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Learn about automated decision making in the UK housing benefits system

- August 30, 2021 in Open Knowledge

– Are you a lawyer, campaigner or activist working in the UK housing benefits system?
– Do you want to learn how automated decision systems are currently used in the housing benefits system in the UK ?
– Do you want to learn about legal strategies for challenging the (mis)use of these technologies? = = = = = = = Join the The Justice Programme team for an online 90 minute interactive workshop on Thursday September 23rd 2021 between 12.00 – 13.30 BST (London time). Tickets for the event cost £110 (inc VAT) and can be purchased online here. = = = = = = = Tickets are limited to 20 people – to ensure that everyone who attends can maximise their learning experience. If you are unwaged and can’t afford a ticket, please email justice@okfn.org. The Justice Programme is offering two places at a 75% discount (£27.50 each). All proceeds from this event are reinvested in the work of The Justice Programme, as we work to ensure Public Impact Algorithms do no harm. = = = = = = = What will I learn ? In this Interactive Workshop on housing benefit and automation we will: – explore how AI and algorithms are presently being used and likely to be used in UK and elsewhere
– review a summary of how algorithms work
– discuss the potential harms involved at the individual and societal levels
– summarise legal strategies, resources and best practices
– participate in a group exercise on a realistic case study You will also get access to a guide summarising the key points of the workshop and documenting the answers to your questions. This workshop is brought to you by Meg Foulkes, Director of The Justice Programme and Cedric Lombion, our Data & Innovation Lead. Read more about The Justice Programme team here. About The Justice Programme The Justice Programme is a project of the Open Knowledge Foundation, which works to ensure that Public Impact Algorithms do no harm. Find out more about The Justice Programme here, and learn more about Public Impact Algorithms here

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Open Science in action ! Making it easier for science researchers to share their data

- August 16, 2021 in Frictionless Data

Frictionless Data and Dryad join forces to make it easier for scientists to upload their research data to the Dryad repository. What’s this about? What happens to scientific data after it is created ? Is it shared with other researchers? Or is it hidden away on a private hard drive? This question is at the heart of the Open Science movement – which aims to make research more accessible and usable by everyone – so that advances in scientific understanding happen faster.
A great way to share research data is to upload it to a repository, but simply uploading data is not enough. Sometimes uploaded data is not high quality. The data may have errors in it, or bits missing. Another problem is metadata – is there enough descriptive information that other researchers can also use it? By collaborating with Dryad, the Frictionless team aimed to fix these problems – making it easier for science researchers to share their data, and drive scientific innovation faster ! Find out more about this collaboration by visiting the Frictionless Blog or contact the Frictionless team here. What is Dryad? Dryad is a community-led data repository that allows researchers to submit data from any field of science. The data has to be curated to ensure the quality of the data, and to make sure it has comprehensive metadata to allow reuse by other researchers. Visit the Dryad website here. What did we achieve? The outcome of this collaboration is a revamped upload page for the Dryad application.
Researchers uploading tabular data (CSV, XLS, XLSX) under 25MB will have the files automatically validated using the Frictionless tool. These checks are based on the built-in validation of Frictionless Framework (read the validation guide here), and include checking for data errors such as blank cells, missing headers, or incorrectly formatted data. The Frictionless report will help guide researchers on which issues should be resolved, allowing researchers to edit and re-upload files before submitting their dataset for curation and publication. = = = = = = = = If there’s a problem, Yo, we’ll solve it !
    Do you want to better apply open scientific methods to your research programme? Are you interested in learning how Frictionless Data can make it easier for your team to share data with people around the world?
Get in touch with the Frictionless Data Team here Also, check out other organisations that have incorporated Frictionless data into their systems to improve their data productivity. = = = = = = = This work was funded by the Sloan Foundation as part of the Frictionless Data for Reproducible Research project.

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The registration for the first EU Open Data Days is open!

- August 9, 2021 in Open Knowledge

Here at Open Knowledge Foundation, we are really pleased to see that registration is now open for participants for the first EU Open Data Days. The programme lasts three days from 23rd to 25th November 2021, and is split in two main parts.
    – EU DataViz, a conference on open data and data visualisation for public administrations, from 23rd to 24th November 2021; and
    – EU Datathon, the annual EU open data competition, on 25th November 2021.
It’s free and open for everyone to attend, and is designed for a broad audience – including experts, open data enthusiasts and the public. = = = = = = = Registration can be done here. = = = = = = = Since EU Open Data Days launched in March 2021, Open Knowledge Foundation is proud to be an official partner of EU Open Data Days. We hope to see you there !

