Turning Data into Business

Karel Charvat

Apps4Europe • Turning Data into Business will create a thematic network

to organize competitions for using open data, stimulate the winners to start business ventures and maximize the socio-economic impact and overall benefits of open data.

• It will contribute to the open data policy of the Commission and stimulate the reuse of public sector information from governmental, scientific and cultural sources.

• It brings together 19 partners from 10 countries that have a background in hosting and facilitating open data competitions, providing data and supporting business ventures.

• A4E consortium will build on and align 20 existing local and national open data competitions held over the next two years by the partners and stimulate the participants to turn their inventions into viable businesses.

Apps4Europe • The project will develop a new, transferable and tested

programme that will increase the business knowledge and potential for success of participants in open data competitions: The Business Lounge.

• The Business Lounge educates developers in creating and commercializing apps with market potential.

• Participants enter their prototype app, including a business model into an annual EU Open Data Competition.

• We will organize two Pan-European competitions that will bring the best of the local and national competitions into an European limelight and introduce them to a business network that will increase their potential.

Apps4Europe

• The categories of this EU open data competition are: – Government – Science – Culture.

• The best local and EU contestants are invited to pitch their plans during a Pitch & Prize event for – Investors – Incubators – International companies – Entrepreneurial nonprofits – social investors.

• It spawns 5 support actions in themes that are identified as key areas of importance to organizing successful open data competitions: – Business and Policy – Data and Licensing – Media exposure for start-ups – Technical tooling – Community Building.

Partners

• Stichting Waag Society • Vlaamse ICT Organisatie • Open Knowledge

Foundation Belgium • iMinds VZW • Czech Centre for Science

and Society • Forum Virium Helsinki

Oy-radio- Ja Televisiotekniikan Tutkimus RTT

• EURECOM

• Open Knowledge Foundation Deutschland

• Consorzio Top-IX - Torino e Piemonte eXchange Point

• PT Comunicacoes SA

• Rooter Analysis SL

• Fundacion Esade

• Stichting Open State Foundation

Partners

• Stichting Nederlands Instituut Voor Beeld En Geluid The Netherlands

• Stichting Nederland Kennisland The Netherlands

• Stichting Europeana The Netherlands

• Open Knowledge Foundation Limited LBG United Kingdom

• Nesta Operating Company LBG United Kingdom

• Futureeverything CIC

Apps Contests

Benefits contests

• They can be fun – participants enjoy using their knowledge to resolve a communal problem or are happy to meet each other and be together during hackathons or award ceremonies.

• They can work towards transparency, catering to civilians and non-governmental organizations.

• They can facilitate innovation that gives rise to new businesses or other forms of economic activity.

• They can benefit governmental institutions and civilians who want better government services.

• They can provide developers with exposure amongst possible future employers or customers.

• They can benefit students by introducing apps development and open data in real-world settings.

Drawbacks contests • A problem that is encountered over and over is the

sustainability of the resulting applications. • The contests work well for the initial proof-of-concept

phase but the supporting structures for taking the ideas forward after the app contest are currently not very well developed.

• Because there are so many contests and the number of possible participants is small, they might run dry of new ideas and applications.

• There needs to be collaboration among the contest organizers

• There needs to be more focus on capacity building amongst future developers.

• Developers need to find sustainable models for themselves, as one cannot make a living by only participating in these contests.

What GI Open Content

• Do we have Open GI?

• Is INSPIRE really way to Open Content?

• What Copernicus and GEOSS?

• Past activities 4th Way

• Experience from EnviroGRIDS BlackSea and Habitats show some possibilities

• Currently key activity is Plan4business.

• Future INSPIRE@Pocket

The role of CCSS

• Promote Open content towards politicians

• To support Open Content and innovation in Open GI content

• Organize events and competition in central and eastern Europe.

• In reality CCSS project region is biggest from all partners.

Thanks for attention

charvat@ccss.cz

• More info @ www.ccss.cz

• LinkedIn groups:

– Geoportal4everybody

– Habitats

– Naturnet

– Open Agriculture Data Working Group

• Facebook