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Meet our panel of experts for the Net Zero Challenge pitch contest

- March 31, 2021 in Open Knowledge Foundation

The Net Zero Challenge is a global competition to answer the following question – how can you advance climate action using open data? Our aim is to identify, promote, support and connect innovative, practical and scalable projects.

Having selected our shortlist of projects competing for the $1,000 USD prize, we have now invited all the teams to pitch their projects to our panel of experts during a live streamed virtual event on Tuesday 13th April 2021 from 15:00 to 16:00 London time. Register now to watch the event.

Our panel of experts hail from four different organisations which are leading players in the field of using open data for climate action:

Mengpin Ge is an Associate with WRI’s Global Climate Program, where she provides analytical and technical support for the Open Climate Network (OCN) and CAIT 2.0 projects. Her work focuses on analysing and communicating national and international climate policies and data to inform climate decision making towards the 2015 climate agreement.

 

Natalia Carfi is the Interim Executive Director for the Open Data Charter. She previously worked as the Open Government Director for the Undersecretary of Public Innovation and Open Government of Argentina where she coordinated the co-creation of the 3rd Open Government National Action Plan. She was also Open Government coordinator for the Digital Division of the Government of Chile and for the City of Buenos Aires. She is part of the Open Data Leaders Network and the Academic Committee of the International Open Data Conference. Within ODC she’s been leading the open data for climate action work, collaborating with Chile and Uruguay.

 

Bruno Sanchez-Andrade Nuño is the Principal Scientist at Microsoft “AI for Earth”, building the “Planetary Computer”. He has a PhD in Astrophysics, and Rocket Science postdoc. Bruno has led Big Data innovation at the World Bank Innovation Labs, served as VP Social Impact at the satellite company Satellogic and Chief Scientist at Mapbox. He published the book “Impact Science” on the role of science and research for social and environmental Impact. He was awarded Mirzayan Science Policy Fellow of the US National Academies of Science and a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum.

 

Eleanor Stewart is the Data Protection Officer & Head of Transparency at Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, where she is she is responsible for driving the necessary institutional change within the department to achieve and maintain compliance with GDPR/DPA 2018, the release of its information and supporting the UK Governments international programmes and objectives in Transparency and Open Data through the Open Government Partnership and other initiatives as well as working to embed digital methodologies and processes in the day-to-day work of a foreign affairs ministry.

Please register here to watch the Net Zero Challenge pitch contest.

This is a virtual event taking place on Tuesday 13th April 2021 from 15:00 to 16.00 London time.

 

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Meet the projects shortlisted for the Net Zero Challenge

- March 24, 2021 in Open Knowledge Foundation

Earlier this week we announced the time and date for the Net Zero Challenge pitch contest, and invited you to register for the event here. We are now ready to announce the shortlist of projects that have made it to the second stage of the Net Zero Challenge.  When we launched the Net Zero Challenge in January, we were unsure how many individuals and organisations in the global open data community were already thinking about how open data could be used to advance climate action. We were overwhelmed with the response – and received almost 100 applications. It’s been hard to decide which ideas/projects should be shortlisted for the next stage. In the end, we made our choice by focusing on three key criteria: 
  • Whether the use of open data was well explained
  • Whether the results chain leading to climate action was strong
  • Whether the idea/project was scalable (from whatever stage it was already at)
The following five projects have been shortlisted: Snapshot Climate Tool [established project]  Provides greenhouse gas emission profiles for every local government region (municipality) in Australia.  CarbonGeoScales [established project]   A framework for standardising open data for GHG emissions at multiple geographical scales (built by a team from France).  Project Yarquen [project in development]  A new API tool and website to organise climate relevant open data for use by civil society organisations, environmental activists, data journalists and people interested in environmental issues (built by a team from Argentina).  Citizen Science Avian Index for Sustainable Forests [concept in development & prospective PhD]  A new biomonitoring tool that uses open data on bird observations to provide crucial information on forest ecological conditions (from South Africa).  Election Climate  [established project]   Analyses recognition of climate change issues by prospective election candidates in Brazil, enabling voters to make informed decisions about who to vote in to office.  During the pitch contest on 13th April, each of these shortlisted teams will have three minutes to pitch their project, in response to the challenge statement: How can you advance climate action using open data? Questions from our Panel of Experts (and the audience) will then be put to the teams. Pitches will be scored, and the winning team awarded $1,000 USD. • Register now via Eventbrite to watch the pitch contest.

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Join us for the Net Zero Challenge pitch contest on using open data for climate action

- March 22, 2021 in News

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Please register here to watch the Net Zero Challenge pitch contest.

This is a virtual event taking place on Tuesday 13th April 2021 from 15:00 to 16.00 London time.

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What is the Net Zero Challenge? The Net Zero Challenge is a global competition to answer the following question – How can you advance climate action using open data? Our aim is to identify, promote, support and connect innovative, practical and scalable projects. What is the pitch contest?

