Open Knowledge as an essential design principle for a fair, sustainable and open future

A word from our leadership as 2023 starts.

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Balázs Bodó: ‘Digital commons are actually reproducing existing power inequalities’

#OKFN100 is kicking off today, a series of conversations with 100+ people about how openness can strengthen the fights for the complex challenges of our times

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Better together than alone: say hello again to the Open Knowledge Network

Join the movement! Today we are launching two projects to shine a light on the tremendous work the Network has been doing in the past decade. 

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Nine recommendations for civil servants to enhance national digital transformations

Many efforts are being obstructed by the lack of IT infrastructure investment, lack of available, accessible datasets and lack of mature data organisation, data management and data governance.

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csv,conf,v7 is going to Buenos Aires!

Save the data/date! csv,conf,v7 will be held in Buenos Aires (Argentina) from April 17 to 21, 2023. csv,conf is a community event for datamakers from all around the world. At csv,conf, we get together to discuss open data, and how data can be used to solve problems across open source, journalism, science, government, and beyond! […]

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Generating open data to tackle flash flood challenges

As part of the Open Data Day 2022 small grants program, the Open Knowledge Foundation (OKF) supported 14 events. YouthMappers from Tanzania received a small grant under the Open mapping category to host an open data event. Category: Open mapping Here are some highlights of the Open mapping events supported by Open Data Day 2022. […]

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Exploring better ways of using budget data

As part of the Open Data Day 2022 small grants program, the Open Knowledge Foundation (OKF) supported 14 events. 2 organisations received small grants under the Tracking public money flows category to host open data events and activities: Center for Studies University, Society and Science from Brasil, and Digital Openers AB from Sweden. Category: Tracking […]

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Highlighting the importance of data to observe local and global development

As part of the Open Data Day 2022 small grants program, the Open Knowledge Foundation (OKF) supported 14 events.  2 organisations received small grants under the Data for equal development category to host open data events and activities: Agro Tech Liberia from Liberia and SUUDU ANDAL from Burkina Faso. Category: Data for equal development Here […]

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Building community capacity for effective use of environmental data

As part of the Open Data Day 2022 small grants program, the Open Knowledge Foundation (OKF) supported 14 events. 5 organisations received small grants under the Environmental data category to host open data events and activities: Tanjona Association from Madagascar, Bolivia Tech Hub from Bolivia, Dream Factory Foundation from Botswana, Lekeh Development Foundation from Nigeria, […]

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Using open data to ensure the sustainability of the Ocean

As part of the Open Data Day 2022 special grant category “Ocean data for a thriving planet”, the Open Knowledge Foundation (OKF) supported 4 ocean data events with a grant value of USD $1000 each. Organisations from Argentina, Indonesia, Tanzania, and India were supported to host events and activities during World Oceans Day. The organisations […]

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EITI Datathon: Innovative solutions for a data-driven energy transition – Send your proposals before July 31st

Open Knowledge Foundation is thrilled to announce the launch of a global open call for proposals as part of the EITI Datathon: Innovative solutions for a data-driven energy transition. The Datathon is organised by the Extractives Industries Transparency Initiative, which partnered with OKF and Thibi to deliver the event. The applicants selected as part of […]

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Frictionless Planet and Lacuna Fund discuss gaps in climate datasets for machine learning

On 24 June we hosted a conversation with the Lacuna Fund about datasets for climate change where we heard all about the Lacuna Fund’s recently launched Request for Proposals around Datasets for Climate Applications. We were joined by climate data users and creators from around the globe. This conversation is a part of Open Knowledge […]

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Announcing the winners of the Open Data Day 2022 small grants

Open Knowledge Foundation is excited to announce the list of organisations who have been awarded small grants to help them host Open Data Day events and activities across the world. We received 296 small grants application this year and were greatly impressed by the quality of the event proposals. This year we are supporting 14 […]

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Application for the Open Data Day 2022 small grants is now open!

