Open Data Institute

Last updated

Formation2012;12 years ago (2012)
Founder
Type Nonprofit organisation
Purpose Open data
Location
Coordinates 51°32′04″N0°07′19″W / 51.534342°N 0.121956°W / 51.534342; -0.121956
CEO
Louise Burke
Staff
29 [1]
Website www.theodi.org

The Open Data Institute (ODI) is a non-profit private company limited by guarantee, based in the United Kingdom. [2] Founded by Sir Tim Berners-Lee and Sir Nigel Shadbolt in 2012, the ODI's mission is to connect, equip and inspire people around the world to innovate with data.

Contents

The ODI's global network includes individuals, businesses, startups, franchises, collaborators and governments who help to achieve the mission. [3]

Learning

The Open Data Institute provides in-house and online, free and paid-for training courses. ODI courses and learning materials cover theory and practice surrounding data publishing and use, from introductory overviews to courses for specific subject areas. [4]

ODI 'Friday lunchtime lectures' cover a different theme each week surrounding the communication and application of data, and usually feature an external speaker.

ODI themes

In order to bring open data's benefits to specific areas of society and industry, the ODI focuses much of its research, publications and projects around specific themes and sectors.

Data infrastructure

Since its inception in 2012, the ODI has championed open data as a public good, stressing the need for effective governance models to protect it. [5] In 2015, the ODI was instrumental in beginning a global discussion around the need to define and strengthen data infrastructure. In ‘Who owns our data infrastructure’, [6] a discussion paper launched at the International Open Data Conference in Ottawa, [7] the ODI explored what data ownership looked like and what we could expect from those who manage data that is fundamental to a functioning society.

The ODI is developing common definitions to describe how data is used via a ‘Data Lexicon’, [8] and ‘Data Spectrum’ visualisation that shows how they fit together across the spectrum of closed, shared and open data. [9] Definitions in the lexicon include:

Data that is closed (only accessible by its subject, owner or holder); data that is shared (with named access – data that is shared only with named people or organisations, group-based access – data that is available to specific groups who meet certain criteria, and public access – data that is available to anyone under terms and conditions that are not ‘open’); and data that is open (data that anyone can access, use and share).

According to the ODI, for data to be considered ‘open’, it must be accessible, which usually means published on the World Wide Web; be available in a machine-readable format and have a licence that permits anyone to access, use and share it – commercially and non-commercially.

Data as culture

The ODI's Data as Culture art programme engages artists to explore the use of data as an art material, to question its deep and wide implications on culture, and to challenge our understanding of what data is and its impact on people and society, our economy and businesses, and the environment. [10]

ODI Associate Curator, Hannah Redler, selected ‘Data Anthropologies’ as Data as Culture's 2015–2016 theme, placing people at the centre of emerging data landscapes. For it the ODI commissioned Artists in Residence, Thomson & Craighead, Natasha Caruana and Alex McLean to exhibit work and create new data-driven pieces.

Global development

The ODI promotes data as a tool for global development, delivering support programmes in developing countries, conducting research, and helping to develop recommended practices and policies when applying open data to development challenges.

The ODI has supported open data leaders in governments around the world to boost economies, innovation, social impact and transparency using open data. As part of the Open Data for Development Network, [11] funded by the International Development Research Centre, [12] the ODI created the Open Data Leaders Network – a space for peer-learning.

In 2015, the ODI worked with the Burkina Faso Open Data Initiative, [13] who used open data to ensure that citizens had access to real-time, open results data for their freest and fairest presidential elections in nearly three decades. [14]

ODI sectors

Finance

The ODI focuses on highlighting how data can enhance FinTech and banking and bring broad benefits to customers, regulators and industry. As part of a joint industry and government Open Banking Working Group, the institute created a framework for designing and implementing the Open Banking Standard. [15] This highlights how banking customers can have more control over their data, and how to create an environment that maximises data reuse. [16]

In ‘Data sharing and open data for banks’, [17] a report for HM Treasury and Cabinet Office, the ODI explains why making data more accessible, and sharing transactional data via open APIs, could improve competition and consumer experience in UK banking. The paper focuses on key technologies and how they can support data sharing via APIs that preserve privacy.

