22 research outputs found
An overview of open government data in developed countries: A comparison study between the state of Qatar & UK
Even though the diverse studies that have addressed OGD in many developed countries, there is still
a lack in scientific literature about OGD initiatives in developing countries. The problem addressed
in this paper is the lack of literature about related OGD information in two countries namely UK
and Qatar. Therefore, we aim to provide information about the state of OGD in these two countries
and discuss the differences in comparative analysis. This paper provides an analytical and
comparative approach to discuss the state of open government data in two countries namely UK and
Qatar. The results of this study showed that the state of OGD in UK is more advanced and
developed than its state in Qatar according to the references reviewed and reports published by both
countries
Empowering communities with data: Role of data intermediaries for communities' data utilization
Data have significant potential to address current societal problems not only at the federal and state levels, but also in smaller
communities, in neighborhoods, and in the lives of individuals. While the proposition for this potential is that data are and will
be shared with and reused by and for communities at different levels, not all data are not systematically or routinely shared for
reuse with communities due to social, structural and technical infrastructure barriers. Data intermediary organizations can play
a significant role in removing existing barriers while unlocking the potential of data for all, particularly for communities with
limited human or financial resources, limited access to existing data infrastructures, and underserved populations. Considering
the significance of the data intermediary organizations on local communities, this study aims to explore the role of intermediaries
that usually facilitate community members/organizations’ data utilization. The findings of this study reveal that data
intermediary organizations play four major roles that are crucial in communities’ data utilization: (1) democratizing data, (2)
adding value to existing data, (3) enhancing communities’ data literacy, and (4) building communities’ data capacity. This
study has several important implications to offer a solution to overcome the challenges of data reuse at the local level.Institute for Museum and Library Service
Data Literacy defined pro populo: To read this article, please provide a little information
Data literacy is of fundamental importance in societies that emphasize extensive use of data for information and decision-making. Yet, prior definitions for data literacy fall short of addressing the myriad ways individuals are shepherds of, and subjects to, data. This article proposes a definition to accurately reflect the individual in society, including knowledge of what data are, how they are collected, analyzed, visualized and shared, and the understanding of how data are applied for benefit or detriment, within the cultural context of security and privacy. The article concludes by proposing opportunities, strengths, limitations and directions for future research
Researching the emerging impacts of open data: revisiting the ODDC conceptual framework
Open data has rapidly moved from being a niche interest, to being part of the global policy mainstream. Government-led open data initiatives have spread across the globe, and civil society or technologist experiments using data to improve governance have been spreading organically, from budget monitoring in Nigeria, to court transparency projects in Argentina. It is increasingly seen as enabler of a “data revolution” in the process of decision-making and accountability. However, understanding how experience of open data will vary from country to country and context to context, and, understanding the common features of open data that are shaping its implementation in these diverse settings, requires broad-based research framework. It requires research that can engage with both existing realities of decision-making in sectors, acknowledging the growing complexity of this process in an increasingly networked society. In this paper we have reviewed the framework of the “Open Data in Developing Countries”(ODDC) project, the largest research project on the impact of open data in developing countries to date. The framework was designed to help explore the link between openness in the data ecosystem, decentralized changes in decision-making, and positive and negative emerging impacts such as transparency and accountability, inclusion and empowerment as well as innovation and economic development. It was tested to generate cross-learning from 17 in-depth cases studies in 14 countries, as well as generate policy-relevant findings. This paper reviews and updates the original framework based on the findings and reflections developed during the research project
Digital Re-imagination Colloquium 2018: Preparing South Africa for a Digital Future through e-Skills
The theme of the 2018 colloquium, "Digital Re-imagination: Preparing South Africa for a Digital
Future through e-Skills" sought to establish an innovative research network through providing
a platform for government, academia, industry, education and civil society to share research,
data and trends that will contribute to refining the mandate to develop the necessary e-skills
capacity of South Africa
With the dawn of every new age, the nature of work and our relationships change. The impact
of these changes to the digital economy affect entire systems of production, management,
and governance. For example, government is currently designed as linear and mechanistic
yet the digital economy is made up of adaptive systems. William Gibson has famously been
quoted for the phrase: "The future is already here — it's just not very evenly distributed."
Given the extant amount of data available today, it is now possible to predict (within some
margins of error) how people will behave in certain situations. Data is increasingly becoming
better structured and easy to access. The question is, are we ready for the future? Are we
ready to harness the opportunities that the digital economy has brought? Can the digital
economy make a better South Africa for all?
Technology today is able to perform exponentially better than we can; how then can we create
new industries and new forms of governance? It is critical to re-think how systems are being
implemented. Creativity and innovation is big business in the digital economy. Creativity and
innovation moves contributions to beyond the individual and the group - to societal,
disciplinary, national and global level.
The prevalent economic paradigm of a winner who takes it all means that the lower income
earners are increasingly more dissatisfied. One of the symptoms of any illness is pain. Pain
can be seen in our society in the form of unemployment, poverty and the dissatisfaction with
the status quo. The challenges in our society cry out for change - a new way of thinking about
employment, wealth creation and governance. What are the real opportunities that the digital
economy presents to the people of South Africa? Real opportunities are those which are not
only available substantively, but are also achievable by the people for who they are created.