During the pitch contest on 13th April, each shortlisted team will have three minutes to pitch their project, in response to the challenge statement: How can you advance climate action using open data?

Questions from our Panel of Experts (and the audience) will then be put to the teams. Pitches will be scored, and the winning team awarded $1,000 USD. Register now via Eventbrite to watch the pitch contest. When did the Net Zero Challenge start and what have we learned?  Since launching the Net Zero Challenge in January 2021, we’ve spoken with dozens of individuals and organisations working on projects that use open data to achieve climate action.   Time and again, we’ve heard how open data will be critical to achieving our climate goals. Whether we are trying to understand climate risks, track climate progress, enable informed climate action, or evaluate climate impact – the production, disclosure, monitoring, and use of data will be essential to achieve net zero.  Next steps The Net Zero Challenge application window closed on 12th March 2021. We received almost 100 applications.  In the next few days, we will be announcing both the shortlist of candidate projects, and the names of judges joining our Panel of Experts. If you have applied to the Net Zero Challenge – and wonder if you have been shortlisted – we will be in touch with you soon. Find out more at netzerochallenge.info.

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Announcing a new partner for Open Data Day 2021 mini-grants

- February 1, 2021 in Open Data Day, Open Data Day 2021

GFDRR and OpenDRI For Open Data Day 2021 on Saturday 6th March, the Open Knowledge Foundation is offering support and funding for in-person and online events anywhere in the world via our mini-grant scheme.  Today we are pleased to announce an additional partner for the Open Data Day 2021 mini-grant scheme: the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) through the GFDRR Labs and its Open Data for Resilience Initiative (OpenDRI).  GFDRR will be supporting mini-grants in the Environmental Data track, with a particular focus on ‘data for resilience’.  If you need inspiration for your event using data for resilience,  some useful resources to check out include: GFDRR Labs, OpenDRI, Open Cities Project, ThinkHazard, Open Data for Resilience Index and the Risk Data Library.  We are extremely grateful to GFDRR and all our partners who have provided funding for this year’s mini-grant scheme. These include Microsoft, UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Mapbox, Latin American Open Data Initiative (ILDA), Open Contracting Partnership and Datopian. Open Data Day 2021 partners

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Launching the Net Zero Challenge: a global pitch competition about using open data for climate action

- January 28, 2021 in Net Zero Challenge, News, Open Knowledge Foundation

Net Zero Challenge logo Open Knowledge Foundation is excited to launch the Net Zero Challenge, a global pitch competition about using open data for climate action.  With a new administration in the USA and the COP26 meeting in the UK, 2021 will be a crucial year for the global climate response. Let’s see how open data can play its part.  Tell us how your idea or project uses open data for climate action – and you could win a $1,000USD in the first round of the Net Zero Challenge.  Full details about the Net Zero Challenge are available at netzerochallenge.info.  This project is funded by our partners at Microsoft and the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. We are extremely grateful for their support.  How are you advancing climate action using open data? To be eligible for the Net Zero Challenge, your idea or project must do one or more of the following:
  1. Understand climate risks
  2. Track climate progress
  3. Enable informed climate action, or
  4. Evaluate climate impact.
Some ways in which you might do this include:
  • Making climate relevant data easier to discover, view and understand by the general data user
  • Creating a useful passthrough tool or API for climate-relevant data in any country or jurisdiction
  • Organising climate data so that potential data users (including those who are less data-literate) can see what’s available, and make use of it
We are very open minded about your approach and methodology. What we care about is the outcome, and whether you answer the question. You might consider whether your idea or project is:
  • Technically achievable
  • ​Easy to use
  • Easily integrated or can be provided as a tool
  • Scalable
  • Good value for money
  • Published under an open licence which allows free use by others 
  • Explainable (this is the key test of the Challenge. Can you pitch your project in three minutes to a general audience?) 
How do I apply? Apply now by filling out this form. All applications must be received by 6pm Pacific Standard Time on Friday 12th March 2021. Late submissions will not be accepted.  ​Applications will be reviewed and a short list invited to pitch their idea to a panel of experts at a virtual pitch contest.   ​Pitches will take the form of a public three-minute presentation via video conference, followed by a question and answer session with our panel of climate data experts. ​ Pitches can be live, or prerecorded but the Q&A will be live.  Expert guidance for the Net Zero Challenge is provided by our advisory committee: the Open Data Charter, the Innovation and Open Data Team at Transport for New South Wales and the Open Data Day team at Open Knowledge Foundation.  Need more information? If you have any questions about the Net Zero Challenge, please check out the FAQs on the netzerochallenge.info website. To contact the Net Zero Challenge team directly, email netzero@okfn.org.

