Open Data Day 2025: a week to celebrate open data
March is approaching and with it a new edition of the Open Data Day. It is an annual worldwide celebration that has been organised for 12 years, promoted by the Open Knowledge Foundation through the Open Knowledge Network. It aims to promote the use of open data in all countries and cultures.
This year's central theme is "Open data to address the polycrisis". The term polycrisis refers to a situation where different risks exist in the same time period. This theme aims to focus on open data as a tool to address, through its reuse, global challenges such as poverty and multiple inequalities, violence and conflict, climate risks and natural disasters.
If several years ago the activities were limited to a single day, from 2023 we have a week to enjoy various conferences, seminars, workshops, etc. centred on this theme. Specifically, in 2025, Open Data Day activities will take place from 1 to 7 March.
Through its website you can see the various activities that will take place throughout the week all over the world. In this article we review some of those that you can follow from Spain, either because they take place in Spain or because they can be followed online.
Open Data Day 2025: Women Leading Open Data for Equality
Iniciativa Barcelona Open Data is organising a session on the afternoon of 6 March focusing on how open data can help address equality challenges. The event will bring together women experts in data technologies and open data, to share knowledge, experiences and best practices in both the publication and reuse of open data in this field.
The event will start at 17:30 with a welcome and introduction. This will be followed by two panel discussions and an interview:
- Round Table 1. Publishing institutions. Gender-sensitive data strategy to address the feminist agenda.
- DIALOGUE Data lab. Building feminist Tech Data practice.
- Round Table 2. Re-users. Projects based on the use of open data to address the feminist agenda.
The day will end at 19:40 with a cocktail and the opportunity for attendees to discuss the topics discussed and expand their network through networking.
How can you follow the event? This is an in-person event, which will be held at Ca l'Alier, Carrer de Pere IV, 362 (Barcelona).
Open access scientific and scholarly publishing as a tool to face the 21st century polycrisis: the key role of publishers
Organised by a private individual, Professor Damián Molgaray, this conference looks at the key role of editors in open access scientific and scholarly publishing. The idea is for participants to reflect on how open knowledge is positioned as a fundamental tool to face the challenges of the 21st century polycrisis, with a focus on Latin America.
The event will take place on 4 March at 11:00 in Argentina (15:00 in mainland Spain).
How can you follow the event? This is an online event through Google Meet.
WhoFundsThem
The organisation mySociety will show the results of its latest project. Over the last few months, a team of volunteers has collected data on the financial interests of the 650 MPs in the UK House of Commons, using sources such as the official Register of Interests, Companies House, MPs' attendance at debates etc. This data, checked and verified with MPs themselves through a 'right of reply' system, has been transformed into an easily accessible format, so that anyone can easily understand it, and will be published on the parliamentary tracking website TheyWorkForYou.
At this event, the project will be presented and the conclusions will be discussed. It takes place on Tuesday 4 at 14:00 London time (15:00 in Spain peninsular).
How can you follow the event? The session can be followed online, but registration is required. The event will be in English.
Science on the 7th: A conversation on Open Data & Air Quality
El viernes 7 a las 9:00 EST – (15:00 en España peninsular) se podrá seguir online una conferencia sobre datos abiertos y calidad del aire. La sesión reunirá a diversos expertos para debatir los temas de actualidad en materia de calidad del aire y salud mundial, y se examinará la contaminación atmosférica procedente de fuentes clave, como las partículas, el ozono y la contaminación relacionada con el tráfico.
Esta iniciativa está organizada por Health Effects Institute, una corporación sin ánimo de lucro que proporciona datos científicos sobre los efectos de la contaminación atmosférica en la salud.
A conference on open data and air quality will be available online on Friday 7 at 9:00 EST (15:00 in mainland Spain). The session will bring together a range of experts to discuss topical issues in air quality and global health, and will examine air pollution from key sources such as particulate matter, ozone and traffic-related pollution.
This initiative is organised by Health Effects Institute, a non-profit corporation that provides scientific data on the health effects of air pollution.
How can you follow the event? The conference, which will be in English, can be viewed on YouTube. No registration is required.
Deadline open for new event proposals
The above events are just a few examples of the activities that are part of this global celebration, but, as mentioned above, you can see all the actions on the initiative's website.
In addition, the deadline for registering new events is still open. If you have a proposal, you can register it via this link.
From datos.gob.es we invite you to join this week of celebration, which serves to vindicate the power of open data to generate positive changes in our society. Don't miss it!
