesia
- Afroleadership – Exploring budget data in Cameroon
- Construction Sector Transparency Initiative (CoST Malawi) – Empowering grassroots organisations to demand infrastructure data in Malawi
- Bareedo Platform – Spreading awareness of open contracting in Somalia
- Perkumpulan Inisiatif – Analysing open budget data in Indonesia
- Dataphyte – Using budget and contract data to strengthen democracy in Nigeria
- Diálogos – Data scouting on public procurement in Guatemala
- 1991 Open Data Incubator – Celebrating open data users in Ukraine
- LEAD University – Examining public procurement data in Costa Rica
- Infoculture – Bringing together the open data community in Russia
- Kikandwa Rural Communities Development Organisation – Raising awareness of budget information in Uganda
- Centre for Information, Peace and Security in Africa – Open data for accurate information in Tanzania
- CONSTRUIR Foundation – A public contracting data camp in Bolivia
- Ojoconmipisto – Teaching students to tell stories with budget data in Guatemala
- Civil Society Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria – Amplifying civil society voices focused on nutrition in Nigeria
Open mapping
- Exegetic Analytics – Empowering R users to work with open spatial data in South Africa
- OpenMap Development Tanzania – Open mapping data for development in Tanzania
- TuTela Learning Network – Migrant women, housing activism and collective mapping in Spain
- Open Data Institute Leeds – Playing with air quality, land ownership and climate data in the UK
- Girolabs – Celebrating open data initiatives in Paraguay
- Open Knowledge Belgium – Mapping street names in Belgium by gender
- BloGoma – Promoting open data to journalists and artists in the DRC
- Map Kibera – Teaching open mapping skills in Africa’s largest urban slum
- University of Pretoria – Open mapping minibus routes in South Africa
- Federal University of Bahia – Mapping to support the fight against COVID-19 in Brazil
- Youth Innovation Lab – Crowdsourcing streetlights data for Kathmandu
- Transparência Hackday Portugal – Hacking, learning and open mapping in Portugal
Data for equal development
- Footprints Bridge International – Generating jobs for young people in Ghana
- Bangladesh chapter of Creative Commons – Bringing the benefits of open resources to Bangladesh
- Nigeria’s National Institute for Freshwater Fisheries Research – Agricultural data for equal development in Nigeria
- MapBeks – Mapping HIV facilities and LGBT-friendly spaces in the Philippines
- Khumbo Bangala Chirembo – Sharing the benefits of open data with librarians in Malawi
- Future Lab – Raising visibility of women and the LGBT community in Mexico
- Zimbabwe Library Association – The importance of libraries and access to information in Zimbabwe
- Young Professionals for Agricultural Development (YPARD) – Harnessing open data for agricultural business opportunities in the DRC
- Datasketch – Lightning talks on data projects in Colombia
- Youths in Technology and Development Uganda – Embracing the FAIR data principles in Uganda
- Ligalab – Celebrating community data projects in Mexico
- Association SUUDU ANDAL – Open data for accountability in Burkina Faso
- Fundación Conocimiento Abierto – Exploring gender and diversity data in Argentina
- NaimLab – Exploring open data and digital transformation in Peru
- YWCA Honduras – Collecting data in Honduras on female migration and gender-based violence
- We Are Capable Data for Good Namibia (WACDGN) – Discussing the lack of public data in Namibia
Thanks to everyone who organised or took part in these celebrations and see you next year for Open Data Day 2021!









I found myself wondering how the initiatives from the tenth Open Data Day can influence everyday tech tools. Given the emphasis on open data, I was curious if there are any tools that use this data. The depth map generator seems like a fascinating tool that could leverage open data to enhance photo manipulation.
Seeing 307 events across every timezone for the tenth Open Data Day is a remarkable milestone, especially with so many organisers pivoting to virtual formats mid-pandemic. The recurring theme across these reports is that raw data only lands once somebody makes it tangible. That is partly why I keep a tab called Guess The Size open while prepping talks, since people grasp scale far better by comparing two things than by reading a number.
I recently stumbled upon the Open Data Day 2020 event and was truly inspired by the global efforts to promote open data. It’s amazing to see how communities come together to make such a significant impact. This year’s initiative, despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, managed to deliver engaging virtual events. It’s heartening to know that tools like unpixelate image ai free can help in enhancing the quality of shared data visuals.
