#ODD2023 Stories @ Namibia 🇳🇦

On 21 April 21, 2023, We Are Capable (WAC) Namibia hosted Open Data Day at the Namibia Business Innovation Centre boardroom of the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST). The event was held with the theme “Challenges and opportunities in promoting ethical and cultural AI through open data and data sharing”. The event aimed […]

#ODD2023 Stories @ Philippines 🇵🇭

On March 4, 2023, USTP YouthMappers organised Open Data Day 2023 with the theme “Empowering AI and Mapping with Open Data” at the University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines, Cagayan de Oro Campus. With 40 participants, the training workshop was a tremendous success, and it was encouraging to see that more than half […]

#ODD2023 Stories @ Venezuela 🇻🇪

The Latin American Center for Internet Research (CLISI) held a discussion on Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality, and Open Data in the city of Valencia, in the spaces of the Librería La Alegría to celebrate Open Data Day 2023. The attendees interested in the subject, as well as a group of journalists from the Carabobo region, […]

#ODD2023 Stories @ Uganda 🇺🇬

To commemorate Open Data Day 2023, Amara Hub convened a co-creation session to discuss the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in conservation efforts in Northern Uganda. The session was attended by a diverse spectrum of participants from Uganda Wildlife Authority, Africa Wildlife Federation, Uganda Conservation Foundation, Unwanted Witness along with conservation tech enthusiasts and practitioners, […]

#ODD2023 Stories @ Burkina Faso 🇧🇫

On 10th March 2023, Youth Open Data organised a workshop to mark Open Data Day. The workshop brought together 40 young leaders and representatives of civil society organisations in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. The general objective of the workshop was to exchange understanding, commitment, and action at the national level in terms of Artificial intelligence (AI) […]

#ODD2023 Stories @ Nepal 🇳🇵

To celebrate Open Data Day 2023, the Nepal Institute of Research and Communications (NIRC) implemented the ‘Enhancing Nepali Youth’s Awareness on Climate Change through AI Technology (ENACT)’ project to train Nepalese Youth’s on climate change. The project was implemented to: Sensitise the local youth/early career researchers about emerging climate change issues and the potential effects […]

#ODD2023 Stories @ Colombia 🇨🇴

For the Open Data Day 2023 celebration Grafoscopio Community organised “Data Week: De los datos comunitarios a los chatbots” which was attended by the librarians, musicians, activists, academics, data analysts, and other participants of the Grafoscopio Community in the HackBo hackerspace in Bogotá, Colombia. The event started with the introduction of participants, event, and hackerspace; […]

#ODD2023 Stories @ Nigeria 🇳🇬

On 8th March 2023, Women Environmental Programme (WEP) celebrated Open Data Day 2023 with the theme “Open AI for Environmental Conservation”. The event was attended by staff and volunteers of WEP and open data enthusiasts that were both present in-person and online. The objective of the event was to teach participants how Open AI solutions […]

#ODD2023 Stories @ Zimbabwe 🇿🇼

GSU YouthMappers hosted the Open Data Day event on 10th March 2023 at Gwanda State University, Zimbabwe. The event theme was “Open Data and AI in Transforming Agriculture,” and was inspired by how research organisations are using open data obtained from satellite imagery and other sources to come up with tools that are being used […]

#ODD2023 Stories @ Ghana 🇬🇭

Open Data Day event was held in Tamale, Ghana on 10th March 2023, with the theme “Open Data Revolution, Fueling the Future of AI” organised by Dagbani Wikimedians Usergroup. The event featured three speakers who shared their insights on open data initiatives, AI-powered solutions for various industries, and exploring AI for daily problems. It was […]

#ODD2023 Stories @ Democratic Republic of the Congo 🇨🇩

On 9th – 10th March 2023, Act4Change RDC; a youth-led organization based in the Democratic Republic of Congo and whose mission is to fight against poverty through the use of ICT, peace, and democracy organised an Open Data Day event. With the mission of assessing the impact of data in improving the AI’s result automation […]

How to organise a successful Open Data Day event – a complete guide!

Open Data Day (ODD) is the annual celebration of open data all over the world, where groups from around the world create local events to promote open data or use open data in their communities. 2023 Open Data Day(s) will take place from 4th to 10th March. ODD usually sees thousands of people getting together […]

Ready… Set… Register!

Registration for csv,conf,v7 in Buenos Aires, Argentina is now Open. The anticipation is over! No more guessing and waiting! The community conference for data makers everywhere, returns in person! Csv,conf,v7 will be in the beautiful Buenos Aires, Argentina April 19-20. It will not be a conference without YOU present! This is one of the events […]

Get a small grant for your Open Data Day(s) 2023 event – submit your proposal now!

