Open the deadline to submit proposals for the International Open Data Conference 2018

The fifth edition of the International Open Data Conference (IODC) is already underway. This year, it will be held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on September 27-28. This biannual event brings together the international open data community with the objective of sharing, planning and collaborating on different current and future initiatives.

IODC seeks to identify and explore new trends that are emerging around open data, promoting innovative solutions capable of generating economic and social impact in different sectors. The event is also an opportunity to consolidate international relations and promote common resources development.

The Future is Open, central topic of this edition

2018 IODC sessions will focus on challenges and opportunities facing the open data community, under the title The Future is Open.

IODC organizers are committed to creating an inclusive and innovative event, including issues of concern to the international community. Therefore, the agenda will be created  through a global call for proposals, that search for inclusion of all voices achieve the greatest possible level of gender balance and regional diversity.

The call for porposals will be open between February 14 and April 1, 2018. A committee comprised of open data experts, including representatives of public and private organizations and academic institutions, will evaluate all submissions received.

Submissions should target one of three conference tracks:

• The Big Picture (45 minutes-1 hour): Panels and debates focused on the exploration of emerging trends and challenges. They can include topics related to privacy, gender, algorithms, Big Data, artificial intelligence or other emerging technologies.

• Action Track (45 minutes-1 hour): Sessions and workshops that allow for the exchange of information. This category includes interactive discussions, brainstorming sessions, cases studies or roundtables. Sessions should contribute to enrich international collaboration areas identified in previous conferences.

• Impact Track (10-15 minutes): Short and dynamic sessions that show concrete examples of open data use within the different sectors, such as agriculture, education, health or transport, among others.

It is important to mention that those proposals that identify specific challenges and promote the search for solutions through dialogue will have preference.  Proposals focused on gender issues that promote parity in participation, practices and processes will also highlight.

This year's conference will also highlight The State of Open Data initiative. This project focuses on the review of open data movement development during the last 10 years, with the aim of learning from errors and generating recommendations and good practices.

Madrid, headquarter of the previous edition

IODC previous edition took place in Madrid, on October 6 - 7, 2018. More than 1,600 attendees from a hundred countries visited  the Spanish capital to participate in some of the 87 sessions given by more than 300 experts.

You can read event conclusions in the following link:  IOCD Madrid 2016 conclusions.