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Register your Interest: Open Knowledge Justice Programme Community Meetups

- August 3, 2021 in Open Knowledge

What’s this about? The Open Knowledge Justice Programme is kicking off a series of free, monthly community meetups to talk about Public Impact Algorithms. Register here. Who is this for?
    Do you want to learn more about Public Impact Algorithms? Would you like to know how to spot one, and how they might affect the clients you represent? Do you work in government, academia, policy-making or civil society – and are interested in learning how to deploy a Public Impact Algorithm fairly?
Tell me more Whether you’re a new to tech or a seasoned pro, join us once a month to share your experiences, listen to our guest speakers and ask our data expert questions on this fast changing issue. = = = = =
When? Lunch time every second Thursday of the month
How? Register your interest here
= = = = = More info: www.thejusticeprogramme.org/community

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Welcome Livemark – the New Frictionless Data Tool

- July 21, 2021 in Open Knowledge

We are very excited to announce that a new tool has been added to the Frictionless Data toolkit: Livemark. What is Frictionless? Frictionless Data is a set of specifications for data and metadata interoperability, accompanied by a collection of software libraries that implement these specifications, and a range of best practices for data management. The project is funded by the Sloan Foundation and Open Data Institute. Learn more about Frictionless data here. What is Livemark? Livemark is a great tool that allows you to publish data articles very easily, giving you the possibility to see your data live on a working website in a blink of an eye. How does it work? Livemark is a Python library generating a static page that extends Markdown with interactive charts, tables, scripts, and much much more. You can use the Frictionless framework as a “frictionless” variable to work with your tabular data in Livemark. Livemark offers a series of useful features, like automatically generating a table of contents and providing a scroll-to-top button when you scroll down your document. You can also customise the layout of your newly created webpage. How can you get started? Livemark is very easy to use. We invite you watch this great demo by developer Evgeny Karev: https://youtu.be/NMg-eCbO6L0 You can also have a look at the documentation on GitHub What do you think? If you create a site using Livemark, please let us know! Frictionless Data is an open source project, therefore we encourage you to give us feedback. Let us know your thoughts, suggestions, or issues by joining us in our community chat on Discord (opens new window) or by opening an issue in the GitHub repo.

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Open Data Day 2021 – read the Report

- July 20, 2021 in Open Knowledge


= = = = = = = We are really pleased to share with you our Report on Open Data Day 2021. = = = = = = = We wrote this report for the Open Data Day 2021 funding partners – Microsoft, UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Mapbox, Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery, Latin American Open Data Initiative, Open Contracting Partnership and Datopian. But we also decided to publish it here so that everyone interested in Open Data Day can learn more about the Open Data Day mini-grant scheme – and the impact of joining Open Data Day 2022 as a funding partner. = = = = = = = Highlights from the report include:
  • a list of the 36 countries that received mini-grants in 2021
  • a breakdown of the 56 mini-grants by World Bank region. It’s notable that most of the Open Data Day 2021 mini-grants were distributed to Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America & the Caribbean. No mini-grants were sent to North America or the Middle East & North Africa. If you would like to help us reach these two regions in Open Data Day 2022 – please do email us at opendataday@okfn.org

  • a chart showing 82% of mini-grants went to Lower, Lower Middle or Upper Middle income countries (by World Bank lending group). We think this is probably about the right kind of distribution.
  • eleven case studies demonstrating the impact of the Open Data Day mini-grant programme.

= = = = = = = To find out more, you can download the report here Please do email us at opendataday@okfn.org if you would like a high resolution copy. = = = = = = = If you would like to learn more about Open Data Day, please visit www.opendataday.org, join the Open Data Day forum or visit the Open Knowledge Foundation blog, where we regularly post articles about Open Data Day.

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Work with us on ‘Promoting some keynote events/lectures during Open Data Day 2022’

- July 12, 2021 in Open Knowledge

Open Data Day 2022 is nine months away – and we are already thinking about how to make it bigger and better than 2021 ! Recently we asked you about your experience with Open Data Day. We wanted to know what worked, what didn’t and how it could be improved. You gave us lots of really useful feedback which we published here. One of things you told us was that we should
    ‘Promote some keynote events/lectures during Open Data Day’.
If you or your organisation would like to discuss working with us on ‘Promoting some keynote events/lectures during Open Data Day’ – please do email us on opendataday@okfn.org We think focusing on one topic area, and curating and promoting some key note events, could be a powerful mechanism to show the benefits of open data and encourage the adoption of open data policies by government, business and civil society. There are many possible topic areas that we could focus on – from climate relevant data to open law. From covid spending data to oceanographic data. If the Open Data Day team at Open Knowledge Foundation are going to do this, however, we need to identify partners from around the world with us.
  • We need people or organisations with topic expertise who can help curate events.
  • We need partners with broad community reach to ensure that the work we do together reaches the most people.
  • And we need funding to make it happen
    • If you or your organisation would like to discuss working with us on ‘Promoting some keynote events/lectures during Open Data Day’ – please do email us on opendataday@okfn.org

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    Calling all legal practitioners – you are invited to an interactive workshop on immigration and automation

