This document summarizes the FREE Mission, which aims to help small towns open their data and digital resources. Some key points: - The FREE Mission has helped over 200 small French towns with populations under 3,500 open their data through workshops and volunteer events. - These events bring together volunteers from open data communities to work with local administrations on open data projects like digitizing archives, creating open maps, and publishing public budgets. - The document outlines the recipe for organizing a FREE Mission event in a small town, including identifying a town, gathering volunteers, planning workshops, and reporting outcomes. - Case studies show the impacts of past events, such as improving broadband access, digitizing local museums,

1. FREE Mission
Feedbacks and recipe
Open Small towns
One by one
Together

2. A GOOD IDEA
IS AN IDEA MADE
REALITY

3. Ouverture communes de plus de 3 500 habitants
92 % communes ne sont pas concernées
1/3 population
1/3 French population not-concerned
In France, open data is mandatory for all cities > 3 500 inhabitants
92 %
8 %
Percentage
of french cities
concerned
Open Data, not a reality for all

4. TOWARD INEQUALITY OF RIGHTS
Freedom of Access to Information Online
OR
Take 1/2 day off to consult urban plan to renovate your house at the
cityhall, on a paper version (true story)
Engage a FOI request to access your city's budget
Asymmetry of services and rights depending on where you live
Develop digital divide

5. 48hours
EVENT
TOGETHER
Small town
Inhabitants
Non-profit
Communities
Administrations
COMMUNITY
Wikimedia
Openstreetmap
TelaBotanica
RegardsCitoyens
Linux
5 TOPICS
Geography
History
Botanic
Photography
Citizenship
Credit Photo cc-by-sa @JavierAC2N
Credit Photo cc by sa Pierre-Yves Beaudouin
Open Small towns
One by one
Together

6. VIDEO

7. Département de
Loire-Atlantique
Credit Visuel Cc-by-sa TUBS
Feedback from the
administration
Departement of Loire-Atlantique
212 Cities
How to sustain their opening ?
Organizing a FREE Mission
City of Chéméré in 2015
2 400 inhabitants

8. OUTCOMES
Speach from the department
Visit their website www.data.loire-atlantique.fr

9. SOME NICE STORIES
Local
Technology
Security
Openess
Patrimony
Broadband
Gathering
Great Wifi Broadband for the town of Chéméré !
A Wifi-bridge was implemented from the church thanks to a Free Internet
Access Provider (FaiMaison) 30mb

10. Crédits Photos cc-by-sa @s_caillaud @benjamin
Aerial pictures of Brocas
allowed citizens to check
how the sand was closing
their lake and why budget
was invested to clean it
(power of picture)
Hype technologies,
3D printers, UAV,
Gyrobike, etc
Sand
SOME NICE STORIES
Local
Technology
Security
Openess
Patrimony
Broadband
Gathering

11. Open Data
Collect and publish data online
Create methodologies
Training
www.data.loire-atlantique.fr
True story
A town lost all its digitalized archives
because the secretary used the « save »
option to create new cityhall reports,
ignoring the « save as » option.
SOME NICE STORIES
Local
Technology
Security
Patrimony
Gathering
Broadband
Openess

12. Mayor of Brocas receiving
his new open map
Creating map for cities, using
openstreetmap and allowing
towns to update their area
whenever they need
Local firemen do use this map now
as it is very precise and indicate
houses numbers on each street,
which information
they did not have
SOME NICE STORIES
Local
Technology
Openess
Patrimony
Gathering
Broadband
Security

13. Digitalization and
open publication of
the local museum
items
Creating Wikipedia articles in relation with the town
Patrimony rediscovered
Collect
Normalize
Sustainable archive
Valorize
Create past/present town online
based on citizens postcards
SOME NICE STORIES
Local
Technology
Security
Openess
Gathering
Broadband
Patrimony

14. Crédits Photos Cc-by-sa @x-javier @rsm @pyb75 @lomita @benoitprieur @varmin
Discovering local specialities
and tourism for volunteers,
always a nice time tying bonds
between open communities
SOME NICE STORIES
Technology
Security
Openess
Patrimony
Gathering
Broadband
Local

15. Crédits Photos cc-by-sa @dominiqueberdon @auregann
A human event !
Activities for all ages
Digital insertion
Promoting knowledge of their
towns for citizens
(and cityhalls)
SOME NICE STORIES
Local
Technology
Security
Openess
Patrimony
Broadband
Gathering

16. SOME DATA
1 small town
3 communities from open projects
5 month preparation
20 volunteers (up to 40)
3 000 € budget (up to 7 000€)

17. A GOOD IDEA
IS AN IDEA THAT
SPREADS

18. FREE Mission Recipe
One person
Individual, citizen,
agent, non-profit,
administration, etc
Read FM guides
Chart, Reports
Opening guide
Find a town
Have it confirmed its
participation
Contact FM team
Will provide checklist
And Howtos
Gather volunteers
Wikipedia, TelaBotanica, Openstreetmap, etc
Orga Circle
Divide tasks
Finance
Identify cost
and fundings
Preparation
6 months total
Bed and
Breakfast
Set logistics
Communicate
To inhabitants and
communities
Report
Define representants
And prepare reporting
Workshops
Publish event program

19. Maybe you can't free the world
but
YOU CAN
FREE your TOWN !

20. RAISING INITIATIVES
2013 Brocas
2016 Montreuil2016 Aiglun
2015 Chéméré
https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/
2014 Gerardmer

21. A GOOD IDEA
IS AN IDEA THAT IS
YOURS !
Organize your own event
www.free-mission.org
@thefreemission