Global agenda of open data

In the last International Open Data Conference, held last year in Canada, the global community gathered to analyse the evolution of open data: the present and future of PSI re-use.

After two power-packed days with sessions, workshops, discussions and parallel activities, a roadmap was designed in a bid to create a global agenda of open data through which governments and  organization can work together to reach common goals. 

This agenda has been highly demanded by the international community and therefore it will mark an important milestone. After all, the agenda will be the base for discussing the current status of open data in the word, implementing a common action plan and driving a joint vision of the future.

The agenda identifies five priority areas in order to move forward and define the next steps in the global development of open data. These five areas are:

1. Deliver shared principles for open data which revolutionize the sector as long as the goals are shared by all. The International Open Data Charter provided those principles for open data policy and established that open data must be:
   • Open by default;
   • Timely and comprehensive;
   • Accesible and usable;
   • Comparable and interoperable;
   • For improved governance and citizen engagement;
   • For inclusive development and innovation.
2. Develop and adopt good practices and open standards for data publication, taking advantage of existing standards, defining new ones to manage data tailored to user needs and using those infrastructures to generate public debate and inclusive policies.
3. Using the data as a driver of innovation. Open data has a great potential for solving real problems and fostering the collaboration to have a positive impact on society.
4. Ensuring that open data is accessible to all, in any language and culture. Developing the necessary skills to guarantee that everyone can re-use the open data and take advantage of it.
5. Adopt common measurement and evaluation tools. In this way the global community can reach agreements on definitions and metrics, so investigations, actions and results become better connected.

There are already many initiatives working in the global agenda and following these shared principles. The 4^th International Open Data Conference is one of them. Under the “Global goals, local impact” slogan, the event will be an opportunity to move forward in the development and evolution of the global agenda. We look forward to meeting you there and, in the meantime, share you opinion about the global agenda.