The ODI's 2013 ‘Show me the money’ report focused on the UK peer-to-peer lending (P2P) market, revealing ‘lending by region’ using data from P2P platforms. [18]

Agriculture and nutrition

Through research, open discussion and sector-focused events, the ODI is identifying challenges, solutions and global priorities in improving agriculture and nutrition with open data. [19]

‘How can we improve agriculture, food and nutrition with open data?’, [20] an ODI report written in partnership with the Global Open Data for Agriculture Initiative, [21] presents 14 use cases showing open data use in agriculture, food production and consumption.

Open cities

A 2018 ODI report on open map data ODI - The UK's geospatial data infrastructure challenges and opportunities.pdf
A 2018 ODI report on open map data

The ODI runs an Open Data for Smart Cities training course, [22] and works closely with relevant ODI Members to highlight opportunities for urban planners, entrepreneurs and city residents.

Global network

The ODI issues awards for data access. ODI Open Data Awards 2014 - 15535665287.jpg
The ODI issues awards for data access.

Members

ODI Members are organisations and individuals, from large corporations to students, who explore, demonstrate and share the value of data. [23]

The ODI grew its network of businesses, startups, academic establishments and individuals to over 1,300 in 2015, and launched student membership in line with its goal to help provide lifelong data expertise for young people around the world.

ODI Members (whether sponsors, partners or supporters) are all committed to unlocking the value of data, and are key to developing the ODI's professional network in the UK and internationally.

New member companies in 2015, included Deutsche Bank, Ocado Technology, SAP and The Bulmer Foundation.

Startups

Each year the ODI invites new applicants onto its ODI Startup programme in order to support them to develop a sustainable business, from idea to product to growth. [24]

ODI Startups are provided with coaching and mentoring from external mentors, ad-hoc office space, discounted training courses, and access to other members of the ODI global network for networking and peer learning. The ODI assesses startups for the programme based on the strength of their idea and team, market opportunity and timing, potential scale, use of open data, and potential impact.

30 ODI Startups have joined the programme, which between them employ 185 people and have secured over £10m in contracts and investments.

Nodes

ODI Nodes are franchises of the ODI. [25]

Hosted by existing (for-profit or not-for-profit) organisations, ODI Nodes operate locally and are connected globally as part of the ODI Node network. Each node adopts the ODI Charter, an open codification of the guiding principles and rules under which the ODI operates. [26] ODI HQ (based in London) charges ODI Nodes to be part of the network.

ODI Node types include pioneer nodes, learning nodes, community nodes and story nodes.

Pioneer nodes are ambassadors for the ODI's global network. They work collaboratively with HQ to help ensure the node network is sustainable, lead the delivery of quality services to market and develop initiatives that can scale across the network.

Learning nodes establish local training via ODI Registered Trainers, and focus on growing their reach by tailoring ODI Learning to local demand. [27]

Community nodes convene local individuals and organisations interested in open innovation, delivering local events and workshops. They raise awareness of data's economic, social and environmental benefits, and encourage local collaboration.

Story nodes raise awareness, share challenges and promote best practice in harnessing data's economic, social and environmental benefits via blogs from their perspectives within their local contexts, across sectors and themes.

Advisory

The ODI provides consultancy, training and research and development advisory to help governments, organisations and businesses to use open data to create economic, environmental and social value. The ODI assesses how open data can impact organisations, implement open data strategies and innovate with open data to solve problems and create new opportunities.

Software

The ODI Labs team creates tools, techniques and standards for open data publishing. Flagship ODI Labs products include Open Data Certificates, [28] which show that data has been published in a sustainable and reusable way, and an Open Data Maturity Model and associated Open Data Pathway tool for organisations to assess their data practices (developed in collaboration with The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). [29]

ODI Labs also focus on implementing the World Wide Web Consortium's CSV on the Web recommendations via CSVlint, its validator for CSV files. [30]

Evidence and research

ODI Stories

The ODI is committed to demonstrating evidence for open data's social, economic and environmental benefits with open data stories and long-form publications. These are generated from ODI research, the work of the ODI's global network of startups, members and nodes, and the ODI Showcase programme, which supports projects to achieve open data impact. [31]

ODI Research

The ODI undertakes research on a broad range of areas related to open data. This includes exploring the evidence for the impact of open data; research and development of tools and standards to assist producers, publishers and users of open data; examining the implications, challenges and opportunities of deploying open data at web scale; and applications of open data to address or illuminate real-world problems.

