On the 6th March 2024, Resource Connects for Education Initiative organized the International Open Data Day Celebration at the event hall of Women Center for Continue Education Sokoto, titled “Lets Counts 4SDGs”. It aimed at enhancing community awareness and engagement in best practices for open data in achieving sustainable development goals to substantiate this year thematic focus, “Open Data for advancing sustainable development goals”. In attendance were over 100 participants.
During the workshop, the presenters provided an overview of what open data is and its relevance to achieving sustainable development goals, driving transparency, collaboration, and data accessibility for sustainable development. They highlighted specific SDGs, like access to quality education, clean water and sanitation, gender quality, good health and well-being, and poverty, and their targets that benefit from open data initiatives, while stressing the need for accurate data in measuring sustainable development goal progress. Participants were introduced to tools and platforms for collecting, sharing, and visualizing open data, with various data collection methods. Discussions were also carried out on strategies for engaging the local community in the data collection and generation process. They also address ethical and privacy issues related to the collection and sharing of open data and responsible data usage.
The participants were engaged through an open data initiative, by using OpenStreetMap to showcase milestones reached on specific SDG indicators, while appreciating the accessibility of data, and applying the information and knowledge from the workshop. The participants provided feedback through a survey questionnaire on the workshop, and how open data can help in achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). At the end some success stories and case studies on open data in achieving sustainable development goals were shared.
About Open Data Day
Open Data Day (ODD) is an annual celebration of open data all over the world. Groups from many countries create local events on the day where they will use open data in their communities.
As a way to increase the representation of different cultures, since 2023 we offer the opportunity for organisations to host an Open Data Day event on the best date within a one-week period. In 2024, a total of 287 events happened all over the world between March 2nd-8th, in 60+ countries using 15 different languages.
All outputs are open for everyone to use and re-use.
In 2024, Open Data Day was also a part of the HOT OpenSummit ’23-24 initiative, a creative programme of global event collaborations that leverages experience, passion and connection to drive strong networks and collective action across the humanitarian open mapping movement
For more information, you can reach out to the Open Knowledge Foundation team by emailing opendataday@okfn.org. You can also join the Open Data Day Google Group to ask for advice or share tips and get connected with others.