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Join us in Supporting the Open Data Community in 37 Countries around the World

- December 16, 2020 in Open Knowledge

Join us in Supporting the Open Data Community in over 37 Countries around the World Every year, the team at Open Knowledge Foundation works with the global open data community to deliver Open Data Day.  Open Data Day is an annual celebration. Groups around the world create local events to learn about open data, and to encourage the adoption of open data policies in government, business and civil society. The next Open Data Day is Saturday March 6th 2021.  Last year Open Knowledge Foundation and our Partners provided 67 mini-grants of US$300 to support events in 37 different countries ! 90% went to countries in the Global South. You can read more about who we supported in our blog post Open Data Day 2020. It’s a wrap! Or check out our Executive Summary Report on Open Data Day 2020. 
>> if your organisation wants to become a Partner for Open Data Day 2021, check out the Open Data Day 2021 Partnership prospectus. >> if you want to make a financial donation to support Open Data Day 2021, donate here. Put the words ‘Open Data Day’ in the ‘Write a Note (optional)’ field. $300/£225/€250 donation supports one mini-grant. $50/£40/€45 donation supports one photography prize.

We are so grateful to our Open Data Day 2020 partners and want to thank them on behalf of everyone at Open Data Day. Without their generous support, many of the events that make Open Data Day so impactful would not be possible.
>> if your organisation wants to become a Partner for Open Data Day 2021, check out the Open Data Day 2021 Partnership prospectus. >> if you want to make a financial donation to support Open Data Day 2021, donate here. Put the words ‘Open Data Day’ in the ‘Write a Note (optional)’ field. $300/£225/€250 donation supports one mini-grant. $50/£40/€45 donation supports one photography prize.

 

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Thank you for your feedback about Open Data Day. Here’s what we learned.

- November 17, 2020 in Open Knowledge

Open Data Day is an annual celebration of open data all over the world facilitated by the Open Knowledge Foundation. Each year, groups from around the world create local events on the day where they will use open data in their communities. It is an opportunity to show the benefits of open data and encourage the adoption of open data policies in government, business and civil society. With Open Data Day 2021 less than four months away, we asked the Open Data community to tell us how you think we can better support Open Data Day. It’s not too late to have your say. Just visit the survey here.   The responses we had were very encouraging. We received lots of feedback – both positive and negative. And many of you offered to help with Open Data Day 2021. Thank you so much! We’ve gone through all the feedback and… Here is a summary of what we learned You told us that Open Data Day 2021 will be better if we …
  • present all the events together in a searchable directory, to show the amazing scale and variety of Open Data Day events
  • focus less on the geographic location of the events because some events are online and can be attended by anyone with an internet connection
  • give more mini-grants to more Open Data Day events 
  • confirm who has won the mini-grants at an earlier date – to help with event planning
  • focus on one data track – not four. Recommendations included climate change data, disaster risk management data, gender data, election data and Covid 19 data
  • give support, advice and opportunities for Covid Safe events and activities 
  • get better press coverage of Open Data Day events, and better connections with data journalists 
  • publish reports on Open Data Day events on the Open Data Day website, with more photos and videos
  • improve the mini-grant methodology to increase the measurable impact of Open Data Day mini-grants 
  • reduce bank changes by using innovative money transfer systems 
  • helped funding partners create better connections with event organisers and attendees
Here at Open Knowledge Foundation we will spend the next few weeks digesting all these great ideas and working out how best to respond to make sure Open Data Day 2021 is better than ever. Thanks again to everyone who already responded to our survey! 

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Tell us how you think we can better support Open Data Day

- November 4, 2020 in community, Events, Open Data Day, Open Data Day 2021, Open Knowledge

This year has been such an eventful year for all of us. As 2020 nears its end, here at Open Knowledge Foundation we are starting to think about Open Data Day 2021. I checked my calendar this morning – and it’s only 4 months away ! Open Data Day is such a great opportunity for the entire open data community to come together to show the benefits of open data. Last year over 300 Open Data Day events took place over 50 countries. Our (OKF’s) role is facilitation As we start to make plans, we would like you to have your say on how we (OKF) can best support Open Data Day. Do you have any ideas? Or comments? Advice? Tell us how you think we can better support Open Data Day  We want to know 
  • The good stuff. What worked at Open Data Day last year? What did you enjoy most? Which events really stood out? Did you meet someone at Open Data Day 2020 that changed the way you work for the better?
  • The bad stuff. What didn’t work last year? What could we have done differently? How would you like Open Data Day to improve? How can we achieve more impact? Are there other data tracks we should focus on?
  • How can we help each other? Open Data Day brings people together from around the world to celebrate open data. Are you interested in volunteering to help the global event happen? We are thinking of running a live online event and maybe some global competitions. And perhaps doing some fundraising for the whole open data community. Do you want to help ?
We’d love it if you can take 3 minutes to share your thoughts in our survey and tell us how you think we can improve Open Data Day.   We want to make Open Data Day 2021 better than ever, and we can only do that with your help !

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Protected: Launching a new collaboration in Macedonia with Metamorphosis and the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office

- September 18, 2014 in Open Data

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