Open Data Day
On March 6th 2021 we are celebrating Open Data Day, an annual marking of the importance of open data in making the world a better place. On the day, groups from all over the world plan local activities to use open data in their communities. It’s an opportunity to illustrate the importance of open data and empower governments, businesses, and civil society organizations to implement open data policies.
David Eaves proposed the first International Open Data Day in 2010. In collaboration with Edward Ocampo-Gooding, Mary Beth Baker, Daniel Beauchamp, Pedro Markun, and Daniela Silva, the idea was born.
Now in Open Data Day’s 11th year, we continue to raise awareness and encourage the use of open data by governments, businesses, and civil society.
Why is Open Data important for everyone
Open data supports and provides essential impact on governments, businesses, societies and individuals around the world. It has changed and will continue to change the lives of millions of people day in day out.
Promotes and supports research
The fact that open data access accelerates the pace of discovery and innovation is a compelling reason to have it. Scientists have more resources to power their work because they have easier access to increased data. The more data you have, the easier it is to connect dots and have data-based facts to back up your claims. Collaboration is also essential with open data. We all know that two heads working together is better than one. No imagine millions of people having access to the same data and using it for research and innovation.
Reduces the risk of data loss
By allowing data access, you can reduce the risk of data degradation. This is due to the fact that if more people have access to the data, there will be more copies. As a result, even if one copy is compromised, other copies are still available. To some extent, the data is kept alive: if people are still working and researching with it, then it is still relevant.
Transparency is the key
Data integrity and good scientific practices require transparency. By sharing data, comparability and robustness are enabled. It also increases the number of opportunities for proper peer reviews and suggestions on how to improve products and services. It’s also crucial for any published work, so that everyone can understand how the results are reached.
Additionally, transparency of governments is important for building strong communities. That’s why more and more governments decide to open and share their data with the public each day. Here at Keitaro, we’ve had the opportunity to work with quite a few government agencies to help them build an Open Data CKAN portal, and safely share their data.
Final thoughts
Our lives are driven by data. We are using it in every decision we make on a daily basis, regardless of its nature, personal or professional. Our personal plans are based on data, we search for information, plan accordingly and act upon it. Take the daily weather forecast as an example, or even going online and searching for a good restaurant nearby. We also use data at our workplace to complete our daily tasks and make informed decisions. As we said, data is all around us, and the more open data we can access, the better.
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Keitaro is a prominent and active contributor to the global open data community and we have been honored to work with a wide array of government agencies and companies, to help them implement their open data strategies.
We believe that by working together, we can all benefit from open data, and help improve not just our everyday lives, but society as a whole as well.
Sources: Open Knowledge International; International Open Data Day; Open Data Day
