[OKCon-Programme] 2. OKCon 2011 programme committee meeting: Wednesday, 23 March 2011 2pm CET

[Chris Taggart]

Daniel etc

I can't make this -- am in a meeting of the UK's Local Public Data Panel,
which I need to attend. Will try to participate via the etherpad, but it's
going to be difficult. My sole suggestion for an invited speaker is/remains
Carl Malamud (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Malamud), who was opening up
data before many of us had even heard the words open data, and has been an
inspiration to me. I have an email address for him but don't know him.

Re the sessions, and looking at what's currently there, I tend to feel they
sound a bit vague and abstract, and I'd like to suggest they be brought into
the real world with a strong focus on one engaging element. In my former
life as a magazine editor/publisher, I'd have said they feel a bit like
generic features -- a feature about, say, open data, rather than, how open
data solved X problem, which is always more compelling, and works better for
both knowledgeable audiences (who know all the info the generic feature
would have) and the novice audience (for whom the generic feature is not
very compelling)

So I wonder if each strand should have it's own keynote, linked to that
theme, but ideally not clashing in the schedule (and in the main room too),
so they can be all been seen. I'd love to do the one in the *Open Law,
Society and Democracy* strand, something along the lines of:

*Global open data: a threat or saviour for democracy?*

   - In a globalised world where national boundaries are ignored by
   companies, the environment, and lobbying (e.g. ACTA) is global open data the
   only way to give the community an understanding of the issues, forces and
   problems that face us?
   - Much of the global information is already available in
   closed, proprietary datasets and is available for a price -- legislation,
   corporate info, lobbying info. What practically can open data do to correct
   the asymmetries of information?
   - What implications does this have for democracy? Where's the democratic
   oversight of Wikileaks, of Wikipedia, of OKFN ;-) and does this matter, or
   does their survival depends on them being outside of any formal structure?
   - How does jurisdiction work with global open data. If personal
   information about a German person is put in the public domain by the US,
   does/should the German state have the right/ability to prevent publication
   by a German website/by a website in another EU country? cf libel tourism,
   companies moving base for tax/oversight advantages.
   - How do we do this in a distributed, open way, but still building data
   sets that have as much power as those currently closed datasets?

Obviously I'm very well aware of all these issues through by work with
OpenCorporates, but the more I talk to people (not just in the open data
community, but those thinking about the future for democracy/law too) the
more I think these are some of the defining questions of our time, not just
for the open data community, but the rest of the world too.
Just my $0.02 worth ;-)

Chris Taggart
-- 
-------------------------------------------------------
OpenCorporates :: The Open Database of the Corporate World
http://opencorporates.com
OpenlyLocal :: Making Local Government More Transparent
http://openlylocal.com
Blog: http://countculture.wordpress.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/CountCulture

On 18 March 2011 12:47, Daniel Dietrich <daniel.dietrich at okfn.org> wrote:

> Dear all,
>
> it looks like the most popular date for the 2. OKCon 2011 programme
> committee meeting is:
>
>        Wednesday, 23 March 2011 2pm CET
>
> @Wauter: you promised to take care for the conference call logistics this
> time. So could you please indicate how to join the call?
>
> @All: if you have not done already please poll the Doodle to indicate if
> you can participate:
>
>        http://www.doodle.com/gs745yvndp593iye
>
> @All: as mentioned in my last mail I have 4 tasks for you:
>
>        1. Identify and Invite Keynote Speakers (by March, 21st)
>        2. Add your ideas for a 1st. Programme Draft (by March, 28th)
>        3. Re-send CFP to lists and organisations
>        4. Get more people to submit Proposals
>
> We will use this pad for online notes taking
> http://okcon.okfnpad.org/2011-programme
>
> See you next Wednesday, 23 March 2011 2pm CET
>
> Kind regards
> Daniel
>
>
>
>
> --
> Daniel Dietrich
>
> The Open Knowledge Foundation
> Promoting Open Knowledge in a Digital Age
> www.okfn.org  -  www.opendefinition.org
>
> Project Coordinator of the Open Definition
> Coordinator of the Working Groups:
> Open Government Data & Open Data in the EU
>
> Open Knowledge Foundation Deutschland
> Prenzlauer Allee 217
> 10405 Berlin
> www.okfn.de
>
> Mail: daniel.dietrich at okfn.org
> Mobil: +49 171 780 870 3
> Skype: ddie22
> Twitter: @ddie
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> OKCon-Programme mailing list
> OKCon-Programme at lists.okfn.org
> http://lists.okfn.org/mailman/listinfo/okcon-programme
>
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