Open Knowledge Foundation is excited to announce the launch of the Open Data Day 2022 Small Grants Application to support organisations hosting Open Data events and activities across the world. Depending on the types of events, the grant will support selected registered organisations with grants ranging from USD 500 to USD 1000 each. The application […]

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Combining Data Skills, Knowledge, and Networks to Save our Planet

Originally published on: https://frictionlessdata.io/blog/2022/03/09/save-our-planet/ During these past tumultuous years, it has been striking to witness the role that information has played in furthering suffering: misinformation, lack of data transparency, and closed technology have worsened the pandemic, increased political strife, and hurt climate policy. Building on these observations, the team at Open Knowledge Foundation are refocusing […]

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Microsoft to support Open Data Day 2022

Today, we are pleased to announce that Microsoft will once again be supporting Open Data Day by providing mini-grants to organisations to help them run events, the call will launch on Open Data Day 2022. Photo from Microsoft supported event on Open Data Day 2021, run by Riva Quiroga from Chile. Read their event report […]

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An urgent call for peace and solidarity

At the Open Knowledge Foundation, we urge to ramp up all the diplomatic and political efforts for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine and that ceasefire to extend to all the countries and regions in the World suffering the brutality of war. We strongly condemn the indiscriminate attacks and forced displacement that the Russian government is […]

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Data that empowers: LAC perspectives on data governance

A few weeks ago we had a conversation in the Statistical Conference of the Americas about Data Governance. This brief post is a follow up of some of the concepts and ideas that we shared in the panel. Transparency as a Holistic Approach As citizens and members of the Civil Society, a huge challenge we […]

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Frictionless Planet – Save the Date

We believe that an ecosystem of organisations combining tools, techniques and strategies to transform datasets relevant to the climate crisis into applied knowledge and actionable campaigns can get us closer to the Paris agreement goals. Today, scientists, academics and activists are working against the clock to save us from the greatest catastrophe of our times. […]

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100+ Conversations to inspire our new direction

It has been almost two decades since OKFN was founded. Back then, the open movement was navigating uncharted waters, with hope and optimism. We created new standards, engaged powerful actors and achieved change in government, science and access to knowledge and education, unleashing the power of openness, collaboration and community in the early digital days. […]

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Working with UNHCR to better collect, archive and re-use data about some of the world’s most vulnerable people

Since 2018, the team at Open Knowledge Foundation has been working with the Raw Internal Data Library (RIDL) project team at UNHCR to build an internal library of data to support evidence-based decision making by UNHCR and its partners. What’s this about?  The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is a global organisation ‘dedicated […]

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Thank you for Joining the Frictionless Data Hackathon

Last week people from around the world joined the Frictionless Data team for the world’s first Frictionless Data Hackathon. Find out what happened, and make sure you join the Frictionless Data Community to find out about upcoming events. Watch video here What’s this about? The team at Open Knowledge Foundation have lots of experience running […]

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A new CEO for Open Knowledge Foundation – Renata Ávila

Beyond Open Data, our new CEO will start a conversation about the future of our global knowledge commons. Today we are delighted to announce that the Board of Directors of Open Knowledge Foundation has appointed Renata Avila to be the new CEO of Open Knowledge Foundation – effective from October 4th 2021. Board Chair, Vanessa Barnett, […]

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Hear a developer’s view on algorithmic decision-making! Justice Programme community meet-up on 14th October

Last month, the Open Knowledge Justice Programme launched a series of free, monthly community meetups to talk about Public Impact Algorithms. We believe that by working together and making connections between activists, lawyers, campaigners, academics and developers, we can better achieve our mission of ensuring algorithms do no harm. For the second meet-up, we’re delighted […]

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Help us make Open Data Day more impactful – strategic thinker needed.

