2. The Open Knowledge Foundation
We are a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to promoting openness
in all its forms (data + content)
We build:
Communities + Tools
3. What does open mean?
A piece of content or data is open if anyone is free to use,
reuse, and redistribute it — subject only, at most, to the
requirement to attribute and share-alike.
http://opendefinition.org/
4. What problem are we trying to solve?
To utilize digital information more effectively to improve
governance, the economy and research
For example:
• Find a better way to get to work
• Build more sustainable cities
• Spend government money more effectively and
legitimately
Context:
• Explosion of digital information
• Ever improving information technology
5. Open Solution
Step 1: get the data openly licenced
Step 2: make it accessible - metadata, formats,
portal (ckan.org)
Step 3: start building, linking and turning data into
something more - information
6.
7. Built on CKAN (ckan.org)
Open source data portal software that
makes it easy to publish, share and find data.
• Rich search and data publishing tools
• Integrated data storage, processing, viewing and
visualization
• Geospatial metadata & search (including support for
INSPIRE)
• Extensible and flexible: easy to adapt, extend and
integrate
• Componentized structure with variety of add-ons: stats,
analytics, comments etc
• Rich restful JSON API
11. Evolution
This means publishing data needs to become an ingrained
central part of the process
Valuable, core datasets are needed
(national map vs park bench locations)
Data portals need to be user
focused:
• lowering barriers to entry (in
browser previews)
• engagement (related items)
• better user experience and
tools (data API)
12. Current Climate
Accelerating momentum (e.g. http://ckan.org/instances/)
Focus on Open Source - reusable tools &
sharing of experiences (UK, US, EU)
Global CKAN User Group
Open Government Partnership
Agreeing on standards (e.g. DCAT) - spec.datacatalogs.org
13. Europe
European Commission:
Connecting Europe Facility
- €9 billion for Digital 2014 - 2020
Pan-European Open Data Portal
2013 (building on publicdata.eu)
Supporting the data ecosystem in
public bodies with training, tools
and consultancy
https://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/
14. Results?
Heart Surgery - publishing death rates improve success rates
- http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8170618.stm
Brazil - publishing municipality audit reports
legislation.gov.uk - http://blog.okfn.org/2012/10/04/worlds-
first-real-commercial-open-data-curation-project/
