State of Open Data

It’s been ten years since open data first broke onto the global stage. Over the past decade, thousands of programmes and projects around the world have worked to open data and use it to address a myriad of social and economic challenges. Meanwhile, issues related to data rights and privacy have moved to the centre of public and political discourse. As the open data movement enters a new phase in its evolution, shifting to target real-world problems and embed open data thinking into other existing or emerging communities of practice, big questions still remain. How will open data initiatives respond to new concerns about privacy, inclusion, and artificial intelligence? And what can we learn from the last decade in order to deliver impact where it is most needed? The State of Open Data brings together over 60 authors from around the world to address these questions and to take stock of the real progress made to date across sectors and around the world, uncovering the issues that will shape the future of open data in the years to come.

Website
Visit the State of Open Data website to read the book online, download individual chapters and to read blog posts about the book.

Beth Simone Noveck, Professor, New York University and Director, The Governance Lab
06/05/2019
At this time, when evidence-based governance is under threat in so many places, The State of Open Data is an urgent testament to the vital role that open data plays in solving public problems and strengthening democracy. With stories from around the world and across sectors, it demonstrates the essential value of open data. Read this book now!

Fabrizio Scrollini, Executive Director of the Open Data Latin
06/05/2019
The time when a few eager pioneers dared to dream about the endless possibilities of open data is long gone. The open data community has matured and shown its value. It is here to stay, but the landscape has dramatically changed. We have seen the emergence of new data intensive technologies, the use of personal data for questionable ends, and inequality between those who can harness the power of data and those who can’t. Although data can empower, we have seen how it can also promote bias, discrimination, and exclusion. As this book shows, the time has come for the open data community to rise to these challenges and deliver an inclusive, open, and bright digital future for everyone. American Initiative (ILDA)

Jeni Tennison, Chief Executive Officer at the Open Data Institute
06/05/2019
Open data has become the foundation of the data infrastructure that we rely on in our societies and economies. This comprehensive view of the state of open data across the globe offers vital insights to help policy-makers and practitioners identify what works, and what doesn’t, and to build a strong and sustainable foundation that works for everyone.