How we are improving the quality and interoperability of Frictionless Data

As we announced in January, the Open Knowledge Foundation has been awarded funds from the Open Data Institute to improve the quality and interoperability of Frictionless Data. We are halfway through the process of reviewing our documentation and adding new features to Frictionless Data, and wanted to give a status update showing how this work […]

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Enter the Open Data Day 2021 photo and video competition

Every year, hundreds of Open Data Day events take place to celebrate open data in communities across the world and it is fantastic to see all the photos and videos shared. So this year, we are giving away prizes for the best Open Data Day 2021 photographs and videos as well as making sure that […]

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Meet the organisations receiving Open Data Day 2021 mini-grants

The Open Knowledge Foundation is happy to announce the list of organisations from all over the world who have been awarded mini-grants to help them celebrate Open Data Day on Saturday 6th March 2021. Thanks to the generous support of this year’s mini-grant funders –Microsoft, UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Mapbox, Global Facility for […]

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What is a public impact algorithm?

Meg Foulkes discusses public impact algorithms and why they matter. “When I look at the picture of the guy, I just see a big Black guy. I don’t see a resemblance. I don’t think he looks like me at all.” This is what Robert Williams said to police when he was presented with the evidence […]

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Announcing a new partner for Open Data Day 2021 mini-grants

For Open Data Day 2021 on Saturday 6th March, the Open Knowledge Foundation is offering support and funding for in-person and online events anywhere in the world via our mini-grant scheme.  Today we are pleased to announce an additional partner for the Open Data Day 2021 mini-grant scheme: the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and […]

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Launching the Net Zero Challenge: a global pitch competition about using open data for climate action

Open Knowledge Foundation is excited to launch the Net Zero Challenge, a global pitch competition about using open data for climate action.  With a new administration in the USA and the COP26 meeting in the UK, 2021 will be a crucial year for the global climate response. Let’s see how open data can play its […]

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Open Knowledge Justice Programme takes new step on its mission to ensure algorithms cause no harm

Today we are proud to announce a new project for the Open Knowledge Justice Programme – strategic litigation. This might mean we will go to court to make sure public impact algorithms are used fairly, and cause no harm. But it will also include advocacy in the form of letters and negotiation.  The story so […]

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How to run your Open Data Day event online in 2021

For Open Data Day 2021 on Saturday 6th March, the Open Knowledge Foundation is offering support and funding for in-person and online events anywhere in the world via our mini-grant scheme. Open Data Day normally sees thousands of people getting together at hundreds of events all over the world to celebrate and use open data […]

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Launching the Open Data Day 2021 mini-grant scheme

We are thrilled to announce that once again the Open Knowledge Foundation is giving out mini-grants to support people hosting Open Data Day events across the world. Open Data Day is an annual celebration of open data taking place for the eleventh time on Saturday 6th March 2021. Everyone can take part as groups from […]

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csv,conf,v6 is going ahead on May 4-5 2021

Save the date for csv,conf,v6! The 6th version of csv,conf will be held online on May 4-5 2021. If you are passionate about data and its application to society, this is the conference for you. Submissions for session proposals for 25-minute talk slots, and a new ‘Birds of a Feather’ track, for which we invite […]

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Partnering with ODI to improve Frictionless Data

In the framework of the Open Data Institute’s fund to develop open source tools for data institutions, the Open Knowledge Foundation (OKF) has been awarded funds to improve the quality and interoperability of Frictionless Data. In light of our effort to make data open and accessible, we are thrilled to announce we will be partnering […]

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Join us in supporting the open data community in 37 countries around the world

Join us in Supporting the Open Data Community in over 37 Countries around the World Every year, the team at Open Knowledge Foundation works with the global open data community to deliver Open Data Day.  Open Data Day is an annual celebration. Groups around the world create local events to learn about open data, and […]

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Dryad and Frictionless Data collaboration

By Tracy Teal; originally posted in the Dryad blog: https://blog.datadryad.org/2020/11/18/frictionless-data/ Guided by our commitment to make research data publishing more seamless and also re-usable, we are thrilled to partner with Open Knowledge Foundation and the Frictionless Data team to enhance our submission processes. Integrating the Frictionless Data toolkit, Dryad will be able to directly provide feedback to authors on […]

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Thank you for your feedback about Open Data Day. Here’s what we learned.

