May 2015 Seminar: Open Data – Products, Services and Standards.
Summary
25 years ago, Sir Tim Berners Lee set out his vision for the World Wide Web by proposing a set of technologies that would make the Internet more accessible and useful. Since then, the web has transformed our global community by allowing us to freely share information with each other. When open and accessible for all to use, data has driven change in government, business and culture. Businesses use open data to innovate and to build trust with their customers through greater transparency. Governments are opening up their data to improve their efficiency, and so that citizens can hold them to account.
However, the open data ecology is still evolving. Standards have yet to be widely accepted and implemented. Accuracy, quality and availability of open data; the specialist skills needed to support and maintain it, and concerns about privacy, are all issues that have so far limited faster growth in this market.
But the future looks bright. This seminar looked at the progress being made in delivering value-added products and services in both government/public and private sectors. We were privileged to have two expert speakers and open data advocates, Mark Braggins and Steven Flower, who both have many years experience in delivering data products and services. They discussed a number of case studies and innovative solutions that are delivering value through open data applications.
Speakers
Mark Braggins is a ‘digital innovator’ who founded ‘Hampshire Hub’ – Hampshire’s local information system and evolving open data ecosystem. Mark is the lead organiser for Open Data Camp – the unconference and networking event for the UK Open Data Movement, the first of which was held in Winchester in February 2015. He is a co-organiser of BlueLightCamp – the annual unconference and open data hack for the Emergency Services community, and is a member of British APCO’s Executive Committee. Mark has a background delivering, managing and exploiting technology across a variety of sectors, including financial services, retail, computer services and most recently, research and intelligence in local government.
Steven Flowerhas a long and varied history in “civic technology”. Whether building open data platforms for community events or standardising information on international aid, Steven has always worked alongside organisations and institutions that strive for societal benefit. As well as open data initiatives, Steven also organises the monthly Manchester CoderDojo – a youth group for coders and makers. In April 2015, Steven co-founded the Open Data Services Co-Operative – an organisation dedicated to assisting those that wish to publish and/or use open data.
Time and Venue
2pm on 14th May 2015, The British Dental Association, 64 Wimpole Street, London W1G 8YS
Pre Event Information
Learning Objectives
To understand what is meant by the term ‘open data’, where to find open data and how it is being used to create value-added products and services
To recognise the benefits and potential risks in using open data products and services
To be able to apply relevant standards and protocols for the publication and support of open data
Slides
Currrently not available
Tweets
Blog
See our blog report: NetIKX meeting about Open Data
Study Suggestions
None