Governments, civil society organisations and companies across the world are actively engaging with open data: publishing and using datasets to promote innovation, development and democratic change.
The Open Data Research network has been established to connect researchers from across the world working to explore the implementation and impact of open data initiatives. It is a joint project of IDRC and the Web Foundation, and is seeking to develop wider partnerships over the coming year.
The network currently hosts the 'Exploring the Emerging Impacts of Open Data in Development Countries (ODDC)' programme.
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The Data Revolution: What is at stake for Africa?
26th Feb 2015
Open Data Barometer highlights the need for governments to increase open data efforts
20th Jan 2015
The second edition of our Open Data Barometer, released today, shows that hard work lies ahead if Open Government Data (OGD) is to live up to its full potential and deliver truly transformative impacts. Governments worldwide have acknowledged the potential of OGD to reduce corruption, increase transparency, and improve government services, yet over 90% of the 86 countries surveyed in this edition of the Barometer do not publish key datasets in open formats. Despite pledges by the G7 countries to boost transparency by making government data “open by default”, almost half of the G7 countries are still not publishing the key datasets they promised to release in 2013, while fewer than 8% of the countries surveyed worldwide publish datasets on government budgets and spending, public sector contracts, and company ownership in open formats and under open licenses.
Mapping existing open data research
19th Jan 2015
We'd like to introduce our prototype open data bibliography browser at http://bibliography.opendataresearch.org. Built with support from the Open Data Institute and the Partnership for Open Data, this covers a hand-picked selection of over 120 papers and articles, and offers the ability to browse via research methods, research focus and geography (amongst other facets).
2015 Open Data Research Symposium
Alongside the 3rd International Open Government Data Conference in Ottawa, on May 27th 2015, the Open Data Research Network will host a one day academic workshop, consisting of a series of paper presentations and discussion panels. Submissions of extended abstracts are invited from all disciplines by 28th Feb 2015.
New action research programme to build on ODDC project in Africa and Asia
12th Nov 2014
Cross posted from the Web Foundation site.
Sharing findings at the Open Development Camp
26th Oct 2014
A few weeks ago, a number of the Web Foundation team were in Amsterdam for the Open Development Camp to share insights from the Open Data in Developing Countries project. Below you can catch a video of our panel, with Michael Gurstein, Atif Mumtaz and Andi Pawelke all sharing their experiences of the reality of open data in practice, as well as recorded video input from ODDC partners.
The video from our panel starts at 36 minutes in.
Placing lessons from the ODDC research at the heart of the data revolution debate
09th Oct 2014
Between the 6th and the 9th of October 2014, phase I ODDC case studies from Uganda, Nigeria and Kenya were presented at the 2014 Buntwani Conference as co-facilitators and panelists in a session on Open data and Data revolution held at the Kenya School of Government in Nairobi, Kenya. The theme of conference was “The potential of ICT in strengthening citizen engagement and participation”
ODDC researchers Bernard Sabiti fromDevelopment Research and Training and Development initiatives, Zacharia Chilishwa of theJesuit Hakimani Centre in Nairobi and Dr. Omenogo Veronica Mejabi -Senior Lecturer, University of Ilorin, Nigeria presented highlights of their case studies and fielded questions from the audience. The session was moderated by Linet Kwamboka of the Kenya ICT Authority.
This post summarise the session, and includes collected tweets and media from the event.
Building a better data revolution
25th Sep 2014
This week will see the first meeting of the International Expert Advisory Group on the Data Revolution alongside the UN General Assembly in New York.
Guest post: Building Global Capacity on Open Data
24th Sep 2014
In this post the independent evaluators of the Open Data in Developing Countries project share some reflections on the role of research in capacity building, and you can access our full evaluation reports.
