Open Data: 50 Countries, 100 Speakers and the Power of Ideas

Hundreds of open data experts and enthusiasts from more than 50 countries are expected at the second International Open Government Data Conference (IOGDC) —a look at the impact and promise of open data in cities, countries and institutions around the world.

Twenty panel discussions in Washington July 10-12 will focus on open data policies, technologies, and the power of putting open data to work. These dialogues will feature a global cadre of experts, leaders and policy-makers: World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim, U.S. Federal Chief Information Officer Steven Van Roekel, representatives of private firms such as Google, Microsoft, ESRI and REI, civil society organizations like the Sunlight Foundation and the Open Knowledge Foundation, media and technology organizations like Teradata, Socrata, Junar, Buzzdata and Brightscope, and officials heading open government data efforts in Mexico, Kenya, Uruguay, Moldova, India, Brazil, and Ghana.

“I’m pleased to see such a diverse global audience gathering around a topic that hardly existed three years ago -- open data has truly gone international,” said World Bank Open Data Evangelist Tariq Khokhar.

Open data is data that is freely available and re-usable without restriction – technical or legal. Governments around the world have begun to open their data in a bid to be more transparent and accountable, to stimulate innovation and efficiency, and to drive the private sector. The move to make US government weather data freely available, for example, is thought to have generated billions of dollars in economic value and this year, the UK has followed suit...