    - July 12, 2021 in Open Knowledge


    – Are you a lawyer, campaigner or activist working in the UK immigration system?
    – Do you want to learn how automated decision systems are currently used in the immigration system in the UK ?
    – Do you want to learn about legal strategies for challenging the (mis)use of these technologies?
     = = = = = = = Join the The Justice Programme team for an online 90 minute interactive workshop on August 19th 2021 between 12.00 – 13.30 BST (London time). Tickets for the event cost £110 (inc VAT) and can be purchased online here. = = = = = = = Tickets are limited to 20 people – to ensure that everyone who attends can maximise their learning experience. If you are unwaged and can’t afford a ticket, please email justice@okfn.org. The Justice Programme is offering two places at a 75% discount (£27.50 each). All proceeds from this event are reinvested in the work of The Justice Programme, as we work to ensure Public Impact Algorithms do no harm. = = = = = = = What will I learn ? In this Interactive Workshop on Immigration and automation we will: – explore how AI and algorithms are presently being used and likely to be used in UK and elsewhere
    review an overview of how algorithms work
    – discuss the potential harms involved at the individual and societal levels
    – summarise legal strategies, resources and best practices
    – participate in a group exercise on a realistic case study You will also get access to a guide summarising the key points of the workshop and documenting the answers to your questions. This workshop is brought to you by Meg Foulkes, Director of The Justice Programme and Cedric Lombion, our Data & Innovation Lead.     Read more about The Justice Programme team here. = = = = = = = About The Justice Programme The Justice Programme is a project of the Open Knowledge Foundation, which works to ensure that Public Impact Algorithms do no harm. Find out more about The Justice Programme here, and learn more about Public Impact Algorithms here.

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    Launching the new website for The Justice Programme

    - July 7, 2021 in Open Knowledge

    Today we are excited to share with you the new website for The Justice Programme www.thejusticeprogramme.org. A few months ago we made the decision to build a dedicated website for the project because the range of activities and services has grown. We want our partners to easily find out what we are doing, and how they can help.
      “This new website is critical for the success of The Justice Programme as we work to ensure that Public Impact Algorithms do no harm” said Meg Foulkes, Director of The Justice Programme. “There will be many opportunities to participate in the project in the coming months – so I encourage everyone to check out the website to find out more”.
    The site has lots of new information about The Justice Programme, including information about what we do and our governance, history and team. You can find out who we work with and see all the mentions of The Justice Programme in the press. We also provide some more updated information on Public Impact Algorithms, and details about our Strategic Litigation work with the Digital Freedom Fund, where we are using the law to challenge unfair algorithms. The design for the website is inspired by the branding of the Open Knowledge Foundation, who have provided invaluable support for the project since the very beginning. The Justice Programme remains a project of the Open Knowledge Foundation. Please check out our new website at www.thejusticeprogramme.org. If you have any comments or questions – please get in touch at justice@okfn.org Stay in touch by signing up to our mailing list, or following The Justice Programme on Twitter.

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    What we learned about Open Data Day 2021

    - June 21, 2021 in Featured, Open Knowledge

    Open Data Day 2021 A few months ago on Open Data Day 2021, over 300 teams from around the world organised Open Data Day events. Thanks to our partners – Microsoft, UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Mapbox, Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery, Latin American Open Data Initiative, Open Contracting Partnership and Datopian – we also gave away 60+ mini-grants to support teams in 36 different countries. We are always working to make Open Data Day more successful. This is why we recently asked you about your experience of Open Data Day 2021.
      If you didn’t yet complete the survey – it’s not too late ! Complete the survey here.
    We wanted to know:
      – what worked
      – what didn’t work
      – how we can make Open Data Day 2022 even better.
    = = = = = Here is a summary of what you told us you want Mini-grants
      – More mini-grants, with more money, for more comprehensive and impactful events
      – Funding available before the events, not just afterwards
      – Priority support for regional events that connect people
      – An expansion of the established mini-grant themes (Environmental Data, Tracking Public Money Flows, Open Mapping, Data for Equal Development) to includes new topics such as

        – Open for projects that don’t fall inside the pre-established categories/themes
        – Local Government for projects that align with local government objectives
        – Science and Health for open science and research events
        – Post Covid Decision-Making to help us make better decisions in a post pandemic world
        – Impact Evaluation for data about measuring the impact of projects
        – Libraries
    Community Development & Communications
      – More guidance on how to run a successful virtual event and what kinds of tools are recommended
      – A calendar, or visual tool, to see different events happening according to regional time zones
      – Different community development tools (not just the Open Data Day mailing list) to help people connect with each other
      – Thematic or geographic focused activities or processes before Open Data Day to help event organisers connect with each other to improve collaboration and share resources
      – Open Data Day events throughout the year
      – Resources in additional languages including: Arabic, Ewe, Slovenian, Swahili and Urdu
    Open Data Day Activities
      – Spread events over a week (Open Data Week or Open Data Day Weekend !) to make it possible for people to attend more virtual events
      – Promote some keynote events/lectures during Open Data Day
    Website
      – Improve the events listing by making it searchable by language and type of event (talks, discussions, seminars, coding etc)
      – Allow people to subscribe to events to get updates
      – Invest money in better overall visual design, better data visualisation of events integrated with the map
    = = = = = Over the coming months, the Open Knowledge Foundation team will discuss these ideas and see how many of them we can incorporate into Open Data Day 2022. If you would like to help – please sign up to the Open Data Day mailing list to join the discussion.

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