Ongoing projects include: Mapping and understanding the scale of open data's potential value in business, with reports to date analysing open data companies that create products and services, [32] and how three big businesses – Thomson Reuters, Arup Group and Syngenta create value with open innovation. [33]

Data-and-Platform-as-a-Service (DaPaaS), which simplifies the consumption of open (and linked) data, by delivering a platform for publishing, consuming and reusing open data, as well as deploying open data applications. [34]

OpenDataMonitor, which provides users with an online monitoring and analytics platform for open data in Europe. It will provide insights into open data availability and publishing platforms by developing and delivering an analysis and visualisation platform that harvests and analyses multilingual metadata from local, regional and national data catalogues. [35]

Share-PSI is the European network for the exchange of experience and ideas around implementing open data policies in the public sector. It brings together 45 partners covering 26 countries with representatives from government departments, standards bodies, academic institutions, commercial organisations, trade associations and interest groups. [36]

DaPaaS and OpenDataMonitor are co-funded by the Seventh Framework Programme for research and technological development (FP7). Share PSI is co-funded by the European Commission under the ICT Policy Support Programme (ICT PSP) as part of the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme. [37]

The UK Parliament's Public Accounts Committee noted in 2012 that the ODI would have a role in assessing what economic and public services benefits could be secured through making data freely available. [38]

Board and senior leadership

The institute is led by: [1]

Funding

The ODI is part core-grant and part income-backed. £10m of public funds were pledged by the UK Technology Strategy Board to the ODI in 2012, (£2m/year over five years). A further $4,850,000 of funding has been secured via Omidyar Network. ODI derives its income from training, membership, research and development, services and events. In 2015, the balance between core-grant and income was approximately 50:50.

More detail can be found on the ODI's public dashboards. [40]

See also

Related Research Articles

Grid computing is the use of widely distributed computer resources to reach a common goal. A computing grid can be thought of as a distributed system with non-interactive workloads that involve many files. Grid computing is distinguished from conventional high-performance computing systems such as cluster computing in that grid computers have each node set to perform a different task/application. Grid computers also tend to be more heterogeneous and geographically dispersed than cluster computers. Although a single grid can be dedicated to a particular application, commonly a grid is used for a variety of purposes. Grids are often constructed with general-purpose grid middleware software libraries. Grid sizes can be quite large.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Business model</span> Rationale of how an organization operates

A business model describes how an organization creates, delivers, and captures value, in economic, social, cultural or other contexts. The model describes the specific way in which the business conducts itself, spends, and earns money in a way that generates profit. The process of business model construction and modification is also called business model innovation and forms a part of business strategy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Research and development</span> General term for activities in connection with corporate or governmental innovation

Research and development is the set of innovative activities undertaken by corporations or governments in developing new services or products. R&D constitutes the first stage of development of a potential new service or the production process.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Science and technology in Israel</span> National research, development and proficience of Israel

Science and technology in Israel is one of the country's most developed sectors. Israel spent 4.3% of its gross domestic product (GDP) on civil research and development in 2015, the highest ratio in the world. In 2019, Israel was ranked the world's fifth most innovative country by the Bloomberg Innovation Index. It ranks thirteenth in the world for scientific output as measured by the number of scientific publications per million citizens. In 2014, Israel's share of scientific articles published worldwide (0.9%) was nine times higher than its share of the global population (0.1%).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ODI (think tank)</span> International think tank

Overseas Development Institute (ODI) is a global affairs think tank, founded in 1960. Its mission is "to inspire people to act on injustice and inequality through collaborative research and ideas that matter for people and the planet." It does this through "research, convening and influencing, to lead new thinking and future agendas to deliver transformational change." Its chair is Suma Chakrabarti.

Open innovation is a term used to promote an Information Age mindset toward innovation that runs counter to the secrecy and silo mentality of traditional corporate research labs. The benefits and driving forces behind increased openness have been noted and discussed as far back as the 1960s, especially as it pertains to interfirm cooperation in R&D. Use of the term 'open innovation' in reference to the increasing embrace of external cooperation in a complex world has been promoted in particular by Henry Chesbrough, adjunct professor and faculty director of the Center for Open Innovation of the Haas School of Business at the University of California, and Maire Tecnimont Chair of Open Innovation at Luiss.

