Open Data Day 2021!

Open Data Day 2021

On 6 March 2021, the international data community celebrated the 11th anniversary of Open Data Day. Open Data Day is an annual international event where data enthusiasts gather to connect and build new solutions to complex social issues by using open data. The event aims to show the benefits of open data such as increased efficiency, transparency, a spur in innovation, and economic growth. Moreover, the event encourages the adoption of open data policies in various government bodies, businesses, and civil societies. Open Data Day takes place globally and includes talks, seminars, hackathons, demonstrations, and trainings on different tracks selected for that year. In addition, there are announcements of open data releases or other milestones in open data. All outputs from Open Data Day 2021 are open for everyone to re-use.

As in previous years, a support scheme was offered to organisers of events categorised in one of the following four tracks:

• Environmental data: helping the world become more environmentally sustainable
• Tracking of public money flows: enhancing transparency
• Open mapping: developing better communities with the power of maps
• Data for equal development: highlighting pressing issues on local, national, or global level

This year’s Open Data Day provided ample discussion opportunities on how to continue creating and promoting open data that address complex societal issues, such as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Open Data Day 2021 had over 300 registered events across the world, 50 of which took place in Europe.

Data Talks – Insights from data.gouv.fr

The European Data Portal celebrated this year’s Open Data Day by speaking with Antonin Garrone from Etalab, the organisation that manages the national French Open Data Portal. The Data Talks webinar took place on 3 March 2021. In the session, Antonin shared some of Etalab’s insights from their work in 2020 and discussed the recent open data efforts in response to COVID-19.

More specifically, he discussed:

• the challenges of data aggregation;
• how the spread of the current COVID-19 pandemic is measured and the state of the healthcare system in France;
• how Etalab makes data easier to understand for all citizens; and
• the creation of the epidemic monitoring dashboard.

The webinar complemented a blog post, shared on the EDP’s Country Insights page, titled “How administrations and civil society worked together to open COVID-19 data: the case of France”. The session’s recording is available online. For upcoming and previous Data Talks, explore our Featured Highlight “The EDP and SCDS Data Talks”.

Virtual Open Data Day 2021

WikiRate and the World Benchmarking Alliance hosted a “Virtual Open Data Day 2021” on Thursday 4 March. The workshop brought together experts and individuals interested in discussing and researching data on gender equality disclosed by companies in the fashion industry, discussing:

• What current disclosure tells us about company impacts on gender equality;
• Which gender metrics are relevant, and which might be missing in corporate reporting and benchmarks;
• How open data can help us track companies’ progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals.

Open Belgium 2021

Another event that celebrated open data is Open Belgium 2021, an annual event that provides a platform for open data enthusiasts and re-users to talk about their efforts regarding open data. The event aims to bring registrants up to speed with the latest trends, innovations, and best practices by sharing experiences. Open Belgium 2021 includes keynote presentations, reflective Q&A sessions, engaging panel discussions, and interactive workshops. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event is taking place online with free sessions spread over the month of March.

Interested in joining some of the events? Explore the programme online.

Keep an eye on our upcoming Featured Highlight on Data Talks and stay tuned for more updates via Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn.