International Open Data Day

What day is it?

Every year at the beginning of March, the world celebrates International Open Data Day (International Open Data Day). The purpose of the holiday is to inform the society how important it is to provide open access to important data. On this day, events are held to discuss the possibilities of processing open data, as well as the problems faced by the global Open Data community.

How did the idea to celebrate International Open Data Day come about?

The holiday was launched in 2010 at the initiative of the International Open Knowledge Foundation. The idea was immediately picked up and supported by various international and interstate structures. The most famous of them are the United Nations, the World Bank and others. In various countries of the world, events are taking place that inform the society about how open data impact the lives of ordinary citizens and how you can take advantage of them.

Open data in Ukraine

At the official level, Ukraine joined the celebration of the International Open Data Day in 2015. It was then, for the first time in the history of our country, that a resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine was issued, obliging to open to the general public about 900 sets of information from various spheres of activity. After that, the so-called Open Data Portal was created. In this regard, Ukraine has become one of the top three countries that are actively working towards openness.

Today, the resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers regulating the issue of publicizing data arrays is the most detailed regulatory document related to the opening of data. Despite the fact that the act was passed only 5 years ago, it allows members of the public to demand data discovery from representatives of various power structures.

How do officials try to avoid disclosure of data?

There are a number of denials used by officials to hide information important to society. Getting to know them will help you get access to important information despite various refusals.

• «We do the hard work of getting that data. Why should someone earn from them?». This is one of the main refusals that can be heard most often. After all, open data allows development, creating new business models. Such an open approach is important for society. A successful example is the service for monitoring registration data of legal entities called OpenDataBot, which won the Open Data in Business award.
• Not everyone understands what the term «open data» really means. Often, true openness is confused with the publication of certain information on web resources belonging to certain authorities. It is important to know that open data and public information are completely different things. Open data is structured public information that can be processed automatically.
• Open data has no value. This is not the case, primary information can be used to create certain products and analyze them. For example, public representatives actively use anti-corruption data. And for entrepreneurs, the Unified State Register of Legal Entities, Individual Entrepreneurs, and Public Organizations is extremely important. According to research by the Kyiv School of Economics, it is difficult to overestimate the benefits of using open data in our country.
• Government officials do not have time to engage in data discovery. This is also not true. Because data discovery on the contrary, it shortens the time of responses received by the authority. For example, in the Netherlands, after the Ministry of Education opened information about education, the number of requests decreased by 50%.

International Open Data Day in history

• 2010

  The event was launched in 2010 at the initiative of the International Open Knowledge Foundation.
• 2015

  At the official level, Ukraine joined the celebration of the International Open Data Day.

How to celebrate International Open Data Day?

On this day, various symposia, conferences, presentations, and workshops are held in various cities around the world, the purpose of which is to demonstrate the value of open public information. This is important both for representatives of government bodies and for entrepreneurs and ordinary citizens. At open data events, attendees can also learn how open data can change the functioning of an entire country, an individual company, and every individual.

Entrepreneurs, programmers, designers, experts in various fields of knowledge, and members of the public often gather at such conferences to develop and create resources and services for solving pressing social problems.

Why is this event important?

The importance of the holiday is determined by the value of open data for every person. Using important publicly available information, you can create services and products, organize fair public procurement, and use budget funds wisely. In this way, a transparent environment is formed for conducting business and finding responsible partners.

Few people know what open data is an effective mechanism that helps fight crime, improve the environment, and find safe places to buy or rent housing (commercial premises).

Since 2019, an IT competition called the Open Data Challenge has been held in Ukraine, which allows startups to create an anti-corruption product that can solve an important social problem and receive funds for it from the prize fund, the size of which is 2.5 million hryvnias.

When will we celebrate International Open Data Day?