Open Data Day is a community event where everyone is invited to contribute. Each year over 300 groups organise activities around the world to show the benefits of open data and to encourage the adoption of open data policies in government, business and civil society. As the stewards of Open Data Day, Open Knowledge Foundation […]

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Make a difference! Our invitation to join the Advisory Council of The Justice Programme

What’s this about? = = = = = Do you have professional expertise in emerging data driven technologies such as artificial intelligence and their relationship with the law – especially the legal systems of the UK, Republic of Ireland and the EU? Are you up to date with the debates around surveillance technologies and their […]

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Learn about automated decision making in the UK housing benefits system

– Are you a lawyer, campaigner or activist working in the UK housing benefits system? – Do you want to learn how automated decision systems are currently used in the housing benefits system in the UK ? – Do you want to learn about legal strategies for challenging the (mis)use of these technologies? = = […]

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Open Science in action ! Making it easier for science researchers to share their data

Frictionless Data and Dryad join forces to make it easier for scientists to upload their research data to the Dryad repository. What’s this about? What happens to scientific data after it is created ? Is it shared with other researchers? Or is it hidden away on a private hard drive? This question is at the […]

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The registration for the first EU Open Data Days is open!

Here at Open Knowledge Foundation, we are really pleased to see that registration is now open for participants for the first EU Open Data Days. The programme lasts three days from 23rd to 25th November 2021, and is split in two main parts. – EU DataViz, a conference on open data and data visualisation for […]

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Register your Interest: Open Knowledge Justice Programme Community Meetups

What’s this about? The Open Knowledge Justice Programme is kicking off a series of free, monthly community meetups to talk about Public Impact Algorithms. Register here. Who is this for? Do you want to learn more about Public Impact Algorithms? Would you like to know how to spot one, and how they might affect the […]

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Applications for the CoAct Open Calls on Gender Equality (July 1st, 2021- September 30th, 2021) are open!

CoAct is launching a call for proposals, inviting civil society initiatives to apply for our cascading grants with max. 20.000 Euro to conduct Citizen Social Science research on the topic of Gender Equality. A maximum of four (4) applicants will be selected across three (3) different open calls. Applications from a broad range of backgrounds […]

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Welcome Livemark – the New Frictionless Data Tool

We are very excited to announce that a new tool has been added to the Frictionless Data toolkit: Livemark. What is Frictionless? Frictionless Data is a set of specifications for data and metadata interoperability, accompanied by a collection of software libraries that implement these specifications, and a range of best practices for data management. The […]

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Open Data Day 2021 – read the Report

= = = = = = = We are really pleased to share with you our Report on Open Data Day 2021. = = = = = = = We wrote this report for the Open Data Day 2021 funding partners – Microsoft, UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Mapbox, Global Facility for Disaster Reduction […]

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Work with us on ‘Promoting some keynote events/lectures during Open Data Day 2022’

Open Data Day 2022 is nine months away – and we are already thinking about how to make it bigger and better than 2021 ! Recently we asked you about your experience with Open Data Day. We wanted to know what worked, what didn’t and how it could be improved. You gave us lots of […]

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Calling all legal practitioners – you are invited to an interactive workshop on immigration and automation

– Are you a lawyer, campaigner or activist working in the UK immigration system? – Do you want to learn how automated decision systems are currently used in the immigration system in the UK ? – Do you want to learn about legal strategies for challenging the (mis)use of these technologies? = = = = […]

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Launching the new website for The Justice Programme

Today we are excited to share with you the new website for The Justice Programme www.thejusticeprogramme.org. A few months ago we made the decision to build a dedicated website for the project because the range of activities and services has grown. We want our partners to easily find out what we are doing, and how […]

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OK Justice Programme secures definitive guidance on the use of algorithms in online exams. Our first win in the fight to ensure that Public Impact Algorithms do no harm!

