The International Open Data Conference in Ottawa in May this year brought together over 200 speakers and close to 1000 in-person attendees to explore the open data landscape. I had the great privilege of working with the conference team to work on co-ordinating a series of sessions designed to weave together discussions from across the conference into a series of proposals for action, supporting shared action to take forward a progressive open data agenda. From the Open Data Research Symposium and Data Standards Day and other pre-events, to the impact presentations, panel discussions and individual action track sessions, a wealth of ideas were introduced and explored.
Since the conference, we’ve been hard at work on a synthesis of the conference discussions, drawing on over 30 hours of video coverage, hundreds of slide decks and blog posts, and thousands of tweets, to capture some of the key issues discussed, and to put together a roadmap of priority areas for action.
The result has just been published in English and French as a report for download, and as an interactive copy on Fold: embedding video and links alongside the report section by section.
Weaving it together
The report was only made possible through the work of a team of volunteers – acting as rapporteurs for each sessions and blogging their reflections – and session organisers, preparing provocation blog posts in advance. That meant that in working to produce a synthesis of the different conferences I not only had video recordings and tweets from most sessions, but I also had diverse views and take-away insights written up by different participants, ensuring that the report was not just about what I took from the conference materials – but that it was shaped by different delegates views. In the Fold version of the report I’ve tried to link out to the recordings and blog posts to provide extra context in many sections – particularly in the ‘Data Plus’ section which covers open data in a range of contexts, from agriculture, to fiscal transparency and indigenous rights.
One of the most interesting, and challenging, sections of the report to compile has been the Roadmap for Action. The preparation for this began long in advance of the International Open Data Conference. Based on submissions to the conference open call, a set of action areas were identified. We then recruited a team of ‘action anchors’ to help shape inputs, provocations and conference workshops that could build upon the debates and case studies shared at the conference and it’s pre-events, and then look forward to set out an agenda for future collaboration and action in these areas. This process surfaced ideas for action at many different levels: from big-picture programmes, to small and focussed collaborative projects. In some areas, the conference could focus on socialising existing concrete proposals. In other areas, the need has been for moving towards shared vision, even if the exact next steps on the path there are not yet clear.
The agenda for action
Ultimately, in the report, the eight action areas explored at IODC2015 are boiled down to five headline categories in the final chapter, each with a couple of detailed actions underneath:
- Shared principles for open data: “Common, fundamental principles are vital in order to unlock a sustainable supply of high quality open data, and to create the foundations for inclusive and effective open data use. The International Open Data Charter will provide principles for open data policy, relevant to governments at all levels of development and supported by implementation resources and working groups.”
- Good practices and open standards for data publication: “Standards groups must work together for joined up, interoperable data, and must focus on priority practices rooted in user needs. Data publishers must work to identify and adopt shared standards and remove the technology and policy barriers that are frequently preventing data reuse.”
- Building capacity to produce and use open data effectively: “Government open data leaders need increased opportunities for networking and peer-learning. Models are needed to support private sector and civil society open data champions in working to unlock the economic and social potential of open data. Work is needed to identify and embed core competencies for working with open data within existing organizational training, formal education, and informal learning programs.”
- Strengthening open data innovation networks: “Investment, support, and strategic action is needed to scale social and economic open data innovations that work. Organizations should commit to using open data strategies in addressing key sectoral challenges. Open data innovation networks and thematic collaborations in areas such as health, agriculture, and parliamentary openness will facilitate the spread of ideas, tools, and skills— supporting context-aware and high-impact innovation exchange.”
- Adopting common measurement and evaluation tools: “Researchers should work together to avoid duplication, to increase the rigour of open data assessments, and to build a shared, contextualized, evidence base on what works. Reusable methodological tools that measure the supply, use, and outcomes of open data are vital.To ensure the data revolution delivers open data, open data assessment methods must also be embedded within domain-specific surveys, including assessments of national statistical data.All stakeholders should work to monitor and evaluate their open data activities, contributing to research and shared learning on securing the greatest social impact for an open data revolution.”
In the full report, more detailed actions are presented in each of these categories. The true test of the roadmap will come with the 2016 International Open Data Conference, where we will be able to look at progress made in each of these areas, and to see whether action on open data is meeting the challenge of securing increased impact, sustainability and inclusiveness.