Open Data Day is an annual celebration of open data all over the world facilitated by the Open Knowledge Foundation. Each year, groups from around the world create local events on the day where they will use open data in their communities. It is an opportunity to show the benefits of open data and encourage […]

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MyData Online 2020

MyData Online 2020 (Dec 10-12) will gather 1000 personal data professionals and people interested in the data economy. They bring together business, legal, tech and societal perspectives to create sustainable, fair and prosperous digital society. The online conference will provide quality programme, networking opportunities and social connections. The conference is organised by the MyData Global – an […]

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Tell us how you think we can better support Open Data Day

This year has been such an eventful year for all of us. As 2020 nears its end, here at Open Knowledge Foundation we are starting to think about Open Data Day 2021. I checked my calendar this morning – and it’s only 4 months away ! Open Data Day is such a great opportunity for […]

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DataStories Symposium

At the DataStories Symposium 2020 we will explore how people engage with data to create stories. Data is represented in different ways to allow us to understand and make use of it: in numbers, in text, in visualisations, in interactive stories and other forms. Data stories are relevant to many areas of our life – […]

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Applications to be the new CEO of Open Knowledge Foundation now open

We want openness of all forms of knowledge to ensure a fair, free future full of possibility for all, where shared knowledge contributes to happier and healthier lives. To this end, we are looking for a CEO who will help us step up as global leaders. Applications for this position are open until the end […]

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Do we trust the plane or the pilot? The problem with ‘trustworthy’ AI

On April 8th 2019, the High-Level Expert Group on AI, a committee set up by the European Commission, presented the Ethics Guidelines for Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence. It defines trustworthy AI through three principles and seven key requirements. Such AI should be: lawful, ethical and robust, and take into account the following principles: Human agency and […]

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Announcing the New Frictionless Framework

By Evgeny Karev & Lilly Winfree Frictionless Framework We are excited to announce our new high-level Python framework, frictionless-py: https://github.com/frictionlessdata/frictionless-py. Frictionless-py was created to simplify overall user-experience for working with Frictionless Data in Python. It provides several high-level improvements in addition to many low-level fixes. Read more details below, or watch this intro video by […]

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An update from the 2020 Frictionless Tool Fund grantees

We are excited to share project updates from our 2020 Frictionless Data Tool Fund! Our five grantees are about half-way through their projects and have written updates below to share with the community. These grants have been awarded to projects using Frictionless Data to improve reproducible data workflows in various research contexts. Read on to […]

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Open Data Day 2021 will take place on Saturday 6th March

We are pleased to announce that Open Data Day 2021 will take place on Saturday 6th March. Open Data Day is the annual global celebration of open data facilitated by the Open Knowledge Foundation. The Open Data Day website is opendataday.org. Groups from around the world create local events on the day where they will […]

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Goodtables: Expediting the data submission and submitter feedback process

by Adam Shepherd, Amber York, Danie Kinkade, and Lilly Winfree This post, originally published on the BCO-DMO blog, describes the second part of our Frictionless Data Pilot collaboration.     Earlier this year, the Biological and Chemical Oceanography Data Management Office (BCO-DMO) completed a pilot project with the Open Knowledge Foundation (OKF) to streamline the data curation processes for oceanographic […]

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National Data Strategy

The UK’s National Data Strategy: first impressions and observations

After years of promises, the UK Government has finally announced the launch of a ‘framework’ National Data Strategy. The aim of the strategy is to “drive the UK in building a world-leading data economy while ensuring public trust in data use” and the government has set out five missions for this work: Unlocking the value […]

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Frictionless Data Monthly Virtual Hangout – 27 August

Join the Frictionless Data group for a virtual hangout on 27 August! These monthly hangouts are a casual opportunity to meet other Frictionless Data users and the main contributor team, ask questions, and learn about recent developments. We will spend extra time during this call discussing the newly-released Python code Frictionless-py https://github.com/frictionlessdata/frictionless-py and would love […]

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Our Open Future

A closed future where knowledge belongs to the few; or an open future where knowledge is shared and used by everyone so that we can live happier and healthier lives. Our work has never been more important. And we’d like you to join us. The Open Knowledge Foundation has launched a new campaign for Our Open […]

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An open future for every child

An estimated 1.5 billion children worldwide have had their learning disrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This global emergency is far more than a public health crisis: it has stalled educational progress in every nation, with economic consequences that could last for a generation. Throughout the pandemic, which saw lockdowns in most countries, Open Education […]

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The UK must not be left behind on the road to a more open society

The United Kingdom still doesn’t have a National Data Strategy. The idea has been stuck in development hell for years, and the delay has already had an impact. Had a strategy been in place before the coronavirus pandemic, there would have been rules and guidelines in place to help the sharing of data and information […]

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Exposing legacy project datasets in Digital Humanities: King’s Digital Lab experience

This is a repost of a blog published by Arianna Ciula on Kings Digital Lab Blog on July 7, 2020 In this blogpost we share our experiences at King’s Digital Lab (KDL). While we can call the process a success overall (and you can read more about it in this article and in the summary of our […]

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Clarifying the semantics of data matrices and results tables: a Frictionless Data Pilot

As part of the Frictionless Data for Reproducible Research project, funded by the Sloan Foundation, we have started a Pilot collaboration with the  Data Readiness Group  at the Department of Engineering Science of the University of Oxford; the group will be represented by Dr. Philippe Rocca-Serra, an Associate Member of Faculty. This Pilot will focus […]