This is a great summary of Open Data Day 2020. It’s impressive that over 300 events were organized despite the COVID-19 pandemic, and it’s encouraging to see how many grantees adapted to virtual formats. I particularly appreciate the focus on environmental data and open mapping, as these are areas where open data can have a tangible impact on communities. The mini-grant scheme seems like an effective way to support grassroots initiatives, and I hope future editions continue to prioritize inclusivity and local engagement. Thanks for sharing this recap!
The recap of Open Data Day highlights how much effort goes into creating and sharing engaging content. For teams wanting to keep that momentum visually without constant filming, a faceless video tool is a practical shortcut. It automates scripting and captions, letting you focus on the data story itself. Solid resource for community managers.
This was a helpful read. The way you explained “Open Data Day 2020: it’s a wrap! – Open Knowledge Blog” made the main point much clearer.
What a fantastic roundup of Open Data Day 2020! It’s inspiring to see how communities around the world came together to celebrate open data, even as many events had to pivot online due to the pandemic. The mini-grants clearly made a real difference, enabling local organisers to adapt and still deliver meaningful sessions. Reading about this makes me think about how data can empower people in so many unexpected ways, from civic engagement to personal discovery. On a lighter note, if you’re curious about your own data in a musical sense, you might enjoy trying Oniki Check to find your vocal range. Thanks for sharing this wonderful recap!
The wrap-up highlights how open data thrives on accessible tools and community effort. For anyone working with visual datasets or shared screens, technical hiccups matter too. A quick full black screen check on fullblackscreen can ensure your display accurately represents the details you’re presenting, avoiding misread pixels during collaborative reviews.
The intersection of open data and community engagement is what makes events like this so valuable, and it’s great to see the recap highlight that. It reminds me of how collaborative systems need clear rules and shared goals—much like the coordination in Dear Passengers, where teamwork is tested by unpredictable physics. Thanks for sharing this wrap-up.
I liked the way this wrap-up shows how open data projects kept moving despite the pandemic. If you sell on Amazon, https://shotmora.com can turn one product photo into a complete listing image set with main images, lifestyle shots, infographics, comparison visuals, and A+ content, then let you review everything before export.
The Open Data Day 2020 wrap-up highlights the incredible diversity of open data initiatives, from environmental tracking to public money flows. It’s inspiring to see how communities adapt, even virtually during a pandemic. For those sharing reports or data from such events, ensuring metadata accuracy is key—tools like PDF Meta Editor can help maintain the integrity of shared documents without compromising privacy, keeping the focus on the data itself.
It’s genuinely inspiring to see how the open data community came together for the tenth Open Data Day, especially with over 300 events worldwide. The way many organisers pivoted to virtual formats when the pandemic hit shows how resilient and creative this movement really is. I love that mini-grants helped so many local groups get involved, because that kind of grassroots support makes the data ecosystem so much richer. Reading about all these projects makes me want to dig into my own local datasets and see what stories they hold. If you’re like me and often end up with screenshots full of numbers or tables, having a quick way to pull text out of those images can be a small but real help — PicText – Screenshot Text Editor has been handy for that. Anyway, thanks for the thorough wrap-up and for keeping the spirit of Open Data Day alive even in a tough year.
What a fantastic roundup of Open Data Day 2020! It's inspiring to see how communities worldwide came together to champion transparency and data sharing, even as the pandemic forced many events to go virtual. The adaptability of the grantees really shows the resilience of the open data movement. When you're working with images from these events or any data-related project, it's easy to overlook the hidden metadata that can compromise privacy or clutter your files. That's why I've found an AI metadata remover to be such a handy tool for cleaning up images before sharing them. It's a small step that makes a big difference in keeping your data truly open and secure.
I was impressed that despite the pandemic disruptions, the community still managed to register 307 events and pivot to virtual formats so quickly — that Twitter Moments idea seems like a smart way to keep the conversations alive across timezones. The mini-grant tracks like environmental data and open mapping show how practical open data can be for real-world issues. — Iron Nest Guide roadmap
The mix of environmental data, transparency, mapping, and local capacity building shows how open data can support real progress. For anyone interested in turning repeated practice into stronger learning habits
It’s great to see how many events still happened despite the pandemic disruptions, and the mini-grants clearly helped support a wide range of local projects around the world.
I was really impressed that over 300 events still managed to happen despite so many cancellations due to COVID-19 — the quick pivot to virtual celebrations shows just how resilient the open data community really is. The environmental data track stands out to me, especially the example from Argentina about using open data for environmental activism. — Tuoverse
What a fantastic round-up! It’s so inspiring to see how the open data community came together for Open Data Day 2020, especially with so many events having to pivot online at the last minute. The adaptability of the grantees really shows the strength of this movement, and the mini-grants clearly made a huge difference in enabling local action. Reading about all these projects makes me want to dig into some of the data they’ve released. If you’re like me and often find yourself with hours of recorded talks or interviews from such events, a shownotes generator can be a real lifesaver for turning that audio into something searchable and shareable. Thanks for sharing this wonderful recap!