A business cluster is a geographic concentration of interconnected businesses, suppliers, and associated institutions in a particular field. Clusters are considered to increase the productivity with which companies can compete, nationally and globally. Accounting is a part of the business cluster. In urban studies, the term agglomeration is used. Clusters are also important aspects of strategic management.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development</span> Government owned All India Development Financial Institution and Regulatory Body

The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) is an All India Development Financial Institution (DFI) and an apex Supervisory Body for overall supervision of Regional Rural Banks, State Cooperative Banks and District Central Cooperative Banks in India. It was established under the NABARD Act 1981 passed by the Parliament of India. It is fully owned by Government of India and functions under the Department of Financial Services (DFS) under the Ministry of Finance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Global Development Network</span>

The Global Development Network (GDN) is a worldwide network of research and policy institutes working to provide new perspectives to the development challenges of our time. A spin-off of the World Bank, GDN works to make policy-relevant research accelerate the pace of global development. The Government of India has granted it the status of international organization. GDN is engaged in research issues related to social and economic development, and encourages researchers by providing financial resources, mentoring support and a platform to share their research.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South African Environmental Observation Network</span> A network to perform long-term ecological research in South Africa and surrounding waters

The South African Environmental Observation Network (SAEON) is a science network of people, organisations and, most importantly observation platforms, that perform Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) in South Africa and its surrounding oceans. The SAEON is of global importance as an innovative approach in ecology to understand environmental change and to determine the impact of anthropogenic forces at multiple scales but it is a remarkably complex challenge to statistically discern between ubiquitous natural variability and exogenous forcing. The SAEON constitutes a national government response to the World Summit on Sustainable Development (Earth Summit 2002) and is a component of the GEO (Group on Earth Observations). The SAEON has become the leader in environmental science and observation in South Africa, but has been criticised for taking a long time to establish, a situation which was inevitable in view of SAEON's multiple stakeholder corps. It has also been raised that the cost of replicated experimental treatments across SAEON sites will be high.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Global Editors Network</span>

The Global Editors Network (GEN) was an international association of over 6,000 editors-in-chief and media executives with the mission of fostering digital innovation in newsrooms all over the world. GEN had three main programmes: Editors Lab, the Data Journalism Awards, Startups for News, as well as an upcoming hub for the international data journalism community. The organisation’s flagship event, the GEN Summit, gathered over 830 participants from 70 countries. The GEN newsletter was read weekly by more than 13,800 subscribers. It is a non-profit, non-governmental association.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Startup ecosystem</span> Type of business ecosystem

A startup ecosystem is formed by people in startups in their various stages, and various types of organizations in a location that are interacting as a system to create and scale new startup companies. These organizations can be further divided into categories such as universities, funding organizations, support organizations, research organizations, service provider organizations and large corporations. Local Governments and Government organizations such as Commerce / Industry / Economic Development departments also play an important role in a startup ecosystem. Different organizations typically focus on specific parts of the ecosystem function and startups at their specific development stage(s).

Innovation districts are urban geographies of innovation where R&D strong institutions, companies, and other private actors develop integrated strategies and solutions to develop thriving innovation ecosystems–areas that attract entrepreneurs, startups, and business incubators. Unlike science parks, innovation districts are physically compact, leverage density and high levels of accessibility, and provide a “mash up” of activities including housing, office, and neighborhood-serving amenities. Districts signify the collapse back of innovation into cities and is increasingly used as a way to revitalize the economies of cities and their broader regions. As of 2019, there are more than 100 districts worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stellar (payment network)</span> Cryptocurrency

Stellar, or Stellar Lumens, is an open-source, decentralized protocol for digital currency to fiat money low-cost transfers which allows cross-border transactions between any pair of currencies. The Stellar protocol is supported by a Delaware nonprofit corporation, the Stellar Development Foundation, though this organization does not enjoy 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status with the IRS.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NEOMA Business School</span> Business and management school in Paris, France

NEOMA Business School is a French business and management school founded in 2013, following the merger of Reims Management School and Rouen Business School.