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Adapting with the changing times: A way forward for WEData Nepal

This blogpost was jointly written by the project leads of Women Entrepreneurship Data (WEData) Nepal. Women’s role inside the family in Nepalese society has evolved in recent decades with an increase in levels of education and the need for income in families to sustain the growing inflation. But women are not equally participative, due to […]

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Catherine Stihler

Catherine Stihler to leave Open Knowledge Foundation to lead Creative Commons

Our Chief Executive Catherine Stihler OBE has accepted a new opportunity and will soon be leaving the Open Knowledge Foundation. She goes with our very warmest wishes and we hope to continue a strong relationship with her in her new role as CEO of Creative Commons. Catherine joined the Open Knowledge Foundation in February 2019 […]

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OpenSpending stewardship moving to Datopian

  OpenSpending is one of the longest running projects both at Open Knowledge Foundation and within the open data ecosystem in its entirety. Starting life in 2009 as Where Does my Money Go?, OpenSpending has played a vital role in the publication of open budget and spending data by governments world over.  Over the past […]

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The Open Human Genome, twenty years on

On 26th June 2000, the “working draft” of the human genome sequence was announced to great fanfare. Its availability has gone on to revolutionise biomedical research. But this iconic event, twenty years ago today, is also a reference point for the value and power of openness and its evolution. Biology’s first mega project Back in […]

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Open Data Day 2020: it’s a wrap!

  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 […]

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Lessons learned from organising the first ever virtual csv,conf

This blogpost was collaboratively written by the csv,conf organising team which includes Lilly Winfree and Jo Barratt from the Open Knowledge Foundation. csv,conf is supported by the Sloan Foundation as part of our Frictionless Data for Reproducible Research grant. The original post can be found here: https://csvconf.com/2020/going-online A brief history csv,conf is a community conference […]

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Harnessing open data for agricultural business opportunities in the DRC: Open Data Day 2020 report

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 generous support from key funders, the Open Knowledge Foundation was able to support the running of more than 60 of these events […]

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Teaching students to tell stories with budget data in Guatemala: Open Data Day 2020 report

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 generous support from key funders, the Open Knowledge Foundation was able to support the running of more than 60 of these events […]

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Celebrating open data initiatives in Paraguay: Open Data Day 2020 report

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 generous support from key funders, the Open Knowledge Foundation was able to support the running of more than 60 of these events […]

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Reflecting on the first cohort of Frictionless Data Reproducible Research fellows

It is truly bittersweet to say that we are at the end of the first cohort of the Frictionless Data Reproducible Research fellows. Over the past nine months, I have had the pleasure of working with Monica Granados, Selene Yang, Daniel Ouso and Lily Zhao during the fellows programme. Combining their diverse backgrounds (from government […]

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Agricultural data for equal development in Nigeria: Open Data Day 2020 report

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 generous support from key funders, the Open Knowledge Foundation was able to support the running of more than 60 of these events […]

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Mapping HIV facilities and LGBT-friendly spaces in the Philippines: Open Data Day 2020 report

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 generous support from key funders, the Open Knowledge Foundation was able to support the running of more than 60 of these events […]

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Empowering R users to work with open spatial data in South Africa: Open Data Day 2020 report

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 generous support from key funders, the Open Knowledge Foundation was able to support the running of more than 60 of these events […]

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Amplifying civil society voices focused on nutrition in Nigeria: Open Data Day 2020 report

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 generous support from key funders, the Open Knowledge Foundation was able to support the running of more than 60 of these events […]

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Managing fisheries in Nigeria using open data: Open Data Day 2020 report

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 generous support from key funders, the Open Knowledge Foundation was able to support the running of more than 60 of these events […]

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Enough is enough: solidarity with the Black community and Black Lives Matter

The mission of the Open Knowledge Foundation is to work for a fair, free and open future for all, not just some. We stand against the racism, injustices, and inequalities plaguing our world today. It is our responsibility to use our platform to elevate marginalised voices and take action against racism. We ask that the […]

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Raising awareness of open data in Ghana: Open Data Day 2020 report

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 generous support from key funders, the Open Knowledge Foundation was able to support the running of more than 60 of these events […]

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Open data for accurate information in Tanzania: Open Data Day 2020 report

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 generous support from key funders, the Open Knowledge Foundation was able to support the running of more than 60 of these events […]

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Mapping to support the fight against COVID-19 in Brazil: Open Data Day 2020 report

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 generous support from key funders, the Open Knowledge Foundation was able to support the running of more than 60 of these events […]

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Sharing the benefits of open data with librarians in Malawi: Open Data Day 2020 report

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 generous support from key funders, the Open Knowledge Foundation was able to support the running of more than 60 of these events […]

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