We at Open Knowledge Foundation (OKFN) are excited to announce the launch of the Open Data Day(s) 2023 Small Grants Application to support organisations hosting Open Data events and activities across the world. The application deadline is 26th February 2023 and only registered organisations can apply for the grants to host in-person events. The events […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Meet the organisations who have been awarded Open Data Day 2020 mini-grants

The Open Knowledge Foundation is happy to announce that dozens of organisations from all over the world have been awarded mini-grants to support the running of events that celebrate Open Data Day on Saturday 7th March 2020. Thanks to the generous support of this year’s mini-grant funders – Datopian, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, Hivos, […]

Announcing the launch of the Open Data Day 2020 mini-grant scheme

We are happy to announce the launch of the mini-grant scheme for Open Data Day 2020. This scheme will provide small funds to support the organisation of open data-related events across the world on Saturday 7th March 2020. Thanks to the generous support of this year’s mini-grant funders – Datopian, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, […]

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. […]

Open data governance and open governance: interplay or disconnect?  

Authors: Ana Brandusescu, Carlos Iglesias, Danny Lämmerhirt, Stefaan Verhulst (in alphabetical order) The presence of open data often gets listed as an essential requirement toward “open governance”. For instance, an open data strategy is reviewed as a key component of many action plans submitted to the Open Government Partnership. Yet little time is spent on […]

Nominations open for Swedish Open Knowledge Awards 2018

This blog has been reposted from the OK Sweden blog. Open Knowledge Sweden is aiming to create a tradition to acknowledge people and organizations to foster better, open, democratic, inclusive and innovative society. Open Knowledge should be a mainstream concept and a natural part of our everyday lives. That is why we are organising the […]

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 […]

Youth Data Champions: Empowerment, Leadership and Data

This post was jointly written by Shubham Ghimire, Chief Operating Officer and Nikesh Balami, Chief Executive Officer of Open Knowledge Nepal as a part of the Youth Empowerment, Youth Leadership and Data Workshop. It has been reposted from the Open Knowledge Nepal blog. This summer,  the PAHICHAN – Youth Empowerment, Youth Leadership and Data workshop […]

Closing feedback loops for more & better open data in Switzerland

Last week, the annual open data conference in Switzerland took place in St. Gallen. In this post, Oleg Lavrovsky, activist for Open Knowledge and board member of the Swiss Chapter, shares a look back at the event showcasing the latest developments in the country, with results of the first Open Data Student Awards. For more […]

Changing Minds by Using Open Data

This blog has been rewritten from the original post on our Open Education Working Group blog and is co-authored by Javiera Atenas, Erdinç Saçan & Robert Schuwer.   The Greek philosopher Pythagoras once said: “if you want to multiply joy, then you have to share.” This also applies to data. Who shares data, gets a […]

Europe’s proposed PSI Directive: A good baseline for future open data policies?

Some weeks ago, the European Commission proposed an update of the PSI Directive**. The PSI Directive regulates the reuse of public sector information (including administrative government data), and has important consequences for the development of Europe’s open data policies. Like every legislative proposal, the PSI Directive proposal is open for public feedback until July 13. […]

The Open Revolution: rewriting the rules of the information age

Rufus Pollock, the Founder of Open Knowledge International, is delighted to announce the launch of his new book The Open Revolution on how we can revolutionize information ownership and access in the digital economy. About the book Will the digital revolution give us digital dictatorships or digital democracies? Forget everything you think you know about […]

New proposal for the re-use of government held data by the EC

TL;DR The European Commission proposed a new PSI Directive, that describes when and how publicly held data can be re-used by anyone (aka open government data). The proposal contains several highly interesting elements: it extends the scope to public undertakings (utilities and transport mostly) and research data, it limits the ways in which government can […]

The Open Data Charter’s Measurement Guide is now open for consultation!

This blogpost is co-authored by  Ana Brandusescu  and Danny Lämmerhirt, co-chairs of the Measurement and Accountability Working Group of the Open Data Charter. The Measurement and Accountability Working Group (MAWG) is launching the public consultation phase for the draft Open Data Charter Measurement* Guide! Measurement tools are often described in technical language. The Guide explains how […]

U.S. City Open Data Census relaunched: here’s how you can get involved

Since 2014, the U.S. City Open Data Census has tracked what datasets are open and available online in cities across the United States. In doing this, the Census is one of the nation’s most prominent (though not perfect) benchmarking tools for city staff and residents to understand what data their city makes available, how their city […]

2017: A Year to Remember for OK Nepal

This blog has been cross-posted from the OK Nepal blog as part of our blog series of Open Knowledge Network updates. Best wishes for 2018 from OK Nepal to all of the Open Knowledge family and friends!! The year 2017 was one of the best years for Open Knowledge Nepal. We started our journey by […]

Data aggregators: a solution to open data issues

This is a guest opinion piece written by Guiseppe Maio, and Jedrzej Czarnota PhD. Their biographies can be found below this post. Open Knowledge International’s report on the state of open data identifies the main problems affecting open government data initiatives. These are: the very low discoverability of open data sources, which were rightfully defined […]

How to innovate? Prototype everything!

We recognized a problem. There are so many individuals and small teams with good ideas out there, but there is little to no financial support. We wanted to change that. This is how the idea for the Prototype Fund came to life. Usually, in order to receive funding, teams need to have a clear-cut business […]

ROUTETOPA Case Study: Hetor Pilot

Since 2015 Open Knowledge International has been part of the consortium of RouteToPA, a European innovation project aimed at improving citizen engagement by enabling meaningful interaction between open data users, open data publishers and open data. In the ROUTETOPA case study series, we shine a light on public administrations, organizations and communities that have adopted and are […]