It’s always inspiring to see how Open Data Day brings people together, and this recap really captures the energy of those 300+ events. I was especially struck by how many grantees managed to pivot to virtual formats when the pandemic hit—that kind of adaptability is exactly what open data is about. The mini-grants clearly made a tangible difference, and it’s great to see funders stepping up to support grassroots efforts. Reading about all these projects makes me want to explore new ways to turn data into something creative. For instance, I’ve been playing with AI Music Generator to turn datasets into soundscapes, which feels like a fun extension of the open data spirit. Thanks for sharing this wonderful wrap-up!
It’s fascinating to see how quickly organizers pivoted to virtual events when the pandemic hit. The range of topics covered this year was impressive, especially the focus on environmental data and tracking public money flows. I’m curious if there are any plans to expand the mini-grant scheme for next year to support even more innovative projects?
The ‘tracking public money flows’ track really stands out — the FollowTheMoney and Ojoconmipisto projects show how much persistence matters when you’re waiting on data or opportunities to surface. Funny enough, that same patience lesson applies to my other obsession: I finally stopped refreshing boutique pages and let restockalerts.com email me when the Hermès bag I wanted restocked online, which saved me from reseller markups. Congrats to all the grantees on adapting so well.
Impressive that 307 events still came together despite the pandemic forcing so many to go virtual. I helped document a small open-mapping meetup this spring, and the hardest part of the write-up was producing decent visuals for the recap posts — I ended up using renderflowai.com to generate the featured images and illustrations quickly instead of hunting for stock photos. The mini-grant reports here are a goldmine of ideas for next year.
Great recap of Open Data Day! For those sharing 3D models as open data, a tool like obj to stl obj to stl makes converting files fast and private right in your browser. No uploads needed.
I enjoyed reading “Open Data Day 2020: it’s a wrap!” because it turns a specific subject into something approachable and easy to follow. The practical details and personal perspective give readers a useful reason to pause and think beyond the headline. That attention to small visual signals also reminded me of Sprite Tracker, a light example of how one simple movement can carry a surprising amount of meaning. Thanks for sharing such a thoughtful and clearly presented piece.
Incredible to see over 300 events organized globally despite the pandemic disruptions! The open mapping track really resonates with me — tools that visualize public health data are so valuable. Speaking of which, https://hantavirusmap.one is a great example of open data being used meaningfully for disease tracking. The pivot to virtual formats was impressive and shows how resilient the open data community truly is. Looking forward to seeing how future Open Data Days build on this momentum!
It’s impressive that 307 events were organized globally despite the challenges—love how some teams pivoted to virtual formats so quickly. Was the environmental data track the most popular one across the regions? Check out toon tone for a fun way to test your color sense between events.
It’s impressive that 307 events were organized worldwide despite the challenges of the pandemic—really shows the resilience of the open data community. I’m curious, how did the virtual events compare in engagement to previous in-person ones? Check out this daily movie game for a fun way to unwind after data-heavy events.
It was interesting to see how Open Data Day 2020 brought together different communities through collaboration, transparency, and practical problem-solving. Projects related to mapping, environmental monitoring, and public information sharing really show how open data can create meaningful local impact when people contribute consistently over time. The focus on community participation and accessible knowledge makes these initiatives especially valuable.
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Great roundup of how open data communities adapted and kept sharing impact worldwide. For teams turning datasets into clear visuals, figcanvas can be a useful companion: it supports AI-assisted scientific illustrations, data chart creation from uploaded data, code-generated charts, and flowcharts, then exports to SVG for further editing. It makes the process feel smooth and can cut hours of work down to minutes, which is especially helpful when you need to communicate data quickly and clearly.
Great recap of how Open Data Day 2020 connected communities around the world through practical, public-interest work. The mix of environmental data, transparency, mapping, and local capacity building shows how open data can support real progress. For anyone interested in turning repeated practice into stronger learning habits, studyChinese is a useful place to explore. It focuses on learning Chinese through repeated listening and dictation, helping build muscle memory over time in a simple, structured way. That kind of steady approach feels especially relevant when working with data skills too: consistent practice often makes the biggest difference.
I’m curious about the long-term effects of this trend. Do you think the current trajectory will continue, or are there signs of a shift in perspective? I recommend checking Free Platform for additional information.