The opportunities presented by the digital economy can only become real if we e-skill people
to take advantage of those opportunities. Countries in the East have been able to adapt
technologies without giving up the cultural values they hold dear. While the challenges we
face in South Africa may be seen as a problem, they also present an opportunity to make a
difference with Digital Skills. It is no longer enough to have a skill; technology, talent and
insight are becoming critical as well.
The colloquium received 13 submissions. These submissions include four full papers, one
concept note and eight abstracts. The submissions were all blind peer reviewed by at least
two reviewers. None of the authors nor editors were involved in reviewing their own
submissions.ICT4D Flagship, University of South Africa
National Electronic Media Institute of South Africa (NEMISA)School of Computin
Situating Open Data
Open data and its effects on society are always woven into infrastructural legacies, social relations, and the political economy. This raises questions about how our understanding and engagement with open data shifts when we focus on its situated use. To shed a light on these questions, Situating Open Data provides several empirical accounts of open data practices, the local implementation of global initiatives, and the development of new open data ecosystems. Drawing on case studies in different countries and contexts, the chapters demonstrate the practices and actors involved in open government data initiatives unfolding within different socio-political settings. The book proposes three recommendations for researchers, policy-makers and practitioners. First, beyond upskilling through data literacy programmes, open data initiatives should be specified through the kinds of data practices and effects they generate. Second, global visions of open data implementation require more studies of the resonances and tensions created in localised initiatives. And third, research into open data ecosystems requires more attention to the histories and legacies of information infrastructures and how these shape who benefits from open data flows. As such, this volume departs from the framing of data as a resource to be deployed. Instead, it proposes a prism of different data practices in different contexts through which to study the social relations, capacities, infrastructural histories and power structures affecting open data initiatives. It is hoped that the contributions collected in Situating Open Data will spark critical reflection about the way open data is locally practiced and implemented. The contributions should be of interest to open data researchers, advocates, and those in or advising government administrations designing and rolling out effective open data initiatives
Open Data in Developing Economies
Recent years have witnessed considerable speculation about the potential of open data to bring about wide-scale transformation. The bulk of existing evidence about the impact of open data, however, focuses on high-income countries. Much less is known about open data’s role and value in low- and middle-income countries, and more generally about its possible contributions to economic and social development.
Open Data for Developing Economies features in-depth case studies on how open data is having an impact across the developing world-from an agriculture initiative in Colombia to data-driven healthcare projects in Uganda and South Africa to crisis response in Nepal. The analysis built on these case studies aims to create actionable intelligence regarding: (a) the conditions under which open data is most (and least) effective in development, presented in the form of a Periodic Table of Open Data; (b) strategies to maximize the positive contributions of open data to development; and (c) the means for limiting open data’s harms on developing countries
The Social Dynamics of Open Data
The Social Dynamics of Open Data is a collection of peer reviewed papers presented at the 2nd Open Data Research Symposium (ODRS) held in Madrid, Spain, on 5 October 2016. Research is critical to developing a more rigorous and fine-combed analysis not only of why open data is valuable, but how it is valuable and under what specific conditions. The objective of the Open Data Research Symposium and the subsequent collection of chapters published here is to build such a stronger evidence base. This base is essential to understanding what open data’s impacts have been to date, and how positive impacts can be enabled and amplified. Consequently, common to the majority of chapters in this collection is the attempt by the authors to draw on existing scientific theories, and to apply them to open data to better explain the socially embedded dynamics that account for open data’s successes and failures in contributing to a more equitable and just society.
CONTENTS
Chapter 1: Introduction: The state of open data and open data research by François van Schalkwyk & Stefaan G Verhulst
Chapter 2: The challenges of institutionalising open government data: A historical perspective of Chile’s OGD initiative and digital government institutions by Felipe González-Zapata & Richard Heeks
Chapter 3: Beyond standards and regulations: Obstacles to local open government data initiatives in Italy and France by Federico Piovesan
Chapter 4: Governance of open spatial data infrastructures in Europe by Glenn Vancauwenberghe & Bastiaan van Loenen
Chapter 5: Beyond mere advocacy: CSOs and the role of intermediaries in Nigeria’s open data ecosystem by Patrick Enaholo
Chapter 6: Rethinking civil society organisations working in the freedom of information and open government data fields by Silvana Fumega
Chapter 7: Open your data and will ‘they’ build it? A case of open data co-production in health service delivery by Fabrizio Scrollini
Chapter 8: The relational impact of open data intermediation: Experience from Indonesia and the Philippines by Arthur Glenn Maail
Chapter 9: Smart cities need to be open: The case of Jakarta, Indonesia by Michael P Caňares
Chapter 10: Protecting privacy while releasing data: Strategies to maximise benefits and mitigate risks by Joel Gurin, Matt Rumsey, Audrey Ariss & Katherine Garci
Evaluation of the Open Data for Development Program : final report
The evaluation focuses on both accountability and learning, providing accountability to the program's management and organizational governance structures for program results. In order to inform future programming on open data for development (OD4D), it reflects upon OD4D implementation and themes. The evaluation report addresses five topics: (1) Results (2) Design (3) Management (4) Policy and (5) Gender. The program both created and or made substantial contributions to various initiatives that resulted in numerous products, diversified by geographical domain and type. These are reported on in terms of outputs and outcomes