talk for nextgen october 2013
DESCRIPTION
a general introduction to the open Knowledge Foundation and opendataTRANSCRIPT
EMPOWERING THROUGH OPEN KNOWLEDGE
Dr Laura James, CEOPRESENTED BY
imagine
• You’re a parent
• You’re ill
• You’re curious. Or sceptical. Or concerned.
The power of the internet
• Sharing information is easy
The power of data
• Data can be broken down into components
• Data can be combined and remixed to create new information
• Computers make this easy
What is open data?
Open Data can be freely used, reused, and redistributed, by anyone, anywhere, for any
purpose(we also work with public domain cultural
works - content - as well as data)
What is open knowledge?
Open Knowledge is what Open Data becomes when it is made
useful - accessible, understandable, meaningful,
and able to help someone solve a real
problem
OpenDefinition.org
all kinds of knowledge
• any kind of knowledge can be open
• any format: spreadsheets, databases, pictures, words…
• any field: transport, science, products, education, sustainability, maps, legislation, libraries, economics, culture, development, business, design, finance …
all kinds of peoplein all kinds of organisations
• open data can be published by anyone: government, public sector bodies, researchers, corporations, universities, NGOs, startups, charities, community groups, individuals….
• open data can be used by anyone: government, public sector bodies, researchers, corporations, universities, NGOs, startups, charities, community groups, individuals….
• all kinds of people can get involved with the open knowledge movement: as a campaigner, coder, writer, donor, trainer, tweeter, meetup organiser, data wrangler, ambassador, analyst, researcher, manager…
The Open Knowledge Foundation
• We build tools to make working with information easier
• We help people learn the data skills they need
• We connect and support individuals and organisations and projects to create collaborations and make things happen
we are makers
Creating the open infrastructure and tooling to power and support the open ecosystem and innovation
CKAN.org
Data.gov.uk
Data.gov
OpenSpending.org
WhereDoesMyMoneyGo.org
OpenDataCommons.org
Licences used by OpenStreetMap, OpenCorporates, Farm Subsidy and more
OKFNLabs.org
Europe’s Energy
Timemapper.org
we bring people together & advise & campaign & collaborate
Meetups and workshops – online and offline
Key convening events such as the first international Open Government Data Camp in 2010
Direct technical and legal contributions to a large number of projects and initiatives in dozens of countries around the world, shaping essential policies at the World Bank, US, UK, French, Finnish, Brazilian governments
OKFN.org/WG
OKFN.org/local
OKFestival.org
we help people learn
Learning through doing at datathons & hackathons - online and offlineOpen materialsPartnerships around the world
Schoolofdata.org
ES.schoolofdata.org
escoladedados.org
Data Expeditions
OpenDataHandbook.org
OpenDataHandbook.org
Datajournalismhandbook.org
So… Open knowledge empowers people
• But it’s not a magic bullet
• We need: tools, communities, skills
• And we need access to data
The data revolutionThe 21st century as information age
• Data is everywhere
• Data is powerful (especially when it’s shared openly!)
• But it shouldn’t all be open data
Data about me• A lot of the data which could help me improve my life is
data about me
• This data might be gathered directly by me or harvested
by corporations from what I do online, or assembled by
public sector services I use, or voluntarily contributed to
scientific and other research studies, or…
• There’s a lot of it. I don’t even know what’s out there
My data / our data
• Who collects it?
• Who moves it around or stores it?
• Who licenses it?
• Who uses it? And for what?
• Who controls what happens to it?
• Who is the data about?
Whose information is it anyway?
Warning: non-trivial!
• Data ownership
• Data control
• Individual awareness
• Privacy
• This isn’t an open data debate: it’s a data debate!
Personal data becoming open data
• Important datasets that are (or could be) open are
created from personal data via aggregation,
anonymisation, etc
• By personal choice
• Through the public record
Summary
• If it’s a shared good, commons-style data: open it
• If it’s personal information: think hard
• (It’s not about opening everything)
• Open is not anti-business!
Conclusion
The 21st century knowledge society should be an open knowledge society
Knowledge is power;Open Knowledge is empowerment
@OKFN http://OKFN.org