Fintech, a portmanteau of "financial technology", refers to the application of innovative technologies to products and services in the financial industry. This broad term encompasses a wide array of technological advancements in financial services, including mobile banking, online lending platforms, digital payment systems, robo-advisors, and blockchain-based applications such as cryptocurrencies. Fintech companies include both startups and established technology and financial firms that aim to improve, complement, or replace traditional financial services.

HealthUnlocked is a social networking service for health. The company uses health-specific artificial intelligence to support patients to better manage their own health, by recommending relevant and tailored health content, information and services to patients The site enables peer support for various health conditions and promotes patient empowerment by actively engaging people with their healthcare.

Science and technology in Tanzania describes developments and trends in higher education, science, technology, innovation policy, and governance in the United Republic of Tanzania since the turn of the century.

Ben Ramalingam is a British researcher, strategist, innovator and author, currently Director of Strategy at British Red Cross, senior research associate at the Overseas Development Institute Politics and Governance programme and advisor to the OECD Development Assistance Committee on innovation investments for development, humanitarian and human rights issues.

References

  1. 1 2 "Open Data Institute, Team". Open Data Institute. 2016.
  2. ↑ "Open Data Institute". OpenCorporates. Retrieved 2012-10-23.
  3. ↑ "Our global network". Open Data Institute. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
  4. ↑ "ODI courses". Open Data Institute. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
  5. ↑ Tennison, Jeni (12 May 2014). "Open data is a public good. It should not be confused with data sharing". The Guardian. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
  6. ↑ "Who owns our data infrastructure?". Open Data Institute. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
  7. ↑ "International Open Data Conference". International Open Data Conference. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
  8. ↑ "Closed, shared, open data: what's in a name?". Open Data Institute. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
  9. ↑ "The Data Spectrum". Open Data Institute. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
  10. ↑ "Data as Culture". Open Data Institute. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
  11. ↑ "Open Data for Development". OD4D. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
  12. ↑ "International Development Research Centre". IDRC. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
  13. ↑ "Burkina Faso Open Data Initiative". BODI. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
  14. ↑ "Why data was crucial to Burkina Faso's first election since uprising". The Guardian. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
  15. ↑ "The Open Banking Standard". Open Data Institute. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
  16. ↑ "UK plans new data rules to boost banking competition". Reuters. Archived from the original on February 9, 2016. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
  17. ↑ "Data Sharing and Open Data for Banks". Open Data Institute and Fingleton Associates. Archived from the original on February 9, 2016. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
  18. ↑ "Show me the money". Open Data Institute. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
  19. ↑ "ODI Theme: Agriculture and nutrition". Open Data Institute. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
  20. ↑ "Improving agriculture and nutrition with open data". Open Data Institute. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
  21. ↑ "Global Open Data for Agriculture Initiative". GODAN. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
  22. ↑ "Open Data for Smart Cities". Open Data Institute. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
  23. ↑ "ODI Membership". Open Data Institute. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
  24. ↑ "ODI Startups". Open Data Institute. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
  25. ↑ "ODI Nodes". Open Data Institute. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
  26. ↑ "ODI Charter". Open Data Institute. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
  27. ↑ "ODI Training team". Open Data Institute. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
  28. ↑ "Open Data Certificate". Open Data Institute. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
  29. ↑ "Open Data Pathway". Open Data Institute. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
  30. ↑ "ODI Labs". Open Data Institute. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
  31. ↑ "ODI Stories". Open Data Institute. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
  32. ↑ "Open data means business: UK innovation across sectors and regions". Open Data Institute. 2015. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
  33. ↑ "Open enterprise: how three big businesses create value with open innovation". Open Data Institute. 2016. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
  34. ↑ "Data-and-Platform-as-a-Service". DaPaaS. Retrieved 2016-06-07.
  35. ↑ "OpenDataMonitor". OpenDataMonitor. Retrieved 2016-06-07.
  36. ↑ "OpenDataMonitor". The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). Retrieved 2016-06-07.
  37. ↑ "Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme". European Commission. Retrieved 2016-06-07.
  38. ↑ UK Parliament, Public Accounts Committee, Implementing the transparency agenda, published 16 July 2012, accessed 12 November 2021
  39. 1 2 "Web creator backs UK open data institute". BBC News . UK: BBC. 2012-05-22. Retrieved 2012-10-23.
  40. ↑ "ODI Dashboards". ODI. Retrieved 2016-06-07.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.