OKFN is kicking off the process of rethinking what “open” and “openness” mean beyond licences, for our complex digital infrastructures of today and tomorrow. Join us with your vision to shape a common digital future
Open Data Day 2022 will take place on Saturday 5th March 2022
We are pleased to announce that Open Data Day 2022 will take place on Saturday 5th March 2022. Open Data Day is an annual, global celebration of open data. Each year, groups from around the world create local events to show the benefits of open data in their local community and encourage the adoption of […]
Getting ready for Open Data Day 2020 on Saturday 7th March
Next year marks the 10th anniversary of Open Data Day! Open Data Day is the annual event where we gather to reach out to new people and build new solutions to issues in our communities using open data. The next edition will take place on Saturday 7th March 2020. Over the last decade, this event […]
Join #Hacktoberfest 2019 with Frictionless Data
The Frictionless Data team is excited to participate in #Hacktoberfest 2019! Hacktoberfest is a month-long event where people from around the world contribute to open source software (and – you can win a t-shirt!). How does it work? All October, the Frictionless Data repositories will have issues ready for contributions from the open source community. […]
A halfway point update from the 2019 Frictionless Data Tool Fund
In June 2019, we launched the Frictionless Data Tool Fund to facilitate reproducible data workflows in research contexts. Our four Tool Fund grantees are now at the halfway point of their projects, and have made great progress. Read on to learn more about these projects, their next steps, and how you can also contribute. Stephan […]
Frictionless Data at the EPFL Open Science in Practice Summer School
In early September our Frictionless Data for Reproducible Research product manager, Lilly Winfree, presented a workshop at the Open Science in Practice Summer School at EPFL University in Lausanne, Switzerland. Lilly’s workshop focused on teaching early career researchers about using Frictionless software and specs to make their research data more interoperable, shareable, and open. The […]
A warm welcome to our Frictionless Data for Reproducible Research Fellows
As part of our commitment to opening up scientific knowledge, we recently launched the Frictionless Data for Reproducible Research Fellows Programme, which will run from mid-September until June 2020. We received over 200 impressive applications for the Programme, and are very excited to introduce the four selected Fellows: Monica Granados, a Mitacs Canadian Science Policy […]
World Library Congress – Closing Libraries is ‘short-sighted’
Closing down libraries to save money is ‘one of the most short-sighted decisions that public officials can make’, the World Library and Information Congress has heard. Speaking at the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) annual congress in Athens, Open Knowledge Foundation chief executive Catherine Stihler said ‘libraries are too often seen as […]
Open Knowledge and MyData – same roots, shared values
The origins of MyData can be traced back to the Open Knowledge Festival held in Finland in 2012. There, a small group of people gathered in a breakout session to discuss what ought to be done with the kind of data that cannot be made publicly available and entirely open, namely personal data. Over the […]
Meet our 2019 Frictionless Data Tool Fund grantees
In order to facilitate reproducible data workflows in research contexts, we recently launched the Frictionless Data Tool Fund. This one-time $5,000 grant attracted over 90 applications from researchers, developers, and data managers from all over the world. We are very excited to announce the four grantees for this round of funding, and have included a […]
For a fair, free and open future: celebrating 15 years of the Open Knowledge Foundation
Fifteen years ago, the Open Knowledge Foundation was launched in Cambridge by entrepreneur and economist Rufus Pollock. At the time, open data was an entirely new concept. Worldwide internet users were barely above the 10 per cent mark, and Facebook was still in its infancy. But Rufus foresaw both the massive potential and the huge […]
Open call: become a Frictionless Data Reproducible Research Fellow
The Frictionless Data Reproducible Research Fellows Programme, supported by the Sloan Foundation, aims to train graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, and early career researchers how to become champions for open, reproducible research using Frictionless Data tools and approaches in their field. Fellows will learn about Frictionless Data, including how to use Frictionless tools in their domains […]
Publishing Budget and Spending Open Data
This blog was written by Lorena Rivero del Paso (GIFT) and Oscar Montiel (Open Knowledge Foundation) and was originally posted on the GIFT blog. Increasingly, we see examples where lack of transparency and accountability from governments affects trust. Being able to follow public money flows is an important step to recover trust and aim towards […]
EU Council backs controversial copyright crackdown