An independent inquiry adopts nearly all of our recommendations in our first challenge to the misuse of Public Impact Algorithms. Strong guidance given to the UK’s Bar Standards Board on the use of “remote proctoring software” which should now guide others’ use of this technology.   About The Justice Programme  The Justice Programme is a […]

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Measuring a crisis: Why data is crucial to ensure the right to education

The Open Knowledge Foundation has had a long-standing working relationship with the Right to Education Index, a global monitoring and accountability initiative aimed at ensuring that everybody can enjoy their right to a quality education. It’s difficult to measure the impact of COVID-19 on the right to education. We know that 1.6 billion children, or […]

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What we learned about Open Data Day 2021

A few months ago on Open Data Day 2021, over 300 teams from around the world organised Open Data Day events. Thanks to our partners – Microsoft, UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Mapbox, Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery, Latin American Open Data Initiative, Open Contracting Partnership and Datopian – we also gave […]

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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 […]

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Announcing the winner of the Net Zero Challenge 2021

Three months ago, the team at Open Knowledge Foundation launched a new project – the Net Zero Challenge – a global competition to identify, promote and support innovative, practical and scalable uses of open data that advance climate action. We received over 80 applications from 40 different countries. Many of them were excellent. From the applications, we chose a shortlist of five teams […]

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Open Data Day 2021 – it's a wrap

On Saturday 6th March 2021, the eleventh 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 mini-grant funders –Microsoft, UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Mapbox, Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and […]

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Watch the Net Zero Challenge pitch contest

This week, five shortlisted teams took part in the final stage of the Net Zero Challenge – a global competition to identify, promote and support innovative, practical and scalable uses of open data that advance climate action. The five teams presented their three-minute project pitches to the Net Zero Challenge Panel of Experts, and a live audience. Each pitch was followed by […]

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Unveiling the new Frictionless Data documentation portal

Have you used Frictionless Data documentation in the past and been confused or wanted more examples? Are you a brand new Frictionless Data user looking to get started learning?  We invite you all to visit our new and improved documentation portal. Thanks to a fund that the Open Knowledge Foundation was awarded from the Open […]

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Take part in EU Open Data Days, an event focused on the benefits of open data and its reuse in the EU

Open Knowledge Foundation are partnering with the Publications Office of the European Union for EU Open Data Days, an event to bring the benefits of open data and its reuse to the EU public sector. Below you can find details about the event in a press release republished from the Publications Office. Participate in the […]

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Meet our panel of experts for the Net Zero Challenge pitch contest

The Net Zero Challenge is a global competition to answer the following question – how can you advance climate action using open data? Our aim is to identify, promote, support and connect innovative, practical and scalable projects. Having selected our shortlist of projects competing for the $1,000 USD prize, we have now invited all the […]

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New edition of Data Journalism Handbook published open access

This blogpost is republished from the original with kind permission from Liliana Bounegru. Today The Data Journalism Handbook: Towards a Critical Data Practice (which I co-edited with Jonathan Gray) is published on Amsterdam University Press. It is published as part of a new book series on Digital Studies which is also being launched today. You can find the book here, […]

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Meet the projects shortlisted for the Net Zero Challenge

Earlier this week we announced the time and date for the Net Zero Challenge pitch contest, and invited you to register for the event here. We are now ready to announce the shortlist of projects that have made it to the second stage of the Net Zero Challenge.  When we launched the Net Zero Challenge […]

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Join us for the Net Zero Challenge pitch contest on using open data for climate action

Please register here to watch the Net Zero Challenge pitch contest. This is a virtual event taking place on Tuesday 13th April 2021 from 15:00 to 16.00 London time. What is the Net Zero Challenge? The Net Zero Challenge is a global competition to answer the following question – How can you advance climate action […]

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Open Knowledge Justice Programme challenges the use of algorithmic proctoring apps

Today we’re pleased to share more details of the Justice Programme’s new strategic litigation project: challenging the (mis)use of remote proctoring software.   What is remote proctoring? Proctoring software uses a variety of techniques to ‘watch’ students as they take exams. These exam-invigilating software products claim to detect, and therefore prevent, cheating. Whether this software can […]

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