[okfn-coord] Open Data Commons - future work

Tue Nov 25 12:39:09 UTC 2008

Hi fellow OKFN'ers

This is sort of a brain dump on open data.

I want to see the Open Data Commons project get some life, and I'm  
too busy to do it.

I think that now is the time to try to start pulling together some of  
the resources behind the one finished licence -- the Public Domain  
Dedication and Licence (PDDL) -- and the developing Open Database  
Licence (ODbL). There is a lot of interest right now in Open Data and  
I think that if we can get some organisation behind these two  
licences we can have a positive impact.

As of now, the Open Data Commons as a project has a home with OKFN.   
I'd like this home to be permanent, and I think that we can get some  
support from a number of other organisations to help facilitate the  
project (both resources and possibly monetary).

==Summary of where we are at:

-- PDDL is released and being used
-- ODbL (the copyleft one) is in draft status and going to be adopted  
by Open Street Map once finished.

==My thoughts on where we should go:

-- A new website or updating of current one for:
---- updates on the licences
---- updates on the use of the licences
---- general news about open data

-- Explanatory materials about the licences and how they should be  
used.  This is critical to build up a set of common understandings  
and community consensus about what the terms of the licence mean: the  
Courts to the licence's constitution. 

-- A platform for chat about open data and the licences by the  
general public (could be a mailing list)

-- A way that people can contribute and discuss future versions of  
the licence

-- A way that people can contribute and discuss the ODbL as it is  
being developed.

==My role

As you all probably know I switched jobs over the summer and have  
been a lot busier (that's the rub with private practice).  I want to  
still remain involved, but want to only spend my time on the legal  
aspects and advising the project generally.

==Other sources of help

I think that if we start to make a call out for other sources of  
assistance that we will get some offers relatively quickly -- if we  
can show some project organisation and interest from other parties.

==Next steps

So that is more or less it.  I can give someone the details for the  
current site at opendatacommons.org and they can start hacking on  
some of the above.  I'm too busy with trying to work with OSM's pro  
bono legal counsel on the legal aspects of the ODbL to do too much  
more at the moment, but I don't want to leave it too long.

I'd also like to have a physical meeting if that is possible sometime  
soon about the project.  But first maybe we should have an IRC  
meeting or a conference call -- I'd prefer a conference call.

Any thoughts?

Thanks!

~Jordan
____
Mr. Jordan S Hatcher, JD, LLM

jordan at opencontentlawyer dot com
OC Blog: http://opencontentlawyer.com
IP/IT Blog: http://twitchgamer.net

Open Data Commons
<http://opendatacommons.org>

Usage of Creative Commons by cultural heritage organisations
http://www.eduserv.org.uk/foundation/studies/cc2007