The Council of the European Union today backed a controversial copyright crackdown in a ‘deeply disappointing’ vote that could impact on all internet users. Six countries voted against the proposal which has been opposed by 5million people through a Europe-wide petition – Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Finland and Sweden. Three more nations abstained, but the […]
New report: Data journalism in Tanzania
Open Knowledge International and the School of Data are excited to announce the publication of a new research report into the state of data journalism in Tanzania. Data-driven journalism is an important and disruptive change in contemporary journalism practice. It is not a panacea solution to the fake news era, but it is a piece […]
EU copyright vote a ‘massive blow’ for internet users
MEPs have today voted to press ahead with a controversial copyright crackdown in a ‘massive blow’ for all internet users. Despite a petition with over 5 million signatures and scores of protests across Europe attended by tens of thousands of people, MEPs voted by 348 to 274 in favour of the changes. It is expected […]
Final copyright vote: MEPs must choose to save the internet
MEPs will today vote on a controversial copyright crackdown that could restrict internet freedoms for millions of people. After years of negotiation, the final vote will be held on reforms that could result in automatic ‘upload filters’ which restrict what can be posted on social media platforms like YouTube. More than 5.1million people have signed a […]
World Wide Web faces real dangers as it turns 30
This article was originally published in The Scotsman. Sir Tim Berners-Lee’s invention of the world wide web has transformed modern life, but more work must be done to ensure it continues to be a force for good, writes Catherine Stihler. At the giant research laboratory in a suburb of Geneva, the innovative ideas produced by […]
Fighting for a more open world: our CEO’s keynote speech at Open Belgium 2019
On Monday 4th March 2019, Catherine Stihler, the new chief executive of Open Knowledge International, will deliver a keynote speech – Fighting for a more open world – at the Open Belgium 2019 conference in Brussels. Read the speech below and visit the Open Belgium website or follow the hashtag to learn more about the event. […]
Facebook challenged to tackle the spread of ‘fake news’ ahead of vital European elections
Facebook’s global affairs boss Sir Nick Clegg has been challenged to tackle the spread of ‘fake news’ on Facebook ahead of vital European elections. Catherine Stihler, chief executive of Open Knowledge International and a former MEP, has written to the former Deputy Prime Minister to request more transparency from Facebook and its assistance in resuscitating […]
Building a more open world: thoughts from our new CEO Catherine Stihler
This is my first week in my new role as Chief Executive of Open Knowledge International. Digital skills and data use have always been a personal passion, and I can’t wait to work alongside and meet so many talented people fighting for a more open world. It is a privilege to be part of an […]
Announcing the Open Data Day 2019 mini-grant scheme
Who is data for? Who gets to use it and for which reasons? Can data help social causes? If so, how? These are some of the questions that we are asking ourselves while we think about Open Data Day. We know that the answers to these questions may look very different depending on the context, […]
Catherine Stihler appointed new CEO of Open Knowledge International
Catherine Stihler has been appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer of Open Knowledge International. Catherine has years of experience in the creation and sharing of knowledge on the global stage. She will join the OKI team in February, and will stand down as an MEP at the end of January after an extraordinary career […]
Paris Peace Forum Hackathon: A new chance to talk about open data
A few weeks ago we had the chance to attend the first edition of the Paris Peace Forum. The goal of this new initiative is to exchange and discuss concrete global governance solutions. More than 10,000 people attended, 65 Heads of State and Government were present, and 10 international organizations leaders convened for those three days […]
Open Washing: digging deeper into the tough questions
This blog was written by James McKinney, Oscar Montiel and Ana Brandusescu For the second time in history, the International Open Data Conference (IODC) opened a space for us to talk about #openwashing. The insights from IODC16 have been brilliantly summarised by Ana Brandusescu, also a host of this year’s session. On this occasion, we […]
Non-profit organisation dedicated to defending digital human rights, MyData Global, is founded
PRESS RELEASE, 16th October 2018 Over 100 people from over 20 countries took part in the founding meeting of the MyData Global nonprofit organisation last Thursday, October 11. The purpose of MyData Global is to empower individuals by improving their right to self-determination regarding their personal data. The human-centric paradigm is aimed at a fair, […]
IODC 2018: The hard questions for the future of open data
The latest edition of the International Open Data Conference (IODC) is just around the bend. We’ll be discussing open data during the entire week in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Through a series of pre-events, including symposiums, discussion panels and workshops as well as the main conference, we will discuss with open data practitioners, advocates, and researchers […]
Sloan Foundation Funds Frictionless Data for Reproducible Research
We are excited to announce that Open Knowledge International has received a grant of $750,000 from The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation for our project “Frictionless Data for Reproducible Research”. The new funding from Sloan enables us to continue work over the next 3 years via enhanced dissemination and training activities, as well as further iteration […]
Introducing Version 1 of the Fiscal Data Package specification
The Fiscal Data Package is a lightweight and user-oriented format for publishing and consuming fiscal data. Fiscal Data Packages are made of simple and universal components, are extremely flexible, can be produced from ordinary spreadsheet software and used in any environment. This specification started about five years ago with a first version (then known as […]
Improving your data publishing workflow with the Frictionless Data Field Guide
The Frictionless Data Field Guide provides step-by-step instructions for improving data publishing workflows. The field guide introduces new ways of working informed by the Frictionless Data suite of software that data publishers can use independently, or adapt into existing personal and organisational workflows. Data quality and automation of data processing are essential in creating useful […]
Board members wanted!
Open Knowledge International (OKI), the international non-profit dedicated to realising open data’s value to society, is looking for people to join our Board of Directors. Background in brief below and full details here. We want you! We are seeking passionate people to join a committed and experienced team, to foster and promote our mission and […]
Announcing the Open Data Day 2018 mini-grants scheme
If data is freed into the open, but no one uses it, can we consider it open data? This is one of the questions we need to ask ourselves is we want to promote data use. And what better day to promote data use than Open Data Day (ODD)? So what is Open Data Day? […]
Season’s greetings from Open Knowledge International
Happy Holidays and Season’s Greetings to all of the Open Knowledge family and friends!! With the departure of the CEO at the end of October we have been busy aligning our roles to pick up the additional responsibility. As we start to reflect, it’s clear that 2017 has been a year of challenges and great […]
New report: Governing by rankings – How the Global Open Data Index helps advance the open data agenda
This blogpost was jointly written by Danny Lämmerhirt and Mária Žuffová (University of Strathclyde). We are pleased to announce our latest report Governing by rankings – How the Global Open Data Index helps advance the open data agenda. The Global Open Data Index (GODI) is one of the largest worldwide assessments of how well governments publish […]
Understanding the costs of scholarly publishing – Why we need a public data infrastructure of publishing costs
Scholarly communication has undergone a seismic shift away from closed publishing towards an ever-growing support for open access. With closed publishing models, academic libraries faced a so-called “serials crisis” and were not able to afford the materials they needed for their researchers and students. Partly in response to this problem, open access advocates have argued […]
Pavel Richter stands down as Chief Executive Officer
It is with a mixture of sadness and gratitude that the Board of Directors announces that Pavel Richter will be leaving his position as Chief Executive Officer of Open Knowledge International as of today. He will be available to support the Board and Leadership Team until the end of 2017, to ensure a smooth transition. […]
Open Knowledge Festival comes to Thessaloniki in 2018
Update 30 November 2017: Despite earlier announcements, Open Knowledge International have decided not to run OKFestival 2018. There have been some recent major changes in the organisation that have adversely affected our ability to produce a Festival which would match the expectations of our networks and partners. We are, obviously, disappointed by this decision but […]
Introducing the 4th Global Open Data Index – Advancing the State of Open Data Through Dialogue
We are pleased to present the 4th edition of the Global Open Data Index (GODI), a global assessment of open government data publication. GODI compares national government in 94 places across the 15 key datasets that have been assessed by our community as the most useful for solving social challenges. For this edition, we received […]
Announcing the Frictionless Data Tool Fund: Apply for a mini-grant to progress and improve our specifications
Today, Open Knowledge International is launching the Frictionless Data Tool Fund, a minigrant scheme offering grants of $5,000 to help extend the implementation of software libraries — code that is used to develop software programs and applications— for the Frictionless Data specifications by developing them in a range of programming languages. The focus of the […]
How could a global public database help to tackle corporate tax avoidance?
A new research report published today looks at the current state and future prospects of a global public database of corporate accounts. Shipyard of the Dutch East India Company in Amsterdam, 1750. Wikipedia. The multinational corporation has become one of the most powerful and influential forms of economic organisation in the modern world. Emerging at […]
Danish Energinet.dk will use CKAN to launch Energy DataStore – a free and open portal for sharing energy data
For immediate release Open data service provider Viderum is working with Energinet.dk, the gas and electricity transmission system operator in Denmark, to provide near real-time access to Danish energy data. Using CKAN, an open-source platform for sharing data originally developed by Open Knowledge International, Energinet.dk’s Energy DataStore will provide easy and open access to large […]
Municipal Money: Making municipal budgets more accessible
Code for South Africa just launched https://municipalmoney.gov.za/, a New Municipal Money project for South Africa, in partnership with the National Treasury. This is a step forward in collaboration with government. Code for South Africa’s goal is to empower citizens to hold their municipal officials to account. The focus of the portal is on municipal financial […]
The Right to Education Index: Using open data for research and advocacy to address human rights
In support of our mission to empower civil society organisations to use open data to improve people’s lives, Open Knowledge International is partnering with a number of projects committed to using open data to address human rights issues. RTEI approached us to develop a platform to facilitate an open public dialogue on the right to […]
Who Will Shape the Future of the Data Society?
This piece was originally posted on the blog of the International Open Data Conference 2016, which takes place in Madrid, 6-7th October 2016. The contemporary world is held together by a vast and overlapping fabric of information systems. These information systems do not only tell us things about the world around us. They also play […]
Africa Open Data Collaboration Fund: Building civil society capacity for Africa’s emerging data revolution.
Open Knowledge International is a member of Open Data for Development (OD4D), a global network of leaders in the open data community, working together to develop open data solutions around the world. In collaboration with the OD4D program, Open Knowledge International coordinates the Africa Open Data Collaboration Fund which is designed to provide seed support […]
New Open Knowledge Network chapters launched in Japan and Sweden
This month sees the launch of two new Chapters at the Open Knowledge Network, a chapter for Japan and a chapter for Sweden. Chapters are the Open Knowledge Network’s most developed form, which have legal independence from the organisation and are affiliated by a Memorandum of Understanding. For a full list of our current chapters, […]
Open Knowledge Austria Summer 2016 update
This blog post is part of our summer series featuring updates from chapters across the Open Knowledge Network and was written by the team of Open Knowledge Austria. The last two months have been very vibrant within Open Knowledge Austria. We co-organized the monthly Vienna Open Data Meetup, but no other public appearances, because we […]
OpenTrials launch date + Hack Day
Exciting news! OpenTrials, a project in which Open Knowledge is developing an open, online database of information about the world’s clinical research trials, will officially launch its beta on Monday 10th October 2016 at the World Health Summit in Berlin. After months of work behind-the-scenes meeting, planning, and developing, we’re all really excited about demoing OpenTrials […]
Registration to the Open Exchange for Social Change – IODC unconference is now open!
We are excited to announce that registration is open for ‘The Open Exchange for Social Change’. This event has been referred to in the past as ‘The Unconference’ during the flurry of pre-event IOCD Madrid announcements made over the past few weeks. The response has already been amazing on social media, and we have received […]
Open Access: Why do scholarly communication platforms matter and what is the true cost of gold OA?
During the past 2,5 years Open Knowledge has been a partner in PASTEUR4OA, a project focused on aligning open access policies for European Union research. As part of the work, a series of advocacy resources was produced that can be used by stakeholders to promote the development and reinforcement of such open access policies. The final